
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Southern Miss Opens Homestand Against Mississippi Valley State
12/4/2024 3:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's basketball returns home to Reed Green Coliseum for the first time in 24 days after five games on the road to take on Mississippi Valley State on Thursday, Dec. 5. Tipoff for the 23rd meeting between the Lady Eagles and Devilettes is set for noon tomorrow with doors opening at 11 a.m.
Game Nine // Southern Miss (2-6) vs. Mississippi Valley State (1-5)
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 // Noon 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 is looking to extend a nine-game nonconference unbeaten streak at Reed Green Coliseum to 10 games. Southern Miss is undefeated at home this season and has not lost an out-of-conference competition since Dec. 11, 2022.
2) Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) is slowly but surely moving up the all-time scoring charts. She enters tomorrow's contest with 1,314 career points to her name. She is lead the Lady Eagles so far with 14.9 points per game.
3) Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) scored a career-high 24 points last time out at UAB (Dec. 1) and is averaging 11.6 points per game – the highest average of her four-year career. She made her third start of the season against the Blazers after coming off the bench in the first five games.
4) Southern Miss meets Mississippi Valley State for the 23rd time and holds a 20-2 series advantage. However, this will be the Devilettes 29th game in Reed Green Coliseum thanks to their 10 trips to the Lady Eagle Classic.
5) Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis is back for her 21st season at the helm of Lady Eagle Basketball. She sports a 331-293 record at Southern Miss and 560-449 record overall. This will be her ninth game as a head coach against MVSU as she is 8-0 ahead of the game.
About the Devilettes
Mississippi Valley State (1-5) got its first win of the season last time out after clipping Troy 66-65 in Itta Bena. The Devilettes turned nine Trojan turnovers into 11 unanswered points to take the lead in the fourth quarter despite the Trojans' commanding performance on the glass, 60-31.
The Devilettes are led in scoring by Sh'Diamond McKnight, the only Devilette to average double-figure scoring so far, with 13.3 points. She also leads the team in assists, 17, and steals, 24.
The Mississippi Valley State Series
This is the 23rd overall meeting between the two programs with the first coming on Feb. 8, 1978, where Valley won 77-72 in overtime. Southern Miss won the next four before MVSU took its last series win in 96-90 fashion at Reed Green Coliseum.
The Lady Eagles are riding a 16-game unbeaten streak in the series that began on Dec. 12, 1992.
After This
Southern Miss celebrates its annual Lung Cancer Awareness game on Sunday, Dec. 1, against Memphis. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum with all those fighting against cancer getting free admission.
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 Nine // Southern Miss (2-6) vs. Mississippi Valley State (1-5)
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 // Noon 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 is looking to extend a nine-game nonconference unbeaten streak at Reed Green Coliseum to 10 games. Southern Miss is undefeated at home this season and has not lost an out-of-conference competition since Dec. 11, 2022.
2) Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) is slowly but surely moving up the all-time scoring charts. She enters tomorrow's contest with 1,314 career points to her name. She is lead the Lady Eagles so far with 14.9 points per game.
3) Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) scored a career-high 24 points last time out at UAB (Dec. 1) and is averaging 11.6 points per game – the highest average of her four-year career. She made her third start of the season against the Blazers after coming off the bench in the first five games.
4) Southern Miss meets Mississippi Valley State for the 23rd time and holds a 20-2 series advantage. However, this will be the Devilettes 29th game in Reed Green Coliseum thanks to their 10 trips to the Lady Eagle Classic.
5) Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis is back for her 21st season at the helm of Lady Eagle Basketball. She sports a 331-293 record at Southern Miss and 560-449 record overall. This will be her ninth game as a head coach against MVSU as she is 8-0 ahead of the game.
About the Devilettes
Mississippi Valley State (1-5) got its first win of the season last time out after clipping Troy 66-65 in Itta Bena. The Devilettes turned nine Trojan turnovers into 11 unanswered points to take the lead in the fourth quarter despite the Trojans' commanding performance on the glass, 60-31.
The Devilettes are led in scoring by Sh'Diamond McKnight, the only Devilette to average double-figure scoring so far, with 13.3 points. She also leads the team in assists, 17, and steals, 24.
The Mississippi Valley State Series
This is the 23rd overall meeting between the two programs with the first coming on Feb. 8, 1978, where Valley won 77-72 in overtime. Southern Miss won the next four before MVSU took its last series win in 96-90 fashion at Reed Green Coliseum.
The Lady Eagles are riding a 16-game unbeaten streak in the series that began on Dec. 12, 1992.
After This
Southern Miss celebrates its annual Lung Cancer Awareness game on Sunday, Dec. 1, against Memphis. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum with all those fighting against cancer getting free admission.
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 –
Players Mentioned
Missy Bilderback Presser - March 27, 2025
Thursday, March 27
Jeremy McClain Presser - March 27, 2025
Thursday, March 27
Missy Bilderback Introductory Press Conference
Thursday, March 27
Thank You Coach Joye Lee-McNelis
Saturday, March 01