Thursday, December 19
Houston, Texas / Fertitta Center
11 a.m.
Southern Miss
-73,00 CUSA
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Houston
6-6,0-0AAC
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Southern Miss.
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Houston
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Photo by: Houston Athletics
Lady Eagles Fall to Houston After Cougars Rally Late
12/19/2019 2:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Staying ahead the whole game, the Lady Eagles fell behind in the fourth quarter.
HOUSTON, Texas – The Lady Eagles of Southern Miss women's basketball led against Houston for 23 minutes, but a late rally by the Cougars put them ahead on their way to win the game 75-60 in Fertitta Center on Thursday morning.
Southern Miss (7-3, 0-0) took an early 6-0 lead against Houston (6-6, 0-0) in the first minute of the game, with Kelsey Jones striking first in the game with a good bucket. The Lady Eagles held the Cougars back from scoring from the field until there were just two minutes left in the quarter. They exited that first quarter tied at 12 points all. Jalise Smallwood came in off the bench to score six of those points for Southern Miss. "I applauded her in the locker room for that at halftime," said Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "She gave us a good spark off the bench that we needed."
The second quarter saw the Lady Eagles pulling some clutch shots and go on a scoring run of 7-3 in the middle of the quarter, putting them in a 30-22 lead. They shot 60 percent from the field in that second quarter as well as 66.7 percent from the three point arc. Going into halftime, the Cougars had caught back up but Southern Miss still led 35-30 when the buzzer sounded.
Houston found their groove after the break, outscoring the Lady Eagles in both final frames. The game was tied by a Houston free throw with just under four minutes to play in the third. With the score at 49-48 Houston with 1:25 on the clock, a bad pass became a turnover, and Houston never looked back. The quarter ended with Houston leading 54-48. Alarie Mayze and Shonte Hailes did what they could to keep their team on track, both dropping a 3-pointer and two shots from the field. Mayze recorded two steals in the quarter.
The Cougars kept their rhythm, outscoring the Lady Eagles 21-12 in that final quarter with a field percentage of 63.6. The persistence of Houston's defense proved futile for the Lady Eagles, and Southern Miss fell to Houston.
Shonte Hailes led her team in points with 23 total, while Leaphart was not far behind, recording 12. Daishai Almond led the team in rebounds and assists with seven boards and four assists.
"After that turnover in the final minutes of the third, [the team] came to the bench and from that point on, they were frustrated. I was frustrated. It went from what could've been a lead to then it's starts their rolling. We were not very disciplined in the fourth quarter. Our players were just trying to make some shots and our offensive flow was not very good. We were just frazzled and in turn our defense wasn't very good."
Up Next
The Lady Eagles will break for the holidays but hit the hardwood once again on Dec. 28 for a home matchup against Faulkner University. Southern Miss will tip off at 4 p.m. in Reed Green Coliseum.
Southern Miss (7-3, 0-0) took an early 6-0 lead against Houston (6-6, 0-0) in the first minute of the game, with Kelsey Jones striking first in the game with a good bucket. The Lady Eagles held the Cougars back from scoring from the field until there were just two minutes left in the quarter. They exited that first quarter tied at 12 points all. Jalise Smallwood came in off the bench to score six of those points for Southern Miss. "I applauded her in the locker room for that at halftime," said Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "She gave us a good spark off the bench that we needed."
The second quarter saw the Lady Eagles pulling some clutch shots and go on a scoring run of 7-3 in the middle of the quarter, putting them in a 30-22 lead. They shot 60 percent from the field in that second quarter as well as 66.7 percent from the three point arc. Going into halftime, the Cougars had caught back up but Southern Miss still led 35-30 when the buzzer sounded.
Houston found their groove after the break, outscoring the Lady Eagles in both final frames. The game was tied by a Houston free throw with just under four minutes to play in the third. With the score at 49-48 Houston with 1:25 on the clock, a bad pass became a turnover, and Houston never looked back. The quarter ended with Houston leading 54-48. Alarie Mayze and Shonte Hailes did what they could to keep their team on track, both dropping a 3-pointer and two shots from the field. Mayze recorded two steals in the quarter.
The Cougars kept their rhythm, outscoring the Lady Eagles 21-12 in that final quarter with a field percentage of 63.6. The persistence of Houston's defense proved futile for the Lady Eagles, and Southern Miss fell to Houston.
Shonte Hailes led her team in points with 23 total, while Leaphart was not far behind, recording 12. Daishai Almond led the team in rebounds and assists with seven boards and four assists.
"After that turnover in the final minutes of the third, [the team] came to the bench and from that point on, they were frustrated. I was frustrated. It went from what could've been a lead to then it's starts their rolling. We were not very disciplined in the fourth quarter. Our players were just trying to make some shots and our offensive flow was not very good. We were just frazzled and in turn our defense wasn't very good."
Up Next
The Lady Eagles will break for the holidays but hit the hardwood once again on Dec. 28 for a home matchup against Faulkner University. Southern Miss will tip off at 4 p.m. in Reed Green Coliseum.
Team Stats
USM
UH
FG%
.434
.490
3FG%
.385
.261
FT%
.563
.655
RB
29
33
TO
17
16
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Center
/ Women's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Women's BasketballGuard
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