Southern Miss Travels to Nationally Ranked Georgia
11/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2010
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss women's basketball team plays its second straight nationally ranked team when the Lady Eagles travel to Athens, Ga., on Dec. 1., to play Georgia.
Southern Miss is 3-2 after a 79-60 loss to No. 9 Kentucky in the championship game of the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic where freshman Jamierra Faulker and junior Rachel Vigers earned all-tournament honors.
Three players are averaging in double figure scoring led by Vigers at 18.2 points, followed by Tanesha Washington at 12.8 and Faulkner at 10.4. Washington and Geneshia Dunbar lead the team in rebounding with 7.6 and 7.4 rebounds, respectively.
Dunbar pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds against Louisiana-Lafayette to go with 11 points. It was her first double-double this season. Faulkner registered her first double-double as she handed out a game-high 11 assists and scored 12 points against the Ragin' Cajuns. She followed that with 10 assists against No. 9 Kentucky.
As a team, the Lady Eagles are averaging 70.4 points and 42.8 rebounds. Southern Miss has improved on its field goal percentage and is now shooting 45.8 percent from the field.
Georgia is ranked No. 21/18 in the latest AP and Coaches' Poll. The Bulldogs enter the game with a 5-1 record with wins over Georgia Southern, Chattanooga, Indiana, Denver and Loyola Marymount. The lone loss came at the hands of USC.
Georgia returns eight letterwinners including three starters from last year's team that finished 25-9 and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Jasmine James leads the team in scoring with a 13.5 per game average, followed by Porsha Phillips at 13.2 and Jasmine Hassell at 12.2. Phillips also leads the team in rebounding with 12.0 boards per game.
As a team, the Bulldogs are averaging 27.2 points and 43.3 rebounds. Georgia's defense has limited its opponents to 28.8 rebounds per game.
This is only the second meeting between the two teams. Georgia leads the series, 1-0, after winning the initial meeting between the two teams last season in the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic in Hattiesburg.
What Next?
Southern Miss returns home to host UALR on Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. The game can be heard on WXHB-FM 96.5 with the "Voice of the Lady Eagles" Josh West providing play-by-play action and former head coach Kay James as the color analyst.
