Friday, November 15
Hammond, La. / Pride Roofing University Center
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
at
Southeastern
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Lady Eagles’ Road Swing Begins Tomorrow in Hammond
11/14/2024 5:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Lady Eagle basketball opens a stretch of five games away from Reed Green Coliseum tomorrow, Nov. 15, at Southeastern. Tipoff at the Pride Roofing University Center in Hammond, La., is set for 6 p.m. as the Lady Eagles and Lady Lions meet for the 12th time in a series dating back to 1976.
Game Four // Southern Miss (2-1) at Southeastern (1-1)
Friday, Nov. 14, 2024 // 6 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ // Tyler Thomas (PxP) and Natalie Kellye (Color)
Radio: Southern Miss Sports Network (92.7 FM) // Maxwell Greenough (PxP)
Pride Roofing University Center (7,500) // Hammond, La.
Starting Five
1) Southern Miss returns just five from last season's WNIT Super 16 squad, including four starters from the postseason run. In total, the Lady Eagles lost 55 percent of their scoring from last season and 44 percent of minutes played. Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) leads the group of five returners while riding a 59-game starting streak dating back to the 2022-23 season. Grayson is joined by fellow Mississippian Jacorriah Bracey (Drew, Miss.) and sophomore sharpshooter Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) as the three Lady Eagles to start the majority of their games last year. Also returning is postseason point guard Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) and reserve guard Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.).
2) With just five returners, Southern Miss added eight newcomers in the offseason spread between high school signees, junior college transfers and one Sun Belt Conference veteran. Freshmen include Micah Cooper (Carrollton, Texas), Jaime Gallatly (Maffra, Australia), Whitney Hart (Baton Rouge, La.), Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) and Ava Shields (Hammond, La.). From the junior college ranks comes Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) via Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Samantha Shanks (Webbers Falls, Okla.) from Connors State College. Former ULM Warhawk and Arkansas State Red Wolf Bre Sutton (New Orleans, La.) reunites with her former coaches for her final season of eligibility to lead the newcomers.
3) Manley and Rowe have started in all three of Southern Miss' games thus far and have met, if not exceeded, their early expectations. Manley dropped 17 points against Blue Mountain Christian on Nov. 7 to shatter her career scoring high. Rowe dished out seven assists against BMC as well and currently holds a season assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.71.
4) Southern Miss returns to Hammond for the first time in nearly six years. The Lady Eagles hold a 2-1 record at the Pride Roofing University Center and are 2-3 all-time in Hammond. Southern Miss played the first two games in Hammond in now-demolished Cefalu Coliseum. The Lady Lions are 41-9 in their last 50 games at the UC.
5) Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis is back for her 21st season at the helm of the Lady Eagle program. She sports a 331-288 record at Southern Miss and a 560-444 career record in 34 seasons as a head coach. Bowling Green was the 161st opponent McNelis has coached against in her 34-season career. Tomorrow's game will be her eighth against Southeastern.
About the Lady Lions
Southeastern (1-1) last took the floor last Saturday and nearly pulled off an upset over then-No. 23 Nebraska, who has since moved up to No. 21 in the AP Poll. The Lady Lions led at the start of the fourth quarter before a timely Nebraska run helped the Huskers avoid the upset.
Head Coach Ayla Guzzardo is in her eighth season in Hammond and is just two years removed from a trip to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Guzzardo returns nine letterwinners from last year's team in addition to getting two players back from redshirts.
The Lady Lions' leading scorer through two games is Alexius Horne, who is averaging 19 points per game. Horne is one of four Lady Lions to average double-figures and is joined by Lexi Alexander, Cheyanne Daniels and Taylor Ben, who are scoring 11.5, 11.5 and 10 points per game, respectively.
Alexander played her last two seasons at Nicholls before transferring as a junior to Southeastern.
The Southeastern Series
Southern Miss first met the Lady Lions in its first season of organized basketball where the Lions drubbed the Lady Eagles by a combined 188-80 over two games that season. Southern Miss got its first win against SLU in 1982 in one of the final games at Cefalu Coliseum.
The Lady Eagles are currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak in the series dating back to Feb. 13, 1992.
After This
The Lady Eagle road trip continues and takes Southern Miss international for the second time in program history. Southern Miss opens the Battle 4 Atlantis on Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Atlantis Resort's Imperial Arena in Paradise Island, Bahamas, against No. 17/17 Baylor. Tipoff against the Bears is set for 12:30 p.m. CT (11:30 a.m. ET) with a broadcast on FloHoops and on the Southern Miss Sports Network.
