Thursday, January 5
Reed Green Coliseum
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
vs
Louisiana
Women's Basketball Hosts Louisiana in Sun Belt Home Opener
1/4/2023 1:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's basketball returns home to the Hub City for the Sun Belt Conference home opener against Louisiana. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5, from Reed Green Coliseum.
Last Time Out
The Lady Eagles (9-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) dominated South Alabama in a 58-37 victory to move to 2-0 in Sun Belt Conference play.
Lauren Gross (Southaven, Miss. // North Florida) led all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three.
South Alabama's 37 points are the fewest allowed since holding Samford to 40 on Nov. 18, 2018.
Noting the Lady Eagles
Coach Joye Lee-McNelis is looking for her best start to conference play as Lady Eagle head coach after a 2-0 start to Sun Belt play. The undefeated mark is the 11th time Southern Mis has started 2-0 and the first time since 2019-20.
The last time the Lady Eagles began conference play 3-0 in 1997-98 and have started 3-0 three times (1993-94, 1995-96 and 1997-98). The best start to conference play in Southern Miss history is 8-0 in 1995-96.
Southern Miss is one of three teams to start the season 2-0 in SBC play, joining James Madison and Marshall.
Defense has been the name of the game in the last few games and last Saturday's win over South Alabama might have been the best yet. Through 13 games, Southern Miss has held seven opponents under 60 points and five at fifty or less.
The Louisiana Series
Dating back to 1976, Southern Miss leads Louisiana 13-3 all-time and rides an eight-game winning streak over the Ragin' Cajuns entering Thursday's game.
UL last visited Reed Green Coliseum on Nov. 26, 2016 as a participant of the 2016 Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic. Louisiana made three appearances in Lady Eagle Classic, first in 1991.
In Reed Green Coliseum, Southern Miss leads 9-1, losing the Jan. 29, 1977 game in overtime 85-84. Therefore, Southern Miss is undefeated in regulation against Louisiana.
Scouting Louisiana
The Ragin' Cajuns (7-7, 1-1 Sun Belt) enter Thursday following a loss to Coastal Carolina in Lafayette, falling 68-57.
Louisiana is 1-3 on the road this season, falling at No. 3 Texas, Auburn and Lamar, only winning at North Texas in the UNT Thanksgiving Tournament. The Cajuns are also 1-2 at neutral sites after losing both games of the Preseason WNIT to Colorado and Jackson State and to Abilene Christian at the UNT Tourney.
Sophomore forward Tamera Johnson leads the Cajun offense with 10.7 points per game and in rebounding with 6.8 boards per game.
Johnson's offensive copilot is Lanay Wheaton, who averages 10.2 points per game. Wheaton also leads the team with 29 steals.
Follow Along
As always, the game can be heard on the Southern Miss Sports Network or on Hattiesburg's 92.7 FM with Jason Baker and Kay James on the call.
Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd are bringing the talent on ESPN+.
Links to both are provided here and on the schedule.
Last Time Out
The Lady Eagles (9-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) dominated South Alabama in a 58-37 victory to move to 2-0 in Sun Belt Conference play.
Lauren Gross (Southaven, Miss. // North Florida) led all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three.
South Alabama's 37 points are the fewest allowed since holding Samford to 40 on Nov. 18, 2018.
Noting the Lady Eagles
Coach Joye Lee-McNelis is looking for her best start to conference play as Lady Eagle head coach after a 2-0 start to Sun Belt play. The undefeated mark is the 11th time Southern Mis has started 2-0 and the first time since 2019-20.
The last time the Lady Eagles began conference play 3-0 in 1997-98 and have started 3-0 three times (1993-94, 1995-96 and 1997-98). The best start to conference play in Southern Miss history is 8-0 in 1995-96.
Southern Miss is one of three teams to start the season 2-0 in SBC play, joining James Madison and Marshall.
Defense has been the name of the game in the last few games and last Saturday's win over South Alabama might have been the best yet. Through 13 games, Southern Miss has held seven opponents under 60 points and five at fifty or less.
The Louisiana Series
Dating back to 1976, Southern Miss leads Louisiana 13-3 all-time and rides an eight-game winning streak over the Ragin' Cajuns entering Thursday's game.
UL last visited Reed Green Coliseum on Nov. 26, 2016 as a participant of the 2016 Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic. Louisiana made three appearances in Lady Eagle Classic, first in 1991.
In Reed Green Coliseum, Southern Miss leads 9-1, losing the Jan. 29, 1977 game in overtime 85-84. Therefore, Southern Miss is undefeated in regulation against Louisiana.
Scouting Louisiana
The Ragin' Cajuns (7-7, 1-1 Sun Belt) enter Thursday following a loss to Coastal Carolina in Lafayette, falling 68-57.
Louisiana is 1-3 on the road this season, falling at No. 3 Texas, Auburn and Lamar, only winning at North Texas in the UNT Thanksgiving Tournament. The Cajuns are also 1-2 at neutral sites after losing both games of the Preseason WNIT to Colorado and Jackson State and to Abilene Christian at the UNT Tourney.
Sophomore forward Tamera Johnson leads the Cajun offense with 10.7 points per game and in rebounding with 6.8 boards per game.
Johnson's offensive copilot is Lanay Wheaton, who averages 10.2 points per game. Wheaton also leads the team with 29 steals.
Follow Along
As always, the game can be heard on the Southern Miss Sports Network or on Hattiesburg's 92.7 FM with Jason Baker and Kay James on the call.
Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd are bringing the talent on ESPN+.
Links to both are provided here and on the schedule.
Players Mentioned
Guard
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