HATTIESBURG, Miss. (Interstat) — Southern Mississippi looks to continue its recent surge and complete a regular-season sweep when it hosts struggling Louisiana-Monroe in a Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at Reed Green Coliseum.

The Golden Eagles (10-7, 2-1 Sun Belt) have won three of their last four, including an 87-73 victory at Louisiana-Monroe just nine days ago on Jan. 1. They are coming off an 80-70 overtime win against Texas State on Thursday, fueled by a 25-point performance from guard Tylik Weeks.

Weeks has been instrumental in Southern Miss’s success, averaging 21.4 points over his last five games. His 24 points and five assists were key in the earlier win over the Warhawks.

Louisiana-Monroe (3-14, 0-3) enters mired in a nine-game losing streak, its last win coming on Dec. 3. The Warhawks fell 85-79 at Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday despite a 25-point effort from guard Krystian Lewis.

Lewis has been a bright spot during the skid, averaging 22.1 points over his last seven contests. He scored 18 in the first meeting with Southern Miss but will need more support from a team that has struggled defensively, allowing 84.6 points per game during its losing streak.

The matchup pits one of the Sun Belt’s top offensive teams in Southern Miss, averaging 76.2 points, against a Louisiana-Monroe defense ranked near the bottom of the conference. The Golden Eagles have won the last three meetings between the programs.

Southern Miss aims to solidify its position in the upper tier of the conference standings, while the Warhawks are desperately seeking their first Sun Belt win to halt their slide.

Tipoff is set for Saturday afternoon. Southern Miss travels to Troy next Wednesday, while Louisiana-Monroe hosts Georgia State on Jan. 17.