Women's Basketball Hosts Florida A&M
11/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2011
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss women's basketball team will host Florida A&M for the first time since 2005 when the Lady Rattlers visit Hattiesburg on Nov. 29 for a 7 p.m. tip.
The Lady Eagle contest can be heard on WHXB-FM 96.5 with Josh West, voice of the Lady Eagles, providing the play-by-play action and legendary head coach Kay James as color analyst.
Southern Miss Preview
The Lady Eagles are coming off a heart-breaking 66-65 loss to Stephen F. Austin in the championship game of the Lady Eagle Classic. Junior Tanecka Carey paced for Lady Eagles in scoring with 21 points followed by Jamierra Faulkner and Nitesha Pierce with 17 points and 13 points, respectively. Carey recorded her first career double-double as she pulled down 10 rebounds. The Lady Eagles came up with 12 steals with Faulkner grabbing five.
Carey leads the team in scoring at 21.8 points per game with Faulkner close behind at 16.8 points per contest. Nitesha Pierce leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 rebounds per contest while Ance Celmina adds 6.6 boards. As a team, USM is shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 58.0 percent from the line while averaging 68.4 points and 43.8 rebounds per outing.
Scouting Florida A&M
Florida A&M enters the contest with a 1-4 record after an 86-66 loss to No. 11/12 Louisville on Nov. 26. Seniors Antonia Bennett and Tameka McKelton led the way with 21 and 14 points, respectively. Qiana Donald hauled in a game-high nine rebounds. The Rattlers connected on 9-of-29 from beyond the arc and came up with 11 steals.
Bennett leads the team in scoring with 18.6 points per game while Donald and McKelton are averaging in double figures with 11.0 and 10.8 points per game, respectively. Donald also is pulling down 10.2 rebounds per contest with Bennett just behind at 7.8 boards per game. As a team, the Lady Rattlers are averaging 64.6 points and 43.6 rebounds while shooting 36.9 percent from the field and 60.9 percent from the line. Head Coach LaDawn Gibson is in her fourth season at Florida A&M.
Series Record: Southern Miss vs. Florida A&M
This is the fourth meeting between the two teams. The Southern Miss won the initial meeting with a 78-57 decision in Hattiesburg. In the last meeting, the Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Rattlers 90-56 in 2005 in the opening game of the Lady Eagle Classic.
What's Next?
Following the Florida A&M Game, Southern Miss hits the road for a 12 p.m. game at UALR.
