University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, November 7
Reed Green Coliseum
11 a.m.
Southern Miss
vs
Blue Mountain Christian
Southern Miss Hosts Annual Education Day Game Against Blue Mountain Christian
11/6/2024 11:55:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's basketball opens its home schedule on Thursday, Nov. 7, against Blue Mountain Christian. The Lady Eagles are hosting their 12th Annual Education Day and anticipate nearly 3,000 local elementary and middle school students to join them at Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Game Two // Southern Miss (0-1) vs. Blue Mountain Christian (4-1)
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 // 11 a.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ // Lee Roberts (PxP) and Larry Boyd (Color)
Radio: Southern Miss Sports Network (92.7 FM) // Jason Baker (PxP) and Kay James (Color)
Reed Green Coliseum (8,095) // Hattiesburg, Miss.
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 both earned their first starts as Lady Eagles last game at Bowling Green (Nov. 4). Rowe is the 18th true freshman to start under Joye Lee-McNelis.
4) Southern Miss has won six-straight at Reed Green Coliseum – which is celebrating its 60th season of competition this year – and eight of their last 10. The Lady Eagles have not lost out-of-conference at RGC since Dec. 11, 2022.
5) Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis is back for her 21st season at the helm of the Lady Eagle program. She sports a 329-288 record at Southern Miss and a 558-444 career record in 34 seasons as a head coach. Bowling Green was the 161st opponent McNelis has coached against in her 34-season career.
About the Lady Toppers
Blue Mountain Christian has already played five competitions and sports a 4-1 record early in the year. The Lady Toppers averaging 75.3 points per game through those contests, ranking second in the Southern States Athletic Conference, though they do not have a double-figure scorer. BMC's leading scorers are Charnita Brooks and Rebecca Walter as both average 9.5 points per game through the four games where statistics are available.
Head coach Tracy Rice is in her fifth season leading the Lady Toppers and holds a 52-63 overall record after clipping Southeastern Baptist 95-46 on Tuesday. Rice, an alumna of Blue Mountain Christian herself, previously worked as an assistant coach at Division II Union (Jackson, Tenn.) and NAIA Northwestern Ohio (Lima, Ohio) as well as a head coach at the Memphis Home Education Association.
Rice's bunch returned eight letterwinners and four starters from last season's 8-19 squad.
The Blue Mountain Christian Series
Southern Miss has met the Lady Toppers three times before with the first coming on December 30, 2017. The Lady Eagles are a perfect 3-0 against BMC winning by 50, 46 and 25 in their three meetings. Blue Mountain's last trip to Reed Green Coliseum – the site of all three prior meetings – game on Dec. 13, 2021, a 75-50 Southern Miss victory.
After This
Southern Miss stays home and hosts crosstown foe William Carey for a battle for the Mayor's Cup. Tipoff in the 22nd meeting between the Lady Eagles and Crusaders is set for 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, at Reed Green Coliseum.
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 Two // Southern Miss (0-1) vs. Blue Mountain Christian (4-1)
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 // 11 a.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ // Lee Roberts (PxP) and Larry Boyd (Color)
Radio: Southern Miss Sports Network (92.7 FM) // Jason Baker (PxP) and Kay James (Color)
Reed Green Coliseum (8,095) // Hattiesburg, Miss.
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 both earned their first starts as Lady Eagles last game at Bowling Green (Nov. 4). Rowe is the 18th true freshman to start under Joye Lee-McNelis.
4) Southern Miss has won six-straight at Reed Green Coliseum – which is celebrating its 60th season of competition this year – and eight of their last 10. The Lady Eagles have not lost out-of-conference at RGC since Dec. 11, 2022.
5) Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis is back for her 21st season at the helm of the Lady Eagle program. She sports a 329-288 record at Southern Miss and a 558-444 career record in 34 seasons as a head coach. Bowling Green was the 161st opponent McNelis has coached against in her 34-season career.
About the Lady Toppers
Blue Mountain Christian has already played five competitions and sports a 4-1 record early in the year. The Lady Toppers averaging 75.3 points per game through those contests, ranking second in the Southern States Athletic Conference, though they do not have a double-figure scorer. BMC's leading scorers are Charnita Brooks and Rebecca Walter as both average 9.5 points per game through the four games where statistics are available.
Head coach Tracy Rice is in her fifth season leading the Lady Toppers and holds a 52-63 overall record after clipping Southeastern Baptist 95-46 on Tuesday. Rice, an alumna of Blue Mountain Christian herself, previously worked as an assistant coach at Division II Union (Jackson, Tenn.) and NAIA Northwestern Ohio (Lima, Ohio) as well as a head coach at the Memphis Home Education Association.
Rice's bunch returned eight letterwinners and four starters from last season's 8-19 squad.
The Blue Mountain Christian Series
Southern Miss has met the Lady Toppers three times before with the first coming on December 30, 2017. The Lady Eagles are a perfect 3-0 against BMC winning by 50, 46 and 25 in their three meetings. Blue Mountain's last trip to Reed Green Coliseum – the site of all three prior meetings – game on Dec. 13, 2021, a 75-50 Southern Miss victory.
After This
Southern Miss stays home and hosts crosstown foe William Carey for a battle for the Mayor's Cup. Tipoff in the 22nd meeting between the Lady Eagles and Crusaders is set for 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, at Reed Green Coliseum.
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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