Lady Eagle Defense Propels Southern Miss Past Blue Mountain

Monday, December 13

Reed Green Coliseum

6 P.M.

Southern Miss

-72,00 CUSA

Blue Mountain

0-1

Blue Mountain (MS)

Southern Miss.

Lady Eagle Defense Propels Southern Miss Past Blue Mountain

12/13/2021 8:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Overwhelming defense was the narrative for Southern Miss as the Lady Eagles dispatched the Blue Mountain Lady Toppers on Monday night. A combination of tough interior defense and timely steals helped propel Southern Miss to a 75-50 victory and a record of 7-2.

The Lady Eagles were able to hold the Lady Toppers to 16-of-56 from the field and only allowed Blue Mountain to record a shooting percentage of 25.9 from three-point range. USM finished their final home contest of 2021 with 15 steals and five blocks.

Macy Weaver posted a new career-high in scoring for the second game in a row, as the graduate student finished the game with 14 points. Sophomore guard Emmy James recorded two new career-highs of her own, with 10 points and three assists.

Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis was complimentary of Weaver's play following Monday's game. She noted how she will have an expanded role for the Lady Eagles moving forward and that she has become an integral part of the Southern Miss lineup.

"The thing that Macy brings is her length and her ability to get touches on balls," Lee-McNelis said. "We used to say that we need to have Melyia Grayson and Kelsey Jones to win. Now, we need to have Macy Weaver to win ball games. She needs to join that big two for us."

Southern Miss' defense overwhelmed Blue Mountain early in the contest, as the Lady Eagles held the Lady Toppers to 5-of-15 from the field. USM also shot effectively in the opening frame, with a percentage of 58.8 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range.

A three-pointer from Lauren Gross halfway through the first frame extended the Lady Eagle lead to 12-5. James netted her first two baskets of the season in the final minute of the frame to put Southern Miss up 23-13 lead into the second quarter.

Blue Mountain attempted a furious comeback early in the second quarter, posting an 8-0 run on the Lady Eagles. Southern Miss was able to counter a prolonged 13-point run of its own, which featured baskets from five different Lady Eagles.

The Black and Gold commanded the action for the majority of the quarter with efficient offense and overpowering defense. Southern Miss did not allow a single point from Blue Mountain for over six minutes. Southern Miss held the Lady Toppers to 5-of-17 from the field, as the Lady Eagles went to the locker room with a 41-26 lead at the half.

Brikayla Gray extended Southern Miss' lead to 21 points with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Once again, the Lady Eagles were relentless when Blue Mountain had the ball, as USM recorded three steals and a block to hold the Lady Toppers to 30 percent from the field in the third frame.

Seven Lady Eagles recorded multiple points in the third quarter, as USM took a commanding 62-37 lead into the final frame. Southern Miss was able to force five turnovers and tallied nine points off of the chances generated from its unrelenting defense.

Freshman forward Asjha Leake posted the first points of her collegiate career to put the Lady Eagles up 69-41 with just under six minutes remaining in regulation. She would finish the game with eight points, four rebounds and a steal. Southern Miss continued to hold Blue Mountain at bay for the remainder of the contest.

James was excellent in the first half, posting eight of her 10 points in the opening two quarters in an extended role for the Lady Eagles. When asked how she prepared for this contest, she attributed her success to continued work ethic in practice.

"Honestly, just going into practice hard every single week," James said when asked about what sparked her performance. "When opportunities present themselves, you just have to seize the moment. I haven't been doing anything significantly different. An opportunity presented itself and I was able to step up."

Daishai Almond was effective for the Lady Eagles on the defensive front, as she racked up six steals from Blue Mountain, a new career-high for the senior, to go along with a block. Weaver added two blocks of her own in a smothering defensive performance from USM.

The Lady Eagles generated offense from many sources against the Lady Toppers, as 10 different players recorded five or more points in the win. Southern Miss dominated physically, finishing the game with 38 points from inside the paint. The bench for Southern Miss was crucial in its success, as 32 points came from the Lady Eagles' reserves.

Up next, the Lady Eagles head to Boca Raton, Fla. for a final pair of nonconference contests against Alabama A&M on Dec. 19 and Richmond on Dec. 20. Southern Miss then dives into its Conference USA slate on Dec. 30 against Western Kentucky on the road.