Lady Eagles Race to Exhibition Victory Over Mississippi College

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Even with a slow start to the game, Southern Miss women's basketball easily handled Mississippi College to the tune of a 75-43 exhibition win. The Lady Eagles never trailed and were never tied with the Choctaws outside of the opening tip. Three members of the Black & Gold finished with double figures, led by Nyla Jean's 17 points.

"It was great to play against somebody else," said associate head coach Brooks Donald Williams. "We had some really bright moments and certainly learned some things that we need to work on. It was a great step for our program."

Southern Miss won the tipoff and led off the game with the first of 10 combined possessions without a basket. Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) broke the scoreless tie at the 7:30 mark in the first quarter. The Lady Eagles poured on from there in the frame, leading by as many as 14 points and 22-13 at the end of the frame.

Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) scored 10 of her 15 points in the opening frame. The Hub City native played just 13 minutes tonight but was effective in each one. In addition to her 15 points, Grayson finished the evening with six rebounds an assist and was an effective 5-of-6 at the free throw line. The game is proof of her offseason growth on and off the court as the heart of this year's team.

"Melyia Grayson is as good as a leader as I've seen in a lot of years," said Williams. "She leads very differently. She's somewhat of a quiet leader, but powerful all the same. It's been a pleasure to witness that as a coach."

The fifth-year center played just two more minutes in the second quarter as Southern Miss led by 39-25 at the half. Both Grayson and Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) held 12 points at the break to lead all scorers.

The Lady Eagles slowly but surely continued their offensive attack, outrunning Mississippi College 21-10 in the third quarter. The lopsided affair slowed down in the fourth quarter, but Southern Miss held its largest lead of the night – 33 points – with under a minute to play. Grayson played just five minutes in the second half thanks to foul trouble, but her presence was hardly missed thanks to the breakout performances by a few newcomers.

Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) scored 13 second half points in her first game with the Black & Gold. She led Southern Miss' newcomers with 13 points off the bench and tallied another five boards in just 12 minutes of action.

Southern Miss played all nine of its available players and was able to get each of them nearly 10 minutes on the floor. The Lady Eagles move to 17-2 in exhibition action under head coach Joye Lee-McNelis having won the last 17. Southern Miss is now 4-0 against Mississippi College in exhibition play as well.

Up Next
Southern Miss opens its 50th season of play with a trip to Bowling Green, Ohio, to take on the Bowling Green Falcons as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge. Tipoff at BGSU's Stroh Center is set for 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024.

Celebrating 50 Seasons of Southern Miss Women's Basketball
The 2024-25 season of Southern Miss Lady Eagle Basketball marks a major milestone for the program and for The University of Southern Mississippi as the women's basketball program celebrates its 50th season of competition. Following the adoption of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Southern Miss added women's basketball and women's tennis as official athletic programs beginning in the 1975-76 season. Since then, the Lady Eagles have laid out five decades of excellence on and off the court. To celebrate this golden jubilee, Southern Miss women's basketball will host its 50th Season Celebration and Reunion on Saturday, January 18, against South Alabama at Reed Green Coliseum.

Follow The Lady Eagles
Follow the Lady Eagles on Twitter (@SouthernMissWBB), Instagram (@southernmisswbb) or on Facebook (/SouthernMissWBB) to stay up-to-date on Southern Miss women's basketball. Fans can visit Southern Miss.com or download the Southern Miss GameDay app to see full schedules, releases and more.

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Lady Eagles Race to Exhibition Victory Over Mississippi College

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Players Mentioned

Je'Mya Evans

Melyia Grayson

Nyla Jean

Morgan Sieper