Thursday, January 5
Reed Green Coliseum
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
10-4,3-0Sun Belt
44
vs
43
Louisiana
7-8,1-2Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Louisiana
14
14
9
6
43
Southern Miss.
9
11
14
10
44
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Bracey Leads Lady Eagles to Best Conference Start in 25 Years
1/5/2023 9:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss moves to 3-0 in Sun Belt Conference play after a winning a 44-43 squeaker over Louisiana. The undefeated mark is the best start to conference play under head coach Joye Lee-McNelis and the best league start since the 1997-98 season.
Tale of the Tape
Early in the game, Louisiana (7-8, 1-2 Sun Belt) looked to be running away from Southern Miss (10-4, 3-0 Sun Belt) behind a 60 percent shooting performance in the first frame.
The Lady Eagles struggled to find their footing only making their first basket at the 7:47 mark thanks to a running layup from Jacorriah Bracey (Drew, Miss. // Ole Miss). The field goal marked the first of seven for Bracey as she led all scorers with 16 points and finished tied with Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss. // Hattiesburg HS) eight rebounds, a career-high for Bracey.
Southern Miss would not find the basket again until a Rose Warren (Puckett, Miss. // Puckett HS) long ball with 3:12 left in the opening frame. After ten minutes, Louisiana owned a 14-9 lead and would hold onto it through the second quarter and into halftime.
Southern Miss quickly overcame a 28-20 halftime deficit, tying the game at 30-all at the 6:07 mark of the third quarter thanks to a Grayson putback layup. Bracey gave Southern Miss its first lead of the evening with two made free throws later in the period.
Louisiana managed to close out the frame on top, 37-34, but Southern Miss won the third quarter 14-9 with Grayson and Bracey scoring eight and six points respectively in the frame.
Southern Miss saved its heroics until the very last minutes of the evening. Bracey made it a one-point deficit in a 41-40 game as the second minute ticked off the clock. Louisiana retook a 43-42 lead on a fastbreak steal, forcing a Lady Eagle timeout with 24 seconds remaining.
A few fouls later, Louisiana held a one-point advantage in the bonus, earning two free throws after a Warren foul. The Ragin' Cajuns missed both attempts and Chardai Watkins (Panola, Ala. // Sumter Central HS) brought down the defensive board for Coach McNelis to call a timeout with 14 seconds left.
Bracey needed just six seconds to call game, sprinting right to left down the edge of the paint for a layup, taking a 44-43 lead over the Cajuns. Louisiana proved unable to answer after a full timeout, leaving Southern Miss with a 44-43 win.
The 44 Lady Eagle points are the fewest in a win since Feb. 7, 2015, when Southern Miss downed UAB 44-39.
Bracey's 16 points tied a career-high set earlier this season against Lamar.
Up Next
The Lady Eagles stay home, welcoming the only other undefeated Sun Belt team, James Madison, for a Saturday matinee at Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. with Jason Baker and Kay James on the Southern Miss Sports Network and Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd providing ESPN+ commentary.
Tale of the Tape
Early in the game, Louisiana (7-8, 1-2 Sun Belt) looked to be running away from Southern Miss (10-4, 3-0 Sun Belt) behind a 60 percent shooting performance in the first frame.
The Lady Eagles struggled to find their footing only making their first basket at the 7:47 mark thanks to a running layup from Jacorriah Bracey (Drew, Miss. // Ole Miss). The field goal marked the first of seven for Bracey as she led all scorers with 16 points and finished tied with Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss. // Hattiesburg HS) eight rebounds, a career-high for Bracey.
Southern Miss would not find the basket again until a Rose Warren (Puckett, Miss. // Puckett HS) long ball with 3:12 left in the opening frame. After ten minutes, Louisiana owned a 14-9 lead and would hold onto it through the second quarter and into halftime.
Southern Miss quickly overcame a 28-20 halftime deficit, tying the game at 30-all at the 6:07 mark of the third quarter thanks to a Grayson putback layup. Bracey gave Southern Miss its first lead of the evening with two made free throws later in the period.
Louisiana managed to close out the frame on top, 37-34, but Southern Miss won the third quarter 14-9 with Grayson and Bracey scoring eight and six points respectively in the frame.
Southern Miss saved its heroics until the very last minutes of the evening. Bracey made it a one-point deficit in a 41-40 game as the second minute ticked off the clock. Louisiana retook a 43-42 lead on a fastbreak steal, forcing a Lady Eagle timeout with 24 seconds remaining.
A few fouls later, Louisiana held a one-point advantage in the bonus, earning two free throws after a Warren foul. The Ragin' Cajuns missed both attempts and Chardai Watkins (Panola, Ala. // Sumter Central HS) brought down the defensive board for Coach McNelis to call a timeout with 14 seconds left.
Bracey needed just six seconds to call game, sprinting right to left down the edge of the paint for a layup, taking a 44-43 lead over the Cajuns. Louisiana proved unable to answer after a full timeout, leaving Southern Miss with a 44-43 win.
The 44 Lady Eagle points are the fewest in a win since Feb. 7, 2015, when Southern Miss downed UAB 44-39.
Bracey's 16 points tied a career-high set earlier this season against Lamar.
Up Next
The Lady Eagles stay home, welcoming the only other undefeated Sun Belt team, James Madison, for a Saturday matinee at Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. with Jason Baker and Kay James on the Southern Miss Sports Network and Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd providing ESPN+ commentary.
Team Stats
LA
USM
FG%
.320
.346
3FG%
.400
.100
FT%
.636
.583
RB
26
47
TO
15
23
STL
10
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's BasketballCenter
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
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