WBB to Take On #5 Mississippi State

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Lady Eagles basketball team faces the Bulldogs of No. 5 Mississippi State on Friday evening in Reed Green Coliseum at 6pm. This matchup is the fourth-longest for the program, with Friday's game being the 46th installment.

The Matchup
Southern Miss (6-3) takes on the No. 5 Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-0) for the 46th time in program history. The Bulldogs lead the series 23-22, and the Lady Eagles look to tie the matchup at 23 all. USM leads the series when playing on their home court in Reed Green, going 14-9.

Mississippi State comes to Hattiesburg after a 87-82 win over Marquette (18/15) earlier this month. The last time the Lady Eagles faced a ranked opponent was when they played the Bulldogs in Starkville, who were then ranked 7/5. They had four-straight games with 100 or more points, facing Lamar, Coppin State, Furman and Jackson State. Their lineup is stacked, with their center, Teaira McCowan, checking in at 6'7" and forward Chloe Bibby at 6'1".

Southern Miss sets out to play Mississippi State after a hard-fought win against the Lady Braves of Alcorn State, 66-47. All three true freshmen saw playing time and put points on the board, each recording new career-highs in several categories. Junior forward Respect Leaphart had a breakout game, going 2-for-4 from the 3-point line to lead the team in points, while also recording six rebounds on the night. Alarie Mayze and Megan Brown are popping up on the national stage statistically, with Mayze ranked 39th overall for steals, recording 2.9 per game, and Brown tied for 14th in the nation for her performance at the charity stripe, going 23-25 in nine games with a 92.0%. Brown also leads the team in points with 104, bringing her career total to 824. She is also climbing the ranks in career games played with 109. She passed her head coach Joye Lee-McNelis with the Alcorn State game, and is now tied for 24th with Candice Keyes. Shonte Hailes continues to lead the team in assists with 44 thus far, and is tied with Mayze for team-high rebounds with 46.

Thoughts on the Game – Joye Lee-McNelis
I think it's a great challenge. It seems like just yesterday when Ance Celmina hit that bucket at the buzzer for us to be able to beat them, or Pauline Love making the half court shot for us to take the win. Mississippi State has made that turn has made some things happen. Johnnie Harris is a big key for them; she's served as the mother of that basketball team and the big sister of that team and she makes sure they get things done off and on the court. We're excited for that challenge to play against them. It'll be an opportunity to give it our best shot and we get to play them in our building. We don't want maroon to outnumber us, so we want a lot of Golden Eagle fans and black and gold in Reed Green, and we welcome that opportunity to be able to face one of the best teams in the country. Are they a lot bigger than us? Indeed. They're good. But we need a lot of Black and Gold, and the Lady Eagles will be physically prepared. Mentally we will give it our best shot as coaches to prepare them, we just can't play with fear – we've got to play with a lot of grit and a lot of grind.

Follow the Lady Eagles
The matchup between Southern Miss and Mississippi State will be aired on ESPN+ with Lee Roberts and Lee Applewhite bringing fans all the action. Lady Eagle fans can also tune into 92.7 The Score to hear the Voice of the Lady Eagles, Jason Baker, along with the legendary Kay James. Live stats can be found by following the link on the women's basketball schedule. Fans can also follow along with highlights of the game on Twitter at @SouthernMissWBB. A full recap, photo gallery and final stats will be available after the conclusion of the game on SouthernMiss.com.

Up Next
The Lady Eagles continue their homestand on Dec. 18 when they take on Blue Mountain College at 6pm in Reed Green Coliseum. Southern Miss will then travel on to Hammond, La. to face Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 20 at 6pm.

WBB to Take On #5 Mississippi State

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Players Mentioned

Megan Brown

Shonte Hailes

Respect Leaphart

Alarie Mayze