Women's Basketball Hosts 22nd Annual Lady Eagle Classic
11/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2010
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss women's basketball team will host the 22nd Annual Lady Eagle Classic, Nov. 26-27, that include Louisiana-Lafayette, No. 9 Kentucky and Murray State.
Southern Miss opens the tournament with Louisiana-Lafayette in a 5 p.m., tip followed by No. 9 Kentucky versus Murray State at 7:30 p.m.
Fans can follow along with Live stats that will be available through the SouthernMiss.com site under the schedule.
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 26-27, 2010 • Hattiesburg, Miss.
Tip-off Times: 5 p.m./7:30 p.m.
Saturday: Consolation-2 p.m./Championship-4:30 p.m.
Arena: Reed Green Coliseum
Radio: WXHB-FM 96.5 - Southern Miss Sports Network, Josh West providing play-by-play action
TV: None
Streaming: Available through All-Access (Fee)
Ranking: No. 9 AP/ Kentucky
Southern Miss: Joye Lee-McNelis (Southern Miss, '84)
90-97 at Southern Miss (Six Years);
319-253 (20 Years)
Louisiana: Errol Rogers (Louisiana, '95)
21-73 at UL (Four Years); Same Overall
No. 9/9 Kentucky: Mathew Mitchell (Miss. State `95)
64-40 at UK (Three Years); 94-69 (Five Years)
Murray State: Rob Cross (Murray State, `91))
36-26 at MSU (Three Years); Same Overall
Southern Miss at a Glance
• Four players are averaging in double figure scoring led by junior Rachel Vigers at 18.7, followed by Jamierra Faulkner at 11.7, Tanesha Washington at 11.7, and Tandrea High at 11.0.
• Vigers scored a game-high 29 points against UNO
• Tanesha Washington recorded the team's first double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds against South Alabama
• Washington and Vigers lead the team in rebounding
• The Lady Eagles are averaging 13.0 steals per game
• Freshman Jamierra Faulkner earned the team's first C-USA weekly award as she was named Freshman of the Week (11/15)
• All but one of the active players have scored at least two points this season
Scouting Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana is currently 1-2 with a win over LSU-Shreveport and losses to C-USA member UAB and Southern University.
The Ragin' Cajuns return nine letterwinners including three starters from last year's team that finished 9-22.
Mercedes Johnson and Danyell Oliver lead the team offensively, averaging 18.0 and 14.7 points, respectively. Jasmine Barnes leads the team in rebounding with a 7.7 per game average.
As a team, the Ragin' Cajuns are shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 75.3 percent from the line. They have connected on 9-of-27 from behind the arc.
This is the 15th meeting between the two teams. Southern Miss leads the series, 11-3, dating back to the 1976-77 season. The Lady Eagles are 7-0 in Hattiesburg and 3-3 in Lafayette and 1-0 at nuetral sites. Southern Miss has won the last six meetings between the two schools.
Scouting No. 9 Kentucky
Kentucky is ranked No. 9/9 in the latest AP and Coaches' Poll. The Wildcats enter the Classic with a 3-0 record with wins over Morehead, Miami (Ohio), and No. 12 Notre Dame.
The Wildcats return seven letterwinners including four starters from last year's team that finished 28-8 and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. 2009-10 SEC Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap leads a group of five players in double figures with 19.3 points per game. Dunlap also is averaging 10.7 rebounds to lead the team. A'dia Mathies is next with a 13.3 average followed by Bernisha Pinkett at 12.0, Keyla Snowden at 11.5 and Maegan Conwright at 10.3.
As a team, the Wildcats are averaging 82.3 points and 39.0 rebounds. The Wildcat defense is forcing their opponents into 27.0 turnovers per game.
Southern Miss and Kentucky have played only once and the Wildcats lead the series, 1-0, after meeting for the first time in 2001 in the Blue Sky Restaurant Group Classic in Hanover, N. H.
Scouting Murray State
Murray State comes into the Lady Eagle Classic with a 2-2 record with wins over St. Catharine and Mid-Continent and losses to Evansville and Saint Louis.
The Racers return nine letterwinners including two starters from last year's team that finished 13-17. Rachel Isom, a preseason All-OVC selection, leads the Racers in scoring at 10.5 points per game while Jessica Winfrey leads the team in rebounding at 8.0 boards per game. Six Racers are averaging 3.0 rebounds or better and all 13 have at least one rebound.
As a team, Murray State is averaging 65.8 points and 49.2 rebounds per game.
Southern Miss and Murray State have played only once and USM leads the series 1-0. The two teams played for the first time it the Lady Eagle Classic on Jan. 1, 1993.
