Southern Miss Falls at Missouri State in Final Nonconference Bout

Friday, December 20

Springfield, Mo. / Great Southern Bank Arena

Noon

Southern Miss

4-7,0-0Sun Belt

Missouri State

8-3,0-0MVC

Southern Miss.

Missouri St.

Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com

Southern Miss Falls at Missouri State in Final Nonconference Bout

12/20/2024 2:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Game Book

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri State (8-3) shot 34-of-68 from the field and made 17 free throws to power past Southern Miss (4-7) on Friday afternoon. The Lady Eagles fell to the Lady Bears by a final score of 92-54 and continue to look for their first win away from Reed Green Coliseum.

The Lady Eagles took the opening tip but were unable to score on their first possession. Both teams missed three-point baskets on the first four combined possessions before Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) drilled an elbow jumper to break the scoreless tie.

Missouri State tied the game before Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) gave the Lady Eagles the lead again. The Lady Bears retook the lead for the last time on a Kiley Bess three-point basket. Missouri State led by as many as 10 in the frame but Southern Miss kept it a seven-point game entering the second quarter.

Bre Sutton (New Orleans, La.) opened the second quarter with a 1-of-2 trip to the free-throw line. The game's next five minutes saw only six combined points before an 11-0 Missouri State run late in the quarter. The Lady Bears led by as many as 18 and took a 17-point lead into the locker room.

Sutton led the Lady Eagles with six first half points while Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.). Seven Lady Eagles found the basket in the first half to reach their 26-point total.

The third quarter began with cold shooting on both sides of the floor before Missouri State broke through for a 7-0 run. Micah Cooper (Carrollton, Texas) gave Southern Miss its first points of the frame ahead of the media timeout. The Lady Bears won the frame 23-10 and pushed their overall margin to 30 heading into the last quarter.

The Lady Eagles posted their best quarter scoring mark of the day with 18 points in the final 10 minutes but the Lady Bears continued to fight, scoring 26 of their own.

Sutton scored 10 fourth quarter points to reach her 16-point total and lead the Lady Eagles in scoring. Trinity Rowe also tied her career-high of 11 points once again with three three-point baskets and a field goal.

Samantha Shanks (Webbers Falls, Okla.) made her first start at the Division I level in lieu of Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) who missed today's game due to an injury.

Up Next
Southern Miss heads home for the holidays before returning to campus to prepare for Sun Belt Conference play. The Lady Eagles take on Georgia State on Sunday, Dec. 29, to open their third season in the Sun Belt. Tipoff at the Panthers' GSU Convocation Center is set for 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) with broadcasts on the Southern Miss Sports Network and ESPN+.

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 –