Thursday, December 29
Troy, Ala. / Trojan Arena
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
at
Troy
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Lady Eagles Take on Troy in Sun Belt Conference Debut
12/28/2022 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's basketball look to make history in their Sun Belt Conference debut at Troy. Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and Trojans is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29, at Trojan Arena.
Last Time Out
Southern Miss (7-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) returns to action after enjoying the Christmas holidays and a sweep of the Long Beach Classic. The Black & Gold downed UC Irvine 50-45 and Long Beach State 56-50 in back-to-back days at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
Domonique Davis earned All-Classic Team Honors as well as All-Classic MVP Honors for her performance over the two-day event, including a 20-point performance in a comeback win against LBSU.
Noting the Lady Eagles
Southern Miss grabbed their first wins away from the friendly confines of Reed Green Coliseum while in Long Beach. Coach McNelis' bunch has struggled away from the Green House.
Three of the four Lady Eagle losses came on the road, the closest of which came in the form of a blown halftime lead at Valparaiso and the worst of which being a 46-point shellacking from Ole Miss.
The Sun Belt Conference marks the third conference which the Lady Eagles will have played in since transitioning to NCAA play, previously playing in the Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference from 1982-1995 and then in Conference USA, formed by the merger of the Metro and Great Midwest, from 1995-2022.
Southern Miss is 299-272 overall in conference play and 146-148 under Joye Lee-McNelis. In 40 conference openers, Southern Miss is 20-20 and is just 5-10 on the road in such games.
The Troy Series
The two teams will not have played in 6,978 days by Thursday's meeting. Southern Miss leads the overall series 3-0, dating back to Dec. 15, 1982.
Two of the three games have taken place at Reed Green Coliseum and one in Troy, Ala. Southern Miss has never played in Trojan Arena.
The game is the first meeting of Coach McNelis and Troy head coach Chandra Rigby. It also marks McNelis' first game against the Trojans in her 32-year career.
Scouting Troy
Rigby's Trojans are the cream of the crop in the Sun Belt, winning last year's and 2019-20's regular season titles as well as the 2020-21 tournament title.
Despite their 5-6 record, Troy is one of, if not the, best teams in the Sun Belt and the country. Troy's record does not fully represent the team's ability.
Troy averages 81.9 points per game and has scored no less than 66, which came in their season-opener at Samford. Since then, Troy has scored 80 or more in nine of their last ten contests.
Two of the Trojan's six losses came in overtime and one in double OT.
Additionally, Troy owns a nine-game win streak in Sun Belt play and is 44-6 in the last three seasons of SBC play.
Even without preseason SBC Player of the Year Felmas Koranga, Troy has not struggled to score or rebound. Four Trojans average ten or more points per game and the team leads the country in rebounds, grabbing 54.1 boards per game.
Follow Along
As always, the game can be heard on the Southern Miss Sports Network and on 92.7 FM in the Hattiesburg Area. The Voice of the Lady Eagles, Jason Baker, will be on the call live from Trojan Arena.
The game can be streamed via ESPN+ with Kamarri Darrington providing play-by-play.
Last Time Out
Southern Miss (7-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) returns to action after enjoying the Christmas holidays and a sweep of the Long Beach Classic. The Black & Gold downed UC Irvine 50-45 and Long Beach State 56-50 in back-to-back days at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
Domonique Davis earned All-Classic Team Honors as well as All-Classic MVP Honors for her performance over the two-day event, including a 20-point performance in a comeback win against LBSU.
Noting the Lady Eagles
Southern Miss grabbed their first wins away from the friendly confines of Reed Green Coliseum while in Long Beach. Coach McNelis' bunch has struggled away from the Green House.
Three of the four Lady Eagle losses came on the road, the closest of which came in the form of a blown halftime lead at Valparaiso and the worst of which being a 46-point shellacking from Ole Miss.
The Sun Belt Conference marks the third conference which the Lady Eagles will have played in since transitioning to NCAA play, previously playing in the Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference from 1982-1995 and then in Conference USA, formed by the merger of the Metro and Great Midwest, from 1995-2022.
Southern Miss is 299-272 overall in conference play and 146-148 under Joye Lee-McNelis. In 40 conference openers, Southern Miss is 20-20 and is just 5-10 on the road in such games.
The Troy Series
The two teams will not have played in 6,978 days by Thursday's meeting. Southern Miss leads the overall series 3-0, dating back to Dec. 15, 1982.
Two of the three games have taken place at Reed Green Coliseum and one in Troy, Ala. Southern Miss has never played in Trojan Arena.
The game is the first meeting of Coach McNelis and Troy head coach Chandra Rigby. It also marks McNelis' first game against the Trojans in her 32-year career.
Scouting Troy
Rigby's Trojans are the cream of the crop in the Sun Belt, winning last year's and 2019-20's regular season titles as well as the 2020-21 tournament title.
Despite their 5-6 record, Troy is one of, if not the, best teams in the Sun Belt and the country. Troy's record does not fully represent the team's ability.
Troy averages 81.9 points per game and has scored no less than 66, which came in their season-opener at Samford. Since then, Troy has scored 80 or more in nine of their last ten contests.
Two of the Trojan's six losses came in overtime and one in double OT.
Additionally, Troy owns a nine-game win streak in Sun Belt play and is 44-6 in the last three seasons of SBC play.
Even without preseason SBC Player of the Year Felmas Koranga, Troy has not struggled to score or rebound. Four Trojans average ten or more points per game and the team leads the country in rebounds, grabbing 54.1 boards per game.
Follow Along
As always, the game can be heard on the Southern Miss Sports Network and on 92.7 FM in the Hattiesburg Area. The Voice of the Lady Eagles, Jason Baker, will be on the call live from Trojan Arena.
The game can be streamed via ESPN+ with Kamarri Darrington providing play-by-play.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's BasketballMissy Bilderback Presser - March 27, 2025
Thursday, March 27
Jeremy McClain Presser - March 27, 2025
Thursday, March 27
Missy Bilderback Introductory Press Conference
Thursday, March 27
Thank You Coach Joye Lee-McNelis
Saturday, March 01