Southern Miss
Middle Tennessee
Southern Miss Reins in Middle Tennessee in 61-53 Win
1/20/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. â€" The Southern Miss women's basketball team (11-7, 3-2) reined in Middle Tennessee (11-8, 3-3) Saturday, Jan. 20 in a 61-53 win at the Murphy Center. Southern Miss moves to 8-3 all-time against Middle Tennessee and 2-1 when playing at the Murphy Center.
Paced by Shonte Hailes' double-double, the Lady Eagles have now won three straight contests, tied for the most consecutive victories on the season, and have snapped its opponents winning streaks with each win. This is the second career double-double for Hailes and her 13 rebounds sets a new career-high mark for the Quitman, Miss. native.
"Today, as a whole, we played with a tremendous amount of heart and soul," said Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "We didn't play very smart at times, but we played very hard. It made a difference when we were able to score when we needed to score, to get to the rim when we needed to and get some fouls."
The Lady Eagles controlled the game and held the lead for a combined 36:48. Southern Miss surrendered the advantage just once and trailed for only 52 seconds for the duration of the game.
Southern Miss' 19 bench point was key to the victory, outscoring the Blue Raiders bench by one point. Kyle Felton led the players coming off the bench with a season-high nine points.
"She came off the bench and we've said when those opportunities come you've got to be ready to step in. She gave us a great first half," McNelis said. "Her length helped us guard Alex Johnson. Kyle stepped up and hit shots with confidence."
Amber Landing added four points, including a daring 15-foot jumper with 1:04 left in regulation that pushed the Lady Eagles in front by four and would prove to be the dagger that Middle Tennessee couldn't overcome.
The Lady Eagles will have home stands against Charlotte and UTSA this coming week. The rubber match with the 49ers will come on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 6:00 p.m. and the season's lone meeting with the Roadrunners will take place on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 4:00 p.m.
Fans can watch the game on CUSA.TV or listen to Josh West on the broadcast via The Score 1400 AM or the Southern Miss Game Day App starting 30 minutes before tipoff.
