University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, November 24
Paradise Island, The Bahamas / Imperial Arena
5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET)
Southern Miss
2-4,0-0Sun Belt
66
vs
85
Columbia
5-2,0-0Ivy League
1
2
3
4
F
Columbia
16
21
24
24
85
Southern Miss.
24
10
20
12
66
Women’s Basketball Falls in Battle4Atlantis Second Round to Columbia
11/24/2024 9:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PARADISE ISLAND, The Bahamas – Southern Miss proved unable to counter a late Columbia run in the fourth quarter as the Lions advanced to the fifth-place game of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle4Atlantis with an 85-66 win over the Lady Eagles.
Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) and Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) both scored 18 to lead Southern Miss (2-4). Columbia's (5-2) Riley Weiss drilled five first-half three-point baskets to finish with 22 points to lead all scorers.
Weiss sank her first three of the game on the Lions' opening possession after Columbia's Susie Rafiu won the jump ball. Grayson cleaned the offensive glass and put a back a layup in the paint for Southern Miss' first strike of the day.
Bre Sutton (New Orleans, La.) scored her first three-point bucket of the year to give Southern Miss a 5-3 advantage early on. Weiss responded to tie it early in a back-and-forth first quarter. The Lady Eagles, though, meticulously attacked the Columbia defense, lead 24-16 at the quarter break. Sieper had nine of Southern Miss' 24 thanks to a 4-of-5 showing on the floor.
Columbia used an off-and-on full-court press to hold Southern Miss 4-of-13 from the floor in the second frame. The Lions scored 21 behind another nine Weiss points to lead 37-34 at the half. CU outscored Southern Miss 21-10 in the frame to take the lead. Southern Miss' night was not finished though.
The Lady Eagles came out of the half and took the lead, 40-39, thanks to a Grayson's fifth and sixth points of the game. Kitty Henderson hit a quick three to give Columbia the 42-40 lead before Grayson tied it once again, scoring her 10th point of the day in the process.
However, a 12-point Columbia scoring run in the middle of the quarter seemed to put the game out of reach. The Lions led 54-42 with 3:22 to play in the frame before Southern Miss cut the deficit back down to four. Unfortunately for the Lady Eagles, Columbia's damage was not done as they led by seven heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Lions doubled up Southern Miss 24-12 with an efficient 9-of-13 showing on the floor. Nyla Jean got on the board with five points in the quarter but Southern Miss was never able to cut into the Lions' lead. Columbia led by as many as 21, still taking shots from three-point range even up double digits.
Southern Miss finished with nine three pointers – a new season high – and most in a single game since hitting nine against Arkansas State last season. Jean also made her debut in the starting lineup for the first time this season.
Up Next
Southern Miss awaits it opponent as it will take on the loser of tonight's Ball State/Texas A&M game. No matter the opponent, tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET) tomorrow, Nov. 25, at the Imperial Arena in The Bahamas.
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 –
Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) and Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) both scored 18 to lead Southern Miss (2-4). Columbia's (5-2) Riley Weiss drilled five first-half three-point baskets to finish with 22 points to lead all scorers.
Weiss sank her first three of the game on the Lions' opening possession after Columbia's Susie Rafiu won the jump ball. Grayson cleaned the offensive glass and put a back a layup in the paint for Southern Miss' first strike of the day.
Bre Sutton (New Orleans, La.) scored her first three-point bucket of the year to give Southern Miss a 5-3 advantage early on. Weiss responded to tie it early in a back-and-forth first quarter. The Lady Eagles, though, meticulously attacked the Columbia defense, lead 24-16 at the quarter break. Sieper had nine of Southern Miss' 24 thanks to a 4-of-5 showing on the floor.
Columbia used an off-and-on full-court press to hold Southern Miss 4-of-13 from the floor in the second frame. The Lions scored 21 behind another nine Weiss points to lead 37-34 at the half. CU outscored Southern Miss 21-10 in the frame to take the lead. Southern Miss' night was not finished though.
The Lady Eagles came out of the half and took the lead, 40-39, thanks to a Grayson's fifth and sixth points of the game. Kitty Henderson hit a quick three to give Columbia the 42-40 lead before Grayson tied it once again, scoring her 10th point of the day in the process.
However, a 12-point Columbia scoring run in the middle of the quarter seemed to put the game out of reach. The Lions led 54-42 with 3:22 to play in the frame before Southern Miss cut the deficit back down to four. Unfortunately for the Lady Eagles, Columbia's damage was not done as they led by seven heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Lions doubled up Southern Miss 24-12 with an efficient 9-of-13 showing on the floor. Nyla Jean got on the board with five points in the quarter but Southern Miss was never able to cut into the Lions' lead. Columbia led by as many as 21, still taking shots from three-point range even up double digits.
Southern Miss finished with nine three pointers – a new season high – and most in a single game since hitting nine against Arkansas State last season. Jean also made her debut in the starting lineup for the first time this season.
Up Next
Southern Miss awaits it opponent as it will take on the loser of tonight's Ball State/Texas A&M game. No matter the opponent, tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET) tomorrow, Nov. 25, at the Imperial Arena in The Bahamas.
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 –
Team Stats
CU
USM
FG%
.485
.466
3FG%
.306
.474
FT%
.444
.375
RB
41
34
TO
13
19
STL
13
5
Game Leaders
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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