Saturday, January 7
Reed Green Coliseum
2 p.m.
Southern Miss
vs
James Madison
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Lady Eagles Host James Madison in a Battle Between the Sun Belt's Best
1/6/2023 4:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Lady Eagle basketball looks for best start to conference play since 1995-96 as Coach McNelis & Co. welcome James Madison to Hattiesburg for a Sun Belt showdown in Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff against the Dukes is set for 2 p.m.
Last Time Out
Jacorriah Bracey (Drew, Miss. // Ole Miss) led Southern Miss (10-4, 3-0 Sun Belt) to a 44-43 win over Louisiana in the Lady Eagles' Sun Belt home opener.
Bracey's 16 points and eight rebounds tied and set career highs, respectively, as she scored the go-ahead bucket with seven seconds left in the game.
The front court duo of Femi Funeus (Plantation, Fla. // Seton Hall) and Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss. // Hattiesburg HS) with nine points and six rebounds and eight points and eight rebounds, respectively.
Southern Miss held Louisiana to a Lady Eagle season-low of 15 second half points and the fewest points scored by Southern Miss in a win since Feb. 7, 2015.
Noting the Lady Eagles
Coach Joye Lee-McNelis is off to her best start in conference play as the Lady Eagle leader after Thursday night's win over Louisiana. A win against James Madison would put Southern Miss at 4-0 in conference play for the third time in program history and the first time since 1995-96.
Southern Miss, James Madison and Marshall entered the week as the only three teams undefeated in conference play but James Madison clipped Marshall to make it just two teams. The top seed of the Sun Belt Conference is up for grabs in Hattiesburg tomorrow.
The Black & Gold has solidified its defensive performance the past few weeks, moving to 76th in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 58.9 points per game.
The James Madison Series
Both new additions to the Sun Belt, Southern Miss and James Madison (13-2, 3-0 Sun Belt) have never met on the hardwood. In fact, Saturday's game marks just the second time the Dukes will have played in the Magnolia State.
Against teams from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Southern Miss sports an 35-22 record.
Scouting James Madison
The Dukes have one of the nation's best squads, averaging 72 points per game and allowing just 57.2, those marks are 88th and 48th best in the nation and their 14.8 point scoring margin is 40th.
Seventh-year head coach Sean O'Regan's crew is coming off of two down years after the COVID-19 pandemic, but has won at least 23 games in four of his previous six years, highlighted by a 29-6 record in 2018-19 that ended in a loss in the WNIT Championship.
JMU is led by Kiki Jefferson, who averages 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, leading the Dukes in both categories.
Jefferson, a two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, is joined by Peyton McDaniel and Kseniia Kozlova, each of whom average double-figure scoring with 11.3 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.
Follow Along
Doors to Reed Green Coliseum open at 1 p.m. with limited edition Tune Squad shirts and Domonique Davis posters available to patrons on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Jason Baker and Kay James will be on the radio call with Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd anchoring the ESPN+ broadcast. Links to both are provided on the Lady Eagles' schedule.
Last Time Out
Jacorriah Bracey (Drew, Miss. // Ole Miss) led Southern Miss (10-4, 3-0 Sun Belt) to a 44-43 win over Louisiana in the Lady Eagles' Sun Belt home opener.
Bracey's 16 points and eight rebounds tied and set career highs, respectively, as she scored the go-ahead bucket with seven seconds left in the game.
The front court duo of Femi Funeus (Plantation, Fla. // Seton Hall) and Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss. // Hattiesburg HS) with nine points and six rebounds and eight points and eight rebounds, respectively.
Southern Miss held Louisiana to a Lady Eagle season-low of 15 second half points and the fewest points scored by Southern Miss in a win since Feb. 7, 2015.
Noting the Lady Eagles
Coach Joye Lee-McNelis is off to her best start in conference play as the Lady Eagle leader after Thursday night's win over Louisiana. A win against James Madison would put Southern Miss at 4-0 in conference play for the third time in program history and the first time since 1995-96.
Southern Miss, James Madison and Marshall entered the week as the only three teams undefeated in conference play but James Madison clipped Marshall to make it just two teams. The top seed of the Sun Belt Conference is up for grabs in Hattiesburg tomorrow.
The Black & Gold has solidified its defensive performance the past few weeks, moving to 76th in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 58.9 points per game.
The James Madison Series
Both new additions to the Sun Belt, Southern Miss and James Madison (13-2, 3-0 Sun Belt) have never met on the hardwood. In fact, Saturday's game marks just the second time the Dukes will have played in the Magnolia State.
Against teams from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Southern Miss sports an 35-22 record.
Scouting James Madison
The Dukes have one of the nation's best squads, averaging 72 points per game and allowing just 57.2, those marks are 88th and 48th best in the nation and their 14.8 point scoring margin is 40th.
Seventh-year head coach Sean O'Regan's crew is coming off of two down years after the COVID-19 pandemic, but has won at least 23 games in four of his previous six years, highlighted by a 29-6 record in 2018-19 that ended in a loss in the WNIT Championship.
JMU is led by Kiki Jefferson, who averages 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, leading the Dukes in both categories.
Jefferson, a two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, is joined by Peyton McDaniel and Kseniia Kozlova, each of whom average double-figure scoring with 11.3 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.
Follow Along
Doors to Reed Green Coliseum open at 1 p.m. with limited edition Tune Squad shirts and Domonique Davis posters available to patrons on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Jason Baker and Kay James will be on the radio call with Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd anchoring the ESPN+ broadcast. Links to both are provided on the Lady Eagles' schedule.
Players Mentioned
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Guard
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Forward
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Center
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