Lady Eagle Basketball Team Hosts 20th Annual Lady Eagle Classic
11/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2007
HATTIESBSURG, Miss. -- - The Southern Miss women's basketball team plays host to its 20th Annual Lady Eagle Classic this weekend. The Lady Eagles opens the tournament, hosting North Florida in game one at 5 p.m., followed by game two with Austin Peay and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 7 p.m. The Southern Miss game will be broadcast over WXHB-FM 96.5 with the "Voice of the Lady Eagles" Jason Baker providing play-by-play action with former coach Kay James as the color analyst.
Southern Miss (4-0) is coming off a 79-65 win over Louisiana-Monroe, in which four players scored in double figures led by Amber Eugene with 18 points, followed by Stephanie Helgeson with 16. Pauline Love and Erica Williams added 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Lady Eagles established a new field goal percentage record, shooting 66 percent from the field against ULM.
Love leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Eugene is averaging 13.3 points followed by Helgeson at 11.8.
As a team, the Lady Eagles are averaging 85.5 points and 41.8 rebounds, while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 70.8 percent from the line. Southern Miss has connected on 23-of-55 threes for 41.8 percent.
North Florida is 1-2, following a 62-43 win over Bethune-Cookman, snapping a two game losing streak. Head Coach Mary Tappmeyer is in her 16th season at the helm of the Lady Osprey program. UNF is in its third season of its four-year transition from Division II to Division I. Tappmeyer returns seven letterwinners, including four starters from last year's 8-21 squad. Tiffany Williams is the leader scorer, averaging 8.3 points, while Jennifer Guldager leads the team in rebounding at 7.0 per game. As a team, UNF is averaging 52.3 points and 35.7 rebounds. This is the first meeting between the two teams.
Austin Peay comes in with an 0-2 record, following a 61-48 loss at Arkansas in its last outing. Head Coach Carrie Daniels enters her second season in charge of the Lady Govs, returning six letterwinners from last year's team. Alex Bivens leads the team in scoring at 12.0 points, while Nicole Jamen leads the team in rebounding at 5.5 rebounds per game. As a team, Austin Peay is averaging 49.0 points and 34.5 rebounds. Southern Miss leads the series with Austin Peay, 2-0.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is 0-4, following a 83-47 loss at North Texas. Head Coach Robert Robinson is in his second season at the helm, after spending the previous four as an assistant for the Islanders. Robinson returns only six letterwinners from last year's squad that finished 15-16. Deziree Green leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.0 points, while Elisa Beagle leads the team in rebounds at 7.5 per game. As a team, the Islanders are averaging 52.8 points and 35.5 rebounds. TAMCC has made 20 three-pointers. The series with TAMCC is tied at 1-1.
The Classic History Southern Miss won its 15th Classic, defeating Eastern Kentucky, 81-76. The Lady Eagles lost in the championship game last season to Northwestern State, 85-75. In 2004, Southern Miss failed to win a game in the Classic, going 0-2 with losses to Columbia (48-41), and then lost to American (66-56) in the consolation game. The Lady Eagles won their 14th Classic title with a 64-58 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2003. Southern Miss now owns a 32-6 overall record in the Classic. The first Classic was played Dec. 10-11, 1982. The Lady Eagles defeated Mercer University, 101-90, in the first Classic final. The Classic was not played again until 1988, when Southern Miss defeated Alabama, 84-79, in overtime. The Classic resumed in 1991 after a two-year absence. The Golden Eagles faced Mississippi State in the finals, winning 89-74. Southern Miss has lost only two championship games. In 1995, nationally-ranked Ole Miss defeated the Eagles in overtime, and in 1998, the Eagles lost to Florida International. In 1999, Southern Miss defeated UT-Martin, 81-65, in the championship game, followed by a 61-48 win over Appalachian State in 2001. In 2002, the Lady Eagles defeated Birmingham Southern 76-42.
Following the Lady Eagle Classic, Southern Miss hits the road for the first time, traveling to Mississippi State on Nov. 29, then on to Jacksonville State on Dec. 1. The State game is set for a 7 p.m., tip.