University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagles Host Marshall In Basketball Action
2/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2011
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011 • Hattiesburg, Miss.
Tip-off: 2 p.m. (central)
Arena: Reed Green Coliseum (8,095)
Radio: WXHB-FM 96.5
TV: None
Ranking (AP/Coaches): None
Southern Miss: Joye Lee-McNelis (Southern Miss, '84)
97-108 at Southern Miss (Seven seasons); 326-264 (20 seasons)
Marshall: Royce Chadwick (S.W. Oklahoma St., '80)
141-150 at Marshall (10 seasons); 541-281 (27 Seasons)
Setting the Stage
• Southern Miss returns home to host Marshall
• The game has been designated to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day
• Gina Skelton, girls' basketball coach at Wayne County High School, will be honored in at halftime for her work with girls' sports spanning 30 years
Lady Eagle Fast Break Points
• Southern Miss is 9-12 overall and 4-4 in the league after a 78-58 loss at Memphis
• Southern Miss had its three-game winning streak snapped
• Southern Miss has played three overtime games this season matching the most since 1995-96 and 1997-98 seasons
• Rachel Vigers and Jamierra Faulkner earned C-USA Player and Freshman of the Week honors (1/24)
• The Lady Eagles own a 108-129 record in conference games in C-USA
• Jamierra Faulkner was the only player to score in double figures against Memphis with a team-high 17. Geneshia Dunbar pulled down 10 rebounds.
• Freshman Niesha Pierce tallied a season-high 17 points against SMU (1/27)
• Freshman Jamierra Faulkner was one rebound shy of a triple-double against Tulane (1/20) as she dished out 11 assists to go with her 24 points and two steals
• Three players are averaging in double figure scoring led by junior Rachel Vigers at 16.9, followed by Tanesha Washington at 12.7 and Jamierra Faulkner at 12.3 points per game
• Washington leads the team in rebounding with 8.7 rebounds per game
• Jamierra Faulkner leads the league and the team in assists while ranking among the national leaders
• As a team, Southern Miss is averaging 62.6 points and 40.7 rebounds per game while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 66.0 percent from the line.
A Look at Marshall
Marshall is 5-16 overall and 1-7 in the league after a 61-43 loss to East Carolina Thursday night. Tynikki Crook and Veronica Ruiz led the way with 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Coach Royce Chadwick is in his 10th season at Marshall and returns six letterwinners including two starters from last year's team that finished 14-16. Crook leads the team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 16.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
As a team, Marshall is averaging 52.9 points and 36.6 rebounds while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 62.0 percent from the line.
The Series
This is the 11th meeting between the two teams dating back to the 2005-06 season. Southern Miss leads the overall series against Marshall, 9-3. The two teams faced each other for the first time on Jan. 22, 2006 in Hattiesburg, with the Lady Eagles winning that matchup. Southern Miss has won six of last seven meetings after splitting the series last year.
National Girls and Women in Sports Day
The Athletics Department will honor long-time high school coach Gina Skelton, the girls' basketball coach at Wayne County High School, for her contributions to girls in sports. Skelton's career spans over 30 years and has amassed an overall record of 700-243. During those 30 years, she produced several high school All-Americans, many Mississippi North/South All-Stars and Mississippi/Alabama All-Stars. Her teams have advanced to play-offs 22 times, advancing to the state tournament 12 times including 12 final fours. She captured three state championships, four state runner-ups and played in six semifinal games.
Skelton is the first woman in the state of Mississippi to coach a varsity Boys' team to the state tournament. Some of her honors include National South Sectional Coach of the Year, area Coach of the Year, Wayne County Coach of the Year, Mississippi High School Activities Association Coach of the Year, Head Coach of Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Team, just to name a few.
Skelton got her start in 1981 at Pickens County High School (Reform, Ala.), where she served as head basketball coach, then moved to Carthage High School in 1983 where she coached for seven years. She then coached at Forest High School for 10 seasons before taking her current position at Wayne County High School.
Skelton is a graduate of Waynesboro Central High School. She earned her bachelor's degree from Mississippi Univeristy for Women, then, a master's degree from Mississippi State.
What Next?
The Lady Eagles hit the road for the next two games, traveling to East Carolina on Feb. 10 and UAB on Feb. 13.