The Lady Eagles will then play NR/(RV) Columbia or (RV)/(RV) Indiana on the second day before closing the tournament on Monday, Nov. 24.
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.
Game Four // Southern Miss (2-1) at Southeastern (1-1)
Friday, Nov. 14, 2024 // 6 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ // Tyler Thomas (PxP) and Natalie Kellye (Color)
Radio: Southern Miss Sports Network (92.7 FM) // Maxwell Greenough (PxP)
Pride Roofing University Center (7,500) // Hammond, La.
Starting Five
1) Southern Miss returns just five from last season's WNIT Super 16 squad, including four starters from the postseason run. In total, the Lady Eagles lost 55 percent of their scoring from last season and 44 percent of minutes played. Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) leads the group of five returners while riding a 59-game starting streak dating back to the 2022-23 season. Grayson is joined by fellow Mississippian Jacorriah Bracey (Drew, Miss.) and sophomore sharpshooter Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) as the three Lady Eagles to start the majority of their games last year. Also returning is postseason point guard Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) and reserve guard Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.).
2) With just five returners, Southern Miss added eight newcomers in the offseason spread between high school signees, junior college transfers and one Sun Belt Conference veteran. Freshmen include Micah Cooper (Carrollton, Texas), Jaime Gallatly (Maffra, Australia), Whitney Hart (Baton Rouge, La.), Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) and Ava Shields (Hammond, La.). From the junior college ranks comes Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) via Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Samantha Shanks (Webbers Falls, Okla.) from Connors State College. Former ULM Warhawk and Arkansas State Red Wolf Bre Sutton (New Orleans, La.) reunites with her former coaches for her final season of eligibility to lead the newcomers.
3) Manley and Rowe have started in all three of Southern Miss' games thus far and have met, if not exceeded, their early expectations. Manley dropped 17 points against Blue Mountain Christian on Nov. 7 to shatter her career scoring high. Rowe dished out seven assists against BMC as well and currently holds a season assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.71.
4) Southern Miss returns to Hammond for the first time in nearly six years. The Lady Eagles hold a 2-1 record at the Pride Roofing University Center and are 2-3 all-time in Hammond. Southern Miss played the first two games in Hammond in now-demolished Cefalu Coliseum. The Lady Lions are 41-9 in their last 50 games at the UC.
5) Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis is back for her 21st season at the helm of the Lady Eagle program. She sports a 331-288 record at Southern Miss and a 560-444 career record in 34 seasons as a head coach. Bowling Green was the 161st opponent McNelis has coached against in her 34-season career. Tomorrow's game will be her eighth against Southeastern.
About the Lady Lions
Southeastern (1-1) last took the floor last Saturday and nearly pulled off an upset over then-No. 23 Nebraska, who has since moved up to No. 21 in the AP Poll. The Lady Lions led at the start of the fourth quarter before a timely Nebraska run helped the Huskers avoid the upset.
Head Coach Ayla Guzzardo is in her eighth season in Hammond and is just two years removed from a trip to the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Guzzardo returns nine letterwinners from last year's team in addition to getting two players back from redshirts.
The Lady Lions' leading scorer through two games is Alexius Horne, who is averaging 19 points per game. Horne is one of four Lady Lions to average double-figures and is joined by Lexi Alexander, Cheyanne Daniels and Taylor Ben, who are scoring 11.5, 11.5 and 10 points per game, respectively.
Alexander played her last two seasons at Nicholls before transferring as a junior to Southeastern.
The Southeastern Series
Southern Miss first met the Lady Lions in its first season of organized basketball where the Lions drubbed the Lady Eagles by a combined 188-80 over two games that season. Southern Miss got its first win against SLU in 1982 in one of the final games at Cefalu Coliseum.
The Lady Eagles are currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak in the series dating back to Feb. 13, 1992.
After This
The Lady Eagle road trip continues and takes Southern Miss international for the second time in program history. Southern Miss opens the Battle 4 Atlantis on Saturday, Nov. 23, at the Atlantis Resort's Imperial Arena in Paradise Island, Bahamas, against No. 17/17 Baylor. Tipoff against the Bears is set for 12:30 p.m. CT (11:30 a.m. ET) with a broadcast on FloHoops and on the Southern Miss Sports Network.
The Lady Eagles will then play NR/(RV) Columbia or (RV)/(RV) Indiana on the second day before closing the tournament on Monday, Nov. 24.
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.
– #McNelisStrong | #SMTTT –
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