Thursday, December 5
Reed Green Coliseum
Noon
Southern Miss
3-6,0-0Sun Belt
77
vs
66
Mississippi Valley State
1-6,0-0SWAC
1
2
3
4
F
Mississippi Val.
11
18
18
19
66
Southern Miss.
15
13
24
25
77
Fourth-Quarter Run Leads Southern Miss to Victory Over Mississippi Valley State
12/5/2024 2:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Mississippi Valley State (1-6) gave Southern Miss (3-6) all it could handle in the on Thursday at Reed Green Coliseum. Led by Melyia Grayson's 19 points, the Lady Eagles scored 25 fourth quarter points – including 12 unanswered – to escape with a 77-66 win. The win is Southern Miss' 10 consecutive home win in nonconference play.
The Delta Devilettes grabbed the opening jump ball but were unable to score on their first possession. Mississippi Valley State struck first later in the frame as Sh'Diamond McKnight shot 1-of-2 at the free throw line.
Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) answered back on the next possession with a three-point basket to give Southern Miss its first lead of the day. Sieper now has a three-point basket in each game this season and owns a 10-game streak with a trey beginning at ULM in the 2024 Postseason WNIT.
The two traded possessions through the rest of the frame with MVSU taking its lead at 48 seconds. Afterwards, Southern Miss scored five unanswered to lead the Devilettes 15-11 at the first quarter break.
Mississippi Valley State opened the second quarter with a 6-2 run to tie it 17-17 after Janiya Jones hit three free throws. Southern Miss committed four turnovers in the first quarter and struggled to hold onto the ball into the second. The Lady Eagles turned it over on four consecutive possessions but held Valley scoreless to keep the score tied at 17.
Sieper found the basket for her fourth and fifth points of the day and to break the three-minute scoreless streak. Coming out the media break, Southern Miss forced MVSU into a shot clock violation. Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) gave Southern Mis the lead once again at the free thow line, 22-21, but the Devilettes rallied right after to take the lead on a Jada Murphy three-pointer.
Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) scored to tie it again at 24 with 1:30 to play in the half. MVSU scored five of the game's next eight points to lead 29-28 at the halftime break.
Southern Miss shot 12-of-32 overall in the first half with Sieper's three going down as the team's only make beyond the arc as they finished 1-of-7 from long range.
Sieper hit her second three of the game to give the Lady Eagles a 31-29 lead early in the third. Mississippi Valley State responded with a six-point run that forced a Lady Eagle timeout and the first media break of the second half. Sieper stopped the run and grabbed double-figures with a mid-range jumper on the next possession, recording her third game of the year with double-figure scoring.
Southern Miss retook a short 37-35 lead thanks to a driving layup by Bre Sutton (New Orleans, La.) but the Devilettes answered quickly to tie it at 37 heading into the media break.
Southern Miss took its final lead of the day with a Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.) jumper. The basket sparked a 9-2 Lady Eagle run to end the third quarter that gave Southern Miss a 53-47 lead heading into the final frame.
Southern Miss took its momentum into the fourth, opening the frame with an 10-0 scoring run. Mississippi Valley State punched back with a 12-0 run of its own. Southern Miss, though, scored 25 fourth quarter points to put away the game.
Grayson finished with 19 points to lead a trio of double-figure scorers as Sieper and Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) each finished with 14 points. The game was Southern Miss' first of the season where they did not score first.
Up Next
The Lady Eagles celebrate Lung Cancer Awareness against Memphis on Sunday, Dec. 8, at Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. with broadcasts on ESPN+ and the Southern Miss Sports Network.
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.
The Delta Devilettes grabbed the opening jump ball but were unable to score on their first possession. Mississippi Valley State struck first later in the frame as Sh'Diamond McKnight shot 1-of-2 at the free throw line.
Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) answered back on the next possession with a three-point basket to give Southern Miss its first lead of the day. Sieper now has a three-point basket in each game this season and owns a 10-game streak with a trey beginning at ULM in the 2024 Postseason WNIT.
The two traded possessions through the rest of the frame with MVSU taking its lead at 48 seconds. Afterwards, Southern Miss scored five unanswered to lead the Devilettes 15-11 at the first quarter break.
Mississippi Valley State opened the second quarter with a 6-2 run to tie it 17-17 after Janiya Jones hit three free throws. Southern Miss committed four turnovers in the first quarter and struggled to hold onto the ball into the second. The Lady Eagles turned it over on four consecutive possessions but held Valley scoreless to keep the score tied at 17.
Sieper found the basket for her fourth and fifth points of the day and to break the three-minute scoreless streak. Coming out the media break, Southern Miss forced MVSU into a shot clock violation. Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) gave Southern Mis the lead once again at the free thow line, 22-21, but the Devilettes rallied right after to take the lead on a Jada Murphy three-pointer.
Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) scored to tie it again at 24 with 1:30 to play in the half. MVSU scored five of the game's next eight points to lead 29-28 at the halftime break.
Southern Miss shot 12-of-32 overall in the first half with Sieper's three going down as the team's only make beyond the arc as they finished 1-of-7 from long range.
Sieper hit her second three of the game to give the Lady Eagles a 31-29 lead early in the third. Mississippi Valley State responded with a six-point run that forced a Lady Eagle timeout and the first media break of the second half. Sieper stopped the run and grabbed double-figures with a mid-range jumper on the next possession, recording her third game of the year with double-figure scoring.
Southern Miss retook a short 37-35 lead thanks to a driving layup by Bre Sutton (New Orleans, La.) but the Devilettes answered quickly to tie it at 37 heading into the media break.
Southern Miss took its final lead of the day with a Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.) jumper. The basket sparked a 9-2 Lady Eagle run to end the third quarter that gave Southern Miss a 53-47 lead heading into the final frame.
Southern Miss took its momentum into the fourth, opening the frame with an 10-0 scoring run. Mississippi Valley State punched back with a 12-0 run of its own. Southern Miss, though, scored 25 fourth quarter points to put away the game.
Grayson finished with 19 points to lead a trio of double-figure scorers as Sieper and Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) each finished with 14 points. The game was Southern Miss' first of the season where they did not score first.
Up Next
The Lady Eagles celebrate Lung Cancer Awareness against Memphis on Sunday, Dec. 8, at Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. with broadcasts on ESPN+ and the Southern Miss Sports Network.
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
MVSU
USM
FG%
.471
.500
3FG%
.350
.357
FT%
.846
.545
RB
23
42
TO
17
16
STL
7
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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