WBB Falls to UTEP 89-72 Despite Late Surge

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Lady Eagles of Southern Miss women's basketball fell to UTEP on Thursday night, 89-72, in Reed Green Coliseum despite a thundering fourth quarter push.

Southern Miss (9-4, 1-1) had bright spots and a comeback run against the Miners (10-4, 3-0), but ultimately couldn't out-do them. There was a strong showing from both teams in the first quarter, but it was obvious that UTEP was a force to be reckoned with as they came out to a hot 17-8 lead with just four minutes having expired. Southern Miss chopped at the Miner lead and took it down to just three through the first 10 minutes (23-20). UTEP outscored Southern Miss 23-20 in the first and followed it up with 28-11 in the second. They led by 20 going into the half, 51-31 after going on a nine-point run with 2:49 to go.

Coming out of halftime, there was a renewed sense of energy and a grit about the Lady Eagles. They held off the Miners to just 21 points in the third, scoring 20 of their own. UTEP pulled ahead by as much as 27 points in that third frame. The Lady Eagles had an early fourth quarter surge which propelled them forward, where they rallied to whittle the Miners lead down to just eight with four minutes on the clock. The Miners ultimately re-expanded their lead behind six-straight free throws and a 3-pointer from freshman Katia Gallegos, defeating the Lady Eagles by 17 in the end. Southern Miss outscored the Miners in the final frame, 21-17.

On top for the Lady Eagles was senior Shonte Hailes, who was just shy of a 30-point game with 28 points. The senior was 10-for-17 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. She also recorded four assists. Daishai Almond dished out seven assists to her teammates. Kelsey Jones and Respect Leaphart both led Southern Miss in rebounds with four a piece. Freshman Liz Gibbs continues to make strides as she scored a new season-high against the Miners with 10 points. She also had two steals and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line.

Her head coach Joye Lee-McNelis dubbed Gibbs the "super sub of the night". "Coming off the bench I have an adrenaline rush," said Gibbs. "I had the word 'energy' written on my left hand because that was what was expected of me tonight." When talking about the transition from being the starter in high school to coming off the bench, the Georgia native had this to say: "I feel like I'm starting from scratch, you have to earn the spot. You can't just come in and be great right away, you have to trust the process and I have three more years, so I can't wait to see what I become. I've learned a lot from [Shonte], especially in practice. She talks me through things like game situation. Her leadership verbally does a lot, so do her actions."

"They're very good. They're very poised," said Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "They run everything like it's a machine. They don't make a lot of mistakes, so you have to force them to make one. They're making a turnaround from where they were a year ago with all those injuries. Their freshmen have really bought into Kevin Baker's culture and to what he expects. Any time a team struggles and makes a comeback, I'm proud of them. Hats off to him, they very well may be the best team in the league."

Up Next
The Lady Eagles will be back in action on Saturday when they take on the Roadrunners of UTSA at 4 p.m. in Reed Green Coliseum. Military Appreciation weekend continues, as active and retired military members can show their ID at the box office for up to two free tickets to the contest.

WBB Falls to UTEP 89-72 Despite Late Surge

Next Event

Team Stats

Shonte Hailes

Kelsey Jones

Liz Gibbs

Allie Kennedy

Players Mentioned

Daishai Almond

Liz Gibbs

Shonte Hailes

Kelsey Jones

Respect Leaphart

Players Mentioned

Daishai Almond

Liz Gibbs

Shonte Hailes

Kelsey Jones

Respect Leaphart