Saturday, January 13
Reed Green Coliseum
2 p.m.
Southern Miss
8-7,1-4Sun Belt
77
vs
69
South Alabama
7-10,0-5Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
South Alabama
12
17
24
16
69
Southern Miss.
15
16
20
26
77
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Lady Eagles Use Strong Fourth Quarter to Edge South Alabama
1/13/2024 6:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss broke through in Sun Belt play for the first time this season, beating South Alabama 77-69 to grab the team's first conference win. Three Lady Eagles finished with double figure scoring and two, Melyia Grayson and Jacorriah Bracey, recorded double doubles for the first time since Dec. 5, 2021.
"What a win," said 20th-year head coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "You know, when you lose so many in a row, it's kind of like you get down on yourself. Last year we lost five in a row and then we were able to make the comeback. This is the spark that we needed. We were able to have two players with double-doubles and three in double figures, which is a game changer. It shows we're more than just the Dom Davis show. That really gave us what we have needed. Our press in the fourth quarter caught them off guard and that's where I think we won the game."
Southern Miss (8-7, 1-4 Sun Belt) traded punches with South Alabama (7-10, 0-5 Sun Belt) for most of the first half and third quarter, never able to fully put the Jaguars away until the final four minutes of play. The Lady Eagles got off to a slow start—their slowest of the year in fact—unable to score until the 7:58 mark of the first quarter.
Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) gave the Lady Eagles a nine-point lead with her fourth point of the day with 3:33 left in the first. This margin was Southern Miss' largest until the final quarter as the Jaguars were able to cut the 13-4 lead down to 15-12 by the end of the first quarter. Domonique Davis (DeRidder, La.) helped Southern Miss win the race to 20 points with a three-point play before South Alabama once again used a run to tie the game.
At the second quarter media timeout, Southern Miss and South Alabama stood tied at 22. The Jaguars were unable to take the lead but pushed Southern Miss to the edge. The Lady Eagles led 31-29 at the halftime break and were shooting 44 percent from the field. Grayson was well on her way to her 13th career double-double and third of the year with 14 points and seven boards.
Southern Miss again took an almost double-digit lead, moving the game to an eight-point margin, after a Brikayla Gray layup to make it 46-38. Before the Lady Eagles were able to close out the quarter, South Alabama outscored Southern Miss 13-5 in the remaining 4:17 of the third quarter. With the final quarter looming, Southern Miss needed a big performance to get its first Sun Belt win and snap its skid and that is just what McNelis dialed up.
The Lady Eagles began to press the Jaguars on both ends of the floor, leading to seven Jaguar turnovers in the fourth quarter alone. On the other side of the floor, Southern Miss enjoyed its best fourth quarter of the season, putting up 26 points in the final 10 minutes to South Alabama's 16. Jacorriah Bracey (Drew, Miss.) had 10 in the fourth quarter alone to secure her third double-double of the year and fourth of her career. Davis had 16 points in the second half to help push Southern Miss to the win.
Bracey and Grayson's double doubles marked the first time two Lady Eagles finished with a double-double since Dec. 5, 2021, when Grayson and Macy Weaver pulled down double-digit boards and points.
Southern Miss also took advantage of South Alabama's fouls, hitting on a season-high 26 free throws on 29 attempts, a rate of 89.7 percent. Grayson also extended her streak of made free throw shots to 17-straight before missing her final free throw of the night.
The Lady Eagles also snapped a seven-game skid and avoiding falling for the eighth consecutive game. South Alabama remains winless in Sun Belt play this season and has not won a conference road game since 2021, winless in its last 15 tries.
Davis also moved up another two slots on the Lady Eagle scoring charts. The senior guard now has 1,286 points at Southern Miss and sits alone at 14th, trailing Amber Eugene by just 12 points for 13th place.
UP NEXT
Southern Miss stays home and welcomes Georgia State (9-6, 3-2 Sun Belt) to town for a Thursday night game. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum.
"What a win," said 20th-year head coach Joye Lee-McNelis. "You know, when you lose so many in a row, it's kind of like you get down on yourself. Last year we lost five in a row and then we were able to make the comeback. This is the spark that we needed. We were able to have two players with double-doubles and three in double figures, which is a game changer. It shows we're more than just the Dom Davis show. That really gave us what we have needed. Our press in the fourth quarter caught them off guard and that's where I think we won the game."
Southern Miss (8-7, 1-4 Sun Belt) traded punches with South Alabama (7-10, 0-5 Sun Belt) for most of the first half and third quarter, never able to fully put the Jaguars away until the final four minutes of play. The Lady Eagles got off to a slow start—their slowest of the year in fact—unable to score until the 7:58 mark of the first quarter.
Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) gave the Lady Eagles a nine-point lead with her fourth point of the day with 3:33 left in the first. This margin was Southern Miss' largest until the final quarter as the Jaguars were able to cut the 13-4 lead down to 15-12 by the end of the first quarter. Domonique Davis (DeRidder, La.) helped Southern Miss win the race to 20 points with a three-point play before South Alabama once again used a run to tie the game.
At the second quarter media timeout, Southern Miss and South Alabama stood tied at 22. The Jaguars were unable to take the lead but pushed Southern Miss to the edge. The Lady Eagles led 31-29 at the halftime break and were shooting 44 percent from the field. Grayson was well on her way to her 13th career double-double and third of the year with 14 points and seven boards.
Southern Miss again took an almost double-digit lead, moving the game to an eight-point margin, after a Brikayla Gray layup to make it 46-38. Before the Lady Eagles were able to close out the quarter, South Alabama outscored Southern Miss 13-5 in the remaining 4:17 of the third quarter. With the final quarter looming, Southern Miss needed a big performance to get its first Sun Belt win and snap its skid and that is just what McNelis dialed up.
The Lady Eagles began to press the Jaguars on both ends of the floor, leading to seven Jaguar turnovers in the fourth quarter alone. On the other side of the floor, Southern Miss enjoyed its best fourth quarter of the season, putting up 26 points in the final 10 minutes to South Alabama's 16. Jacorriah Bracey (Drew, Miss.) had 10 in the fourth quarter alone to secure her third double-double of the year and fourth of her career. Davis had 16 points in the second half to help push Southern Miss to the win.
Bracey and Grayson's double doubles marked the first time two Lady Eagles finished with a double-double since Dec. 5, 2021, when Grayson and Macy Weaver pulled down double-digit boards and points.
Southern Miss also took advantage of South Alabama's fouls, hitting on a season-high 26 free throws on 29 attempts, a rate of 89.7 percent. Grayson also extended her streak of made free throw shots to 17-straight before missing her final free throw of the night.
The Lady Eagles also snapped a seven-game skid and avoiding falling for the eighth consecutive game. South Alabama remains winless in Sun Belt play this season and has not won a conference road game since 2021, winless in its last 15 tries.
Davis also moved up another two slots on the Lady Eagle scoring charts. The senior guard now has 1,286 points at Southern Miss and sits alone at 14th, trailing Amber Eugene by just 12 points for 13th place.
UP NEXT
Southern Miss stays home and welcomes Georgia State (9-6, 3-2 Sun Belt) to town for a Thursday night game. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum.
– #McNelisStrong –
Team Stats
USA
USM
FG%
.424
.471
3FG%
.300
.273
FT%
.684
.897
RB
30
37
TO
14
18
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
22
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
9
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballC
/ 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