Lady Eagles Drops Conference USA Game to Memphis, 80-51

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Lady Eagles Drops Conference USA Game to Memphis, 80-51

Emer Foley came off the bench to lead the Lady Eagles in scoring with 10 points

MEMPHIS, Tenn. ? Things didn?t go quite as planned for the Southern Miss Lady Eagle basketball team according to Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis, as Memphis defeated Southern Miss 80-51 before a crowd of 1,723, Sunday afternoon in Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

Southern Miss falls to 6-10 and 1-3 in Conference USA while Memphis improved to 9-8 and 2-2.

?You have to give Memphis credit for the way they played today that includes the players and the coaching staff,? McNelis said. ?They (Memphis) played with a tremendous amount of energy. It makes a difference when you have that senior leadership.

?We had two players come off the bench and give us a good game, Jenae Jackson and Emer Foley,? McNelis said. ?I?m very proud of the way they played and I believe they were difference makers today.?

Freshman Emer Foley was the lone Lady Eagle tallying double-digit points for Southern Miss with 10. She also led the team with six rebounds. Victoria Crawford paced Memphis with 18 points and Jennifer Sullivan scored 13 points.

?Kelsey Gurganus has made strides with this team,? McNelis said. ?She is playing with a lot more poise. We just couldn?t make baskets early. We didn?t get the post play we need and that was something we talked about. I?m proud that we continue to fight and if we can make a few baskets, then it?s a different ball game.?

Memphis sprinted out to an 11-2 lead five minutes into the game. Southern Miss struggled from the field, shooting a season-low 16 percent in the half. Memphis led by as many as 16 points half way into the half and cruised to a 47-23 halftime lead.

Southern Miss opened the second half with a 9-3 run, cutting the lead to 18, 50-32, but that was as close as Southern Miss would get. Memphis then used a 14-6 run for a 64-38 lead.

?Now, we have to regroup and prepare for the two home games that we have this weekend,? McNelis said.

The Lady Tigers out-rebounded the Lady Eagles, 42-28, and out-shot Southern Miss 52.8 percent to 26.4 percent. Memphis finished the game with 32 points in the paint and 14 points off 20 Southern Miss turnovers.

Southern Miss returns to action Friday against Marquette at 7 p.m., kicking off the 30-year celebration of women?s basketball at Southern Miss. The Lady Eagles will play nationally ranked DePaul on Sunday and that game will be televised and played on a tape delayed basis.

Lady Eagles Drops Conference USA Game to Memphis, 80-51

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