Southern Miss got 17 points from Neil Watson en route to an 81-78 victory over East Carolina on Thursday at FedExForum.

Southern Miss won on the scoreboard, but lost at the pay window as they failed to cover the 7-point spread.

Southern Miss got 16 points from Jonathan Mills and another 13 points from Darnell Dodson. Neil Watson contributed 6 assists, while Jonathan Mills cleaned the glass with 8 rebounds.

East Carolina got 28 points from Miguel Paul in a losing cause and another 18 points from Maurice Kemp. Miguel Paul contributed 12 assists for them, while Robert Sampson had 9 rebounds.

First-half bettors who backed Southern Miss were victorious, as the score was 32-30 at the break.

Southern Miss had a 36-29 advantage in the rebounding department as they won the battle in the paint.