Sunday, January 26
Huntington, W.Va. / Cam Henderson Center
Noon CT (1 p.m. ET)
Southern Miss
at
Marshall
Lady Eagles Wrap Up Road Trip at Marshall
1/25/2025 7:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Southern Miss women's basketball concludes its two-game swing through Appalachia with a Sunday, Jan. 26, tip at Marshall. The Lady Eagles look to bounce back and snap a five-game skid to the Thundering Herd. Tipoff at the Cam Henderson Center is set for Noon CT (1 p.m. ET).
Marshall (6-13, 1-7 Sun Belt) grabbed its first win in Sun Belt play in their last game against Georgia Southern at home. Southern Miss (6-13, 2-6 Sun Belt) sits at 2-6 in league play after holding James Madison to their Sun Belt-low in scoring.
The Lady Eagle Courtside Show with Jason Baker begins at 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET) on the Southern Miss Sports Network. Marshall will also produce an ESPN+ stream with in-app coverage beginning at noon CT (1 p.m. ET).
Game 20 // Southern Miss (6-13, 2-6 Sun Belt) at Marshall (6-13, 1-7 Sun Belt)
Sunday, January 26, 2025
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Southern Miss Sports Network (92.7 FM) // Jason Baker (PxP)
Cam Henderson Center (9,043) // Huntington, W.Va.
About the Thundering Herd
First-year head coach Juli Fulks took the reins at Marshall this season after a successful stint at Division III Transylvania. Fulks posted a 242-39 record and claimed the 2022-23 Division III National Championship. In her 21st season overall, Fulks' career record stands at 406-156.
Marshall was picked to finish sixth in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll, collecting five more votes than Southern Miss. Aislynn Hayes earned Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference First Team honors as well.
In Sun Belt play, the Herd is averaging 63.0 points per game with a -9.3 scoring margin. Hayes also sits fourth in Sun Belt scoring with 131 pionts (16.4 points per game) in Sun Belt games. Earlier this season, Hayes earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 26, after averaging 20 points per game.
The Marshall Series
Southern Miss leads the all-time series 16-13 despite the Herd's five-game winning streak against Southern Miss. Southern Miss' last win against Marshall was on Jan. 26, 2019, at the Cam Henderson Center.
The two first played in 2005-06 when Marshall joined Southern Miss in Conference USA. Southern Miss and Marshall played twice each year from then until 2012-13 and then once each year until 2020-21.
Southern Miss and Marshall joined the Sun Belt Conference together ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Against West Virginia Teams
Southern Miss has played only one West Virginia-based team in its series history: Marshall. The Lady Eagles are 16-13 against the Herd and 14-12 in conference play.
Buckling the Sun Belt
Southern Miss is in its third season of Sun Belt Conference play after joining in 2022-23. With Southern Miss' addition to the league, the Sun Belt now spans 10 contiguous states from West Virginia to Texas. Six members of the league are within 400 miles of Hattiesburg with four less than a 300-mile drive away.
The Lady Eagles are 108-66 all-time against current Sun Belt teams and 41-34 all-time in conference play. Since 2022-23, Southern Miss is 25-19 in Sun Belt Conference games.
Joye Lee-McNelis is the league's longest tenured head coach and is the winningest active head coach in as well.
Leading Her Alma Mater
Joye Lee-McNelis is one of 40 active Division I head coaches currently leading their alma mater in women's basketball. She is one of 26 former women's basketball players currently leading the team she played for as well.
Three's Company
Southern Miss is on pace for a record-setting year beyond the arc. The 2024-25 squad is making an average of 5.79 three-point baskets per game, making them just the second team in the program's history to average more than five three-pointers per game.
Southern Miss' current record average was 5.03 in 2007-08 while Southern Miss made its most three-point baskets in 2014-15 with 178 makes.
As another sign of the Lady Eagles' growth beyond the arc, the Lady Eagles made 10 three-point baskets for the second time this season against South Alabama. Southern Miss first hit the mark at Georgia State earlier this season. The 2024-25 season is the fifth in school history where the Lady Eagles made 10 three-point baskets in two consecutive games and the first since 2007-08.
#BurgBuilt
Fifth-year center Melyia Grayson is one of 45 players in Division I playing her fifth season at the one school. She entered the year already on the 1,000-point club's roster and has a chance to move into the top 10 by the end of the year.
Grayson also has a chance to move up the charts in multiple records. Against App State, Grayson played her 120th career game at Southern Miss and started her 103rd, moving her into the top 10 in both categories.
