Thursday, January 2
Reed Green Coliseum
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
5-8,1-1Sun Belt
47
vs
65
Old Dominion
10-4,2-0Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Old Dominion
18
15
22
10
65
Southern Miss.
10
12
13
12
47
Old Dominion Hands Southern Miss First Sun Belt Loss
1/2/2025 8:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Monarchs grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and held Southern Miss to just 28 total rebounds as Old Dominion defeated Southern Miss 65-47 at Reed Green Coliseum Thursday night.
Southern Miss (5-8, 1-1 Sun Belt) won the opening tip of the game but failed to score on its opening possession. Old Dominion (10-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) broke the early scoreless tie with Brenda Fontana's 1-of-2 showing at the free throw line.
Fontana drilled a three on the next possession to give Old Dominion a 4-0 lead before Bre Sutton (New Orleans, La.) struck from deep to bring the game to 4-3. Sutton later left the game with an injury after playing just under four minutes. Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) tied the game at 6-6 with a three-point basket of her own.
ODU took an 8-6 lead again before Micah Cooper (Carrollton, Texas) scored on a coast-to-coast steal turned layup to tie it once again. From then on, though, the Monarchs flexed their defensive muscle and did not surrender their lead through the rest of the game.
The Monarchs led 18-10 at the end of the first quarter and added to their lead in the second to lead 33-22 at the half. Neither team had a double-figure scorer halfway through the game, though Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) led all scorers with seven points at the break. Evans gave Southern Miss its best fight of the game after scoring on three consecutive possessions to bring the game within eight.
Coming out of the locker room, Old Dominion slowly extended its lead in the third quarter, leading 55-35 heading into the final frame. The Monarchs took their largest lead of the game of 27 points with 4:13 to play, though Southern Miss did win the quarter 12-10.
Overall, Old Dominion held Southern Miss to just 47 points on a 20-of-55 (36.4 percent) day from the floor. The Lady Eagles matched Old Dominion's 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) showing from three-point range, but struggled on the glass.
Old Dominion brought down 20 offensive rebounds while holding the Lady Eagles to just six on their offensive glass. The Monarchs turned those O-boards into 20 second chance points. Southern Miss failed to score on any of their second chance opportunities.
Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) led Southern Miss with 11 points – all in the second half – and six rebounds. Old Dominion was led in scoring by Simone Cunningham, who scored 13 and brought down 10 rebounds to post her second double-double of the year and first in Sun Belt play.
Up Next
Southern Miss stays home and hosts App State in a Saturday matinee at Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and Mountaineers is set 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.
Southern Miss (5-8, 1-1 Sun Belt) won the opening tip of the game but failed to score on its opening possession. Old Dominion (10-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) broke the early scoreless tie with Brenda Fontana's 1-of-2 showing at the free throw line.
Fontana drilled a three on the next possession to give Old Dominion a 4-0 lead before Bre Sutton (New Orleans, La.) struck from deep to bring the game to 4-3. Sutton later left the game with an injury after playing just under four minutes. Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) tied the game at 6-6 with a three-point basket of her own.
ODU took an 8-6 lead again before Micah Cooper (Carrollton, Texas) scored on a coast-to-coast steal turned layup to tie it once again. From then on, though, the Monarchs flexed their defensive muscle and did not surrender their lead through the rest of the game.
The Monarchs led 18-10 at the end of the first quarter and added to their lead in the second to lead 33-22 at the half. Neither team had a double-figure scorer halfway through the game, though Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) led all scorers with seven points at the break. Evans gave Southern Miss its best fight of the game after scoring on three consecutive possessions to bring the game within eight.
Coming out of the locker room, Old Dominion slowly extended its lead in the third quarter, leading 55-35 heading into the final frame. The Monarchs took their largest lead of the game of 27 points with 4:13 to play, though Southern Miss did win the quarter 12-10.
Overall, Old Dominion held Southern Miss to just 47 points on a 20-of-55 (36.4 percent) day from the floor. The Lady Eagles matched Old Dominion's 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) showing from three-point range, but struggled on the glass.
Old Dominion brought down 20 offensive rebounds while holding the Lady Eagles to just six on their offensive glass. The Monarchs turned those O-boards into 20 second chance points. Southern Miss failed to score on any of their second chance opportunities.
Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) led Southern Miss with 11 points – all in the second half – and six rebounds. Old Dominion was led in scoring by Simone Cunningham, who scored 13 and brought down 10 rebounds to post her second double-double of the year and first in Sun Belt play.
Up Next
Southern Miss stays home and hosts App State in a Saturday matinee at Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and Mountaineers is set 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
ODU
USM
FG%
.391
.364
3FG%
.316
.316
FT%
.600
.500
RB
50
28
TO
14
15
STL
9
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
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