LAFAYETTE, La. (Interstat) — The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles will look to build on a recent road victory when they visit the struggling Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns in a Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball matchup Saturday at the Cajundome.

Southern Mississippi (8-7) enters having snapped a two-game skid with an 87-73 win at Louisiana-Monroe on Thursday. The Golden Eagles have been inconsistent but hold a clear edge in the standings over Louisiana-Lafayette (3-12), which has lost three of its last four.

The game is a quick rematch of a Dec. 18 meeting in Hattiesburg, which Southern Mississippi won 62-54. In that contest, the Golden Eagles limited the Ragin’ Cajuns to 32.8% shooting from the field.

A key player to watch will be Southern Mississippi guard Tylik Weeks, who is coming off a dynamic 24-point, five-assist performance against ULM. Over his last seven games, Weeks is averaging 17.3 points and has scored 18 or more four times, providing a consistent offensive spark for the Golden Eagles.

Louisiana-Lafayette will counter with guard Dorian Finister, who scored a team-high 20 points in the first meeting against Southern Miss. Finister is averaging 16.3 points and 5.2 rebounds over his last six contests, including an 18-point, six-rebound effort in a 63-58 home loss to South Alabama on Wednesday.

The Ragin’ Cajuns have found wins hard to come by this season, with their only victories since November coming against Norfolk State and Louisiana-Monroe. Their offense has been prone to droughts, failing to reach 65 points in eight of their 12 losses.

For Southern Mississippi, protecting the ball will be a priority after committing 17 turnovers in the Thursday win. The Golden Eagles have shown they can win on the road, with victories at ULM and Radford this season.

Tip-off is set for Saturday afternoon as both teams continue their conference schedules. Southern Mississippi seeks its second straight win, while Louisiana-Lafayette aims to salvage a split of the season series and find momentum in front of its home crowd.