Friday, January 24
Harrisonburg, Va. / Atlantic Union Bank Center
6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET)
Southern Miss
6-13,2-6Sun Belt
47
at
62
James Madison
16-4,8-0Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Southern Miss.
16
11
13
7
47
James Madison
20
11
11
20
62
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
James Madison Outlasts Southern Miss in Defensive Struggle
1/24/2025 9:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Lady Eagles held James Madison (16-4, 8-0 Sun Belt) to its lowest scoring total in Sun Belt play but were unable to overcome the Dukes' fourth quarter defense as Southern Miss (6-13, 2-6 Sun Belt) fell 62-47 on Friday night at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg.
James Madison's Kseniia Kozlova scored the Dukes' first points on their first possession of the game. Kozlova and Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) battled throughout the night in a showcase of two of the Sun Belt's best post players. Grayson answered with her first basket of the game in the first of many battles at the rim between Grayson and Kozlova.
The Dukes, though, seemed to open up the game with an early 7-2 lead before Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) found nylon for three points to snap a likely JMU run. Grayson then scored the next six Lady Eagle points to tie the game 11-11 as the teams went to the first media break.
Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.) gave Southern Miss a 13-11 lead with 4:31 left in the quarter after a 2-of-2 trip to the free throw line. Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) gave the Lady Eagles the lead once again before James Madison tied it at 16-all with a pair of free throws from Annalicia Goodman. Goodman scored all seven points in a 7-0 Dukes run to end the quarter as JMU led 20-16 after the first 10 minutes.
Baskets were hard to find in the second quarter as neither team made more than five field goals. JMU's Peyton McDaniel scored the quarter's first points almost two minutes in to give the Dukes a 23-16 lead. James Madison pushed the lead to 27-16, leading Southern Miss to call a timeout.
Grayson finally found the basket for Southern Miss' first points of the quarter at the 5:58 mark. The points were the first of a short 6-0 run by the Lady Eagles to cut the game to 27-22. The dukes broke the run at 4:11 but that was the last time James Madison scored a field goal in the first half.
Southern Miss held James Madison to just two points over the final four minutes of the first half, both from 1-of-2 performances at the free throw line, as the Lady Eagles fought their way back into the game. Entering the locker room, Southern Miss trailed 31-27 and was shooting 35.5 percent form the floor while holding the Dukes to just 27.5 percent.
Grayson forced a Kozlova miss on the first possession of the second half. Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) scored the first points of the second half off an assist from Grayson to make it a two-point game.
Grayson pulled down her 10th rebound of the game to record her fourth double-double of the season and 25th of her career. Rowe found the basket from deep to cut the game to 33-32 on the next Lady Eagle possession.
The Dukes responded with a 7-0 run interrupted by a Southern Miss timeout down 38-32. The Lady Eagles scored back-to-back buckets out the media timeout to make the game 40-36 in favor of JMU.
Southern Miss ran to a 6-2 run to force a Duke timeout with 1:47 left in the quarter. With 18 seconds left in the frame, Grayson found the basket once again to make it a two-point game. Southern Miss held James Madison scoreless in the last 3:02 of the third quarter.
James Madison scored the fourth quarter's sixth points and opened up a 48-40 lead. Two 2-of-2 trips to the line by Grayson kept the game within a few possessions, though Southern Miss did not score from the floor until 2:41 left in the game.
The Dukes attempted eight free throws in the last minute and made seven to reach their 62-point final. James Madison's 62 points are the lowest by the Dukes in Sun Belt play this season and lowest in conference play since a 61-point showing in 2022-23. It also extended James Madison's undefeated streak in league play to 10-straight dating back to last season.
Up Next
Southern Miss travels to Huntington, W.Va., to take on Marshall in another rescheduled Sun Belt Conference tilt. Tipoff at the Cam Henderson Center is scheduled for Noon CT (1 p.m. ET).
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 hosted 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.
James Madison's Kseniia Kozlova scored the Dukes' first points on their first possession of the game. Kozlova and Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) battled throughout the night in a showcase of two of the Sun Belt's best post players. Grayson answered with her first basket of the game in the first of many battles at the rim between Grayson and Kozlova.
The Dukes, though, seemed to open up the game with an early 7-2 lead before Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) found nylon for three points to snap a likely JMU run. Grayson then scored the next six Lady Eagle points to tie the game 11-11 as the teams went to the first media break.
Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.) gave Southern Miss a 13-11 lead with 4:31 left in the quarter after a 2-of-2 trip to the free throw line. Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) gave the Lady Eagles the lead once again before James Madison tied it at 16-all with a pair of free throws from Annalicia Goodman. Goodman scored all seven points in a 7-0 Dukes run to end the quarter as JMU led 20-16 after the first 10 minutes.
Baskets were hard to find in the second quarter as neither team made more than five field goals. JMU's Peyton McDaniel scored the quarter's first points almost two minutes in to give the Dukes a 23-16 lead. James Madison pushed the lead to 27-16, leading Southern Miss to call a timeout.
Grayson finally found the basket for Southern Miss' first points of the quarter at the 5:58 mark. The points were the first of a short 6-0 run by the Lady Eagles to cut the game to 27-22. The dukes broke the run at 4:11 but that was the last time James Madison scored a field goal in the first half.
Southern Miss held James Madison to just two points over the final four minutes of the first half, both from 1-of-2 performances at the free throw line, as the Lady Eagles fought their way back into the game. Entering the locker room, Southern Miss trailed 31-27 and was shooting 35.5 percent form the floor while holding the Dukes to just 27.5 percent.
Grayson forced a Kozlova miss on the first possession of the second half. Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) scored the first points of the second half off an assist from Grayson to make it a two-point game.
Grayson pulled down her 10th rebound of the game to record her fourth double-double of the season and 25th of her career. Rowe found the basket from deep to cut the game to 33-32 on the next Lady Eagle possession.
The Dukes responded with a 7-0 run interrupted by a Southern Miss timeout down 38-32. The Lady Eagles scored back-to-back buckets out the media timeout to make the game 40-36 in favor of JMU.
Southern Miss ran to a 6-2 run to force a Duke timeout with 1:47 left in the quarter. With 18 seconds left in the frame, Grayson found the basket once again to make it a two-point game. Southern Miss held James Madison scoreless in the last 3:02 of the third quarter.
James Madison scored the fourth quarter's sixth points and opened up a 48-40 lead. Two 2-of-2 trips to the line by Grayson kept the game within a few possessions, though Southern Miss did not score from the floor until 2:41 left in the game.
The Dukes attempted eight free throws in the last minute and made seven to reach their 62-point final. James Madison's 62 points are the lowest by the Dukes in Sun Belt play this season and lowest in conference play since a 61-point showing in 2022-23. It also extended James Madison's undefeated streak in league play to 10-straight dating back to last season.
Up Next
Southern Miss travels to Huntington, W.Va., to take on Marshall in another rescheduled Sun Belt Conference tilt. Tipoff at the Cam Henderson Center is scheduled for Noon CT (1 p.m. ET).
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 hosted 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
USM
JMU
FG%
.316
.306
3FG%
.158
.118
FT%
.800
.727
RB
37
55
TO
14
9
STL
6
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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