BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — The surging LSU Tigers, boasting one of the nation’s top records, will look to close their non-conference schedule with another victory when they host the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles on Monday night at the Maravich Assembly Center. LSU (11-1) has been dominant at home, averaging 94.6 points per game in Baton Rouge en route to a perfect 8-0 mark. Their lone blemish was a 82-58 road loss at Texas Tech on Dec. 7. Since that defeat, the Tigers have won three straight, including a 104-90 victory over Prairie View on Dec. 22. The Tigers are led by dynamic guard Dedan Thomas, who is coming off a 21-point, 7-assist performance. Over his last five games, Thomas is averaging 17.4 points and 6.2 assists, highlighted by a 16-point, 12-assist double-double in a win over SMU. Southern Miss (7-6) seeks a resume-boosting road upset after a 93-86 home loss to Arkansas State on Dec. 20 snapped a two-game win streak. The Golden Eagles have struggled away from home, posting a 2-4 record in true road games. They will rely heavily on forward Tylik Weeks, who has been on a scoring tear. Weeks poured in a season-high 25 points in the loss to Arkansas State and is averaging 18.3 points over his last six contests. His ability to score inside and out will be critical against LSU’s athletic frontcourt. The matchup pits LSU’s high-powered offense, which has topped 100 points three times this season, against a Southern Miss team that has held opponents under 70 points in five of its seven wins. Containing Thomas and the Tigers’ transition game will be the primary challenge for the Golden Eagles. This game concludes non-conference play for both schools. LSU opens Southeastern Conference action on Jan. 3 at Texas A&M, while Southern Miss begins Sun Belt Conference play on Jan. 1 at Louisiana-Monroe. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CST Monday.