GAME NOTES: The Charlotte 49ers welcome the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to Halton Arena on Saturday for a Conference USA clash.

The 49ers hold a big advantage in the all-time series, 26-5, and are 11-1 in Charlotte. One of Southern Miss' wins, however, came last season. The Eagles have dropped seven straight on the road in the series.

Southern Miss is hoping to bounce back after suffering a humbling 64-38 loss at Old Dominion on Thursday. The Eagles scored just 19 points in both halves and wound up shooting a miserable 28.3 percent from the floor. They also committed 17 turnovers and only had two players score more than six points.

Chip Armelin led the way with 15 points, while Matt Bingaya provided 11 points and nine boards in the loss, which dropped Southern Miss to 2-12 in league play. The Monarchs converted USM's 17 turnovers into 23 points, while the Golden Eagles netted only eight points on ODU's 15 miscues.

Southern Miss is struggling to breach the 60-point barrier more often than not, as it averages 60.2 ppg currently. Armelin checks in with 15.8 ppg, despite hitting 46.9 percent of his attempts from the field. Bingaya is good for another 14.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg, followed by Norville Carey and his 10.7 ppg and 5.6 rpg, but still the team is being beaten on the glass by an average of 3.7 rpg.

Charlotte dropped a heartbreaker to league-leading Louisiana Tech on Thursday, losing 83-82 in overtime. Louisiana Tech took control in the extra session and led, 81-76, with just 10 seconds showing on the game clock. After Braxton Ogbueze drilled a 3-pointer with six seconds left, the Bulldogs put it out of reach with a pair of makes at the free-throw line.

Ogbueze led the 49ers with 16 points. Pierria Henry went 5-of-17 from the floor for 14 points, which he accompanied with eight assists. Terrence Williams also scored 14 points, while Mike Thorne, Jr. recorded a double- double with 13 points and 10 boards. Willie Clayton also grabbed 10 rebounds in the setback for Charlotte, which is just 4-9 in league play this season.

Only two players for the 49ers average double figures in the scoring column this season, led by Torin Dorn's 11.8 ppg on 50.4 percent shooting. Ogbueze, who led Charlotte for a majority of the season, adds 10.6 ppg. Thorne (9.9 ppg) and Pierria Henry (9.9 ppg) have been productive as well. Thorne does top the team in rebounding with 7.2 rpg, and Henry's 148 assists is the best mark on the squad. Charlotte as a unit is netting 73.8 ppg, which ranks first in Conference USA, but the team's defense has been a liability, allowing a league-worst 72.8 ppg to opponents.

Given Southern Miss' penchant for road failure -- the Eagles are 1-11 in true road tilts this season -- and the 49ers' need to rebound from a tough loss, the edge goes to Charlotte on its home court