University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Getting to Know ... Lashyra Cotton
11/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The countdown continues for the season-opener for the Lady Eagles and with just seven days away, a women's basketball player will be featured each day until the tip-off against Alabama State on Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. in the Preseason WNIT.
Junior guard Lashyra Cotton is the featured player for this countdown.
Cotton, a native of Cleveland, Miss., is one of only five returning letterwinners from last year's team that finished 25-11, played in the C-USA Championship game and advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT. She is expected to provide leadership to this squad.
Cotton earned valuable playing time last season, averaging 3.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. She played in 26 games and drew five starts. She is a good defender and capable of creating her own shot. She started the season off, scoring a career-high 18 points against William Carey in the season-opener. She followed with a pair of games scoring in double figures against Mississippi Valley State and Austin Peay. Cotton missed eight games at the start of Conference USA play with a shoulder injury, but bounced back strong.
As a freshman, Cotton played in 32 games and finished the season averaging 1.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Cotton, a Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen selection, played at Eastside High School where she averaged 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and five steals as a senior. She earned All-State 2012 and named District Player of the Year from 2010 to 2013. Cotton also received honors in all-state track. She was awarded Valedictorian and was a member of the National Honor Society. She is the daughter of Leroy and Susan Cotton. Her brother played basketball at Delta State and won the 2015 slam dunk contest at the NCAA Final Four. She is an exercise science major.
