Southern Miss edges Kent State 66-65

Binet and Taveras lead the Golden Eagles to a narrow victory over the Golden Flashes.

Published on Feb. 7, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Southern Miss defeated Kent State 66-65 in a close basketball game on Saturday. Djahi Binet scored 17 points and Isaac Tavares added 16 points, including the game-winning free throw with one second remaining, to lead the Golden Eagles to victory. Delrecco Gillespie recorded 15 points and 9 rebounds for Kent State, while Rob Whaley Jr. and Cian Medley each scored 15 points for the Golden Flashes.

Why it matters

This was an important conference matchup between two teams with winning records. The narrow victory for Southern Miss keeps them in the hunt for a top spot in the Sun Belt Conference standings, while the loss is a setback for Kent State's hopes of winning the Mid-American Conference title.

The details

Southern Miss led 34-30 at halftime, with Binet scoring 13 points in the first half. Tavares then scored 14 points in the second half, including the game-winning free throw in the final seconds, to seal the victory for the Golden Eagles.

  • The game was played on Saturday, February 7, 2026.

The players

Djahi Binet

A player for Southern Miss who scored 17 points and had 7 rebounds in the game.

Isaac Tavares

A player for Southern Miss who scored 16 points, including the game-winning free throw, and shot 6-of-11 from the field.

Delrecco Gillespie

A player for Kent State who recorded 15 points and 9 rebounds in the game.

Rob Whaley Jr.

A player for Kent State who scored 15 points in the game.

Cian Medley

A player for Kent State who also scored 15 points in the game.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

The takeaway

This was a closely contested game between two teams fighting for position in their respective conferences. Southern Miss was able to hold on for the narrow victory, thanks to strong performances from Binet and Tavares, which keeps them in the hunt in the Sun Belt Conference.