She is now fifth in games played (125) and ninth in starts (108). She also ranks top 10 in rebounds (fifth), blocks (third), field goal percentage (seventh), field goals made (eighth) and double-doubles (ninth)
30 Piece
Grayson tied her career high of 32 points at ULM on Jan. 9, collecting 14 rebounds en route to her 24th career double-double and third this season.
The game also moved her from 14th on the all-time scoring charts to 13th, passing Tanya Bullock (1990-94). She is just eight points away from tying Wilhelmina Smith (1981-85) for 12th all-time.
The Tampa Two
Former high school teammates Nyla Jean and Morgan Sieper reunited at the Division I level last season in Hattiesburg with Jean transferring from Georgia State and Sieper signing out of H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, Fla.
The two won the 2021 FHSAA Class 7A State Title with the Plant Panthers where Jean was a senior and Sieper a sophomore. The two started together for the first time in their careers together on Dec. 21, 2023, at Florida Gulf Coast and last season's run in the Postseason WNIT was the first postseason action for the two since their 2021 state title run in Tampa.
The duo has scored in double-figures together in three games this season.
New Year, Newcomers
The 2024-25 season saw Southern Miss sign eight newcomers to their squad. Je'Mya Evans (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) and Samantha Shanks (Connors State) both signed from NJCAA while Bre Sutton transferred from Arkansas State after spending her first two seasons at ULM.
Five freshman – Micah Cooper, Jaime Gallatly, Whitney Hart, Trinity Rowe and Ava Shields – all inked their letters of intent with Southern Miss as well.
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.
Marshall (6-13, 1-7 Sun Belt) grabbed its first win in Sun Belt play in their last game against Georgia Southern at home. Southern Miss (6-13, 2-6 Sun Belt) sits at 2-6 in league play after holding James Madison to their Sun Belt-low in scoring.
The Lady Eagle Courtside Show with Jason Baker begins at 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET) on the Southern Miss Sports Network. Marshall will also produce an ESPN+ stream with in-app coverage beginning at noon CT (1 p.m. ET).
Game 20 // Southern Miss (6-13, 2-6 Sun Belt) at Marshall (6-13, 1-7 Sun Belt)
Sunday, January 26, 2025
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Southern Miss Sports Network (92.7 FM) // Jason Baker (PxP)
Cam Henderson Center (9,043) // Huntington, W.Va.
About the Thundering Herd
First-year head coach Juli Fulks took the reins at Marshall this season after a successful stint at Division III Transylvania. Fulks posted a 242-39 record and claimed the 2022-23 Division III National Championship. In her 21st season overall, Fulks' career record stands at 406-156.
Marshall was picked to finish sixth in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll, collecting five more votes than Southern Miss. Aislynn Hayes earned Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference First Team honors as well.
In Sun Belt play, the Herd is averaging 63.0 points per game with a -9.3 scoring margin. Hayes also sits fourth in Sun Belt scoring with 131 pionts (16.4 points per game) in Sun Belt games. Earlier this season, Hayes earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 26, after averaging 20 points per game.
The Marshall Series
Southern Miss leads the all-time series 16-13 despite the Herd's five-game winning streak against Southern Miss. Southern Miss' last win against Marshall was on Jan. 26, 2019, at the Cam Henderson Center.
The two first played in 2005-06 when Marshall joined Southern Miss in Conference USA. Southern Miss and Marshall played twice each year from then until 2012-13 and then once each year until 2020-21.
Southern Miss and Marshall joined the Sun Belt Conference together ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Against West Virginia Teams
Southern Miss has played only one West Virginia-based team in its series history: Marshall. The Lady Eagles are 16-13 against the Herd and 14-12 in conference play.
Buckling the Sun Belt
Southern Miss is in its third season of Sun Belt Conference play after joining in 2022-23. With Southern Miss' addition to the league, the Sun Belt now spans 10 contiguous states from West Virginia to Texas. Six members of the league are within 400 miles of Hattiesburg with four less than a 300-mile drive away.
The Lady Eagles are 108-66 all-time against current Sun Belt teams and 41-34 all-time in conference play. Since 2022-23, Southern Miss is 25-19 in Sun Belt Conference games.
Joye Lee-McNelis is the league's longest tenured head coach and is the winningest active head coach in as well.
Leading Her Alma Mater
Joye Lee-McNelis is one of 40 active Division I head coaches currently leading their alma mater in women's basketball. She is one of 26 former women's basketball players currently leading the team she played for as well.
Three's Company
Southern Miss is on pace for a record-setting year beyond the arc. The 2024-25 squad is making an average of 5.79 three-point baskets per game, making them just the second team in the program's history to average more than five three-pointers per game.
Southern Miss' current record average was 5.03 in 2007-08 while Southern Miss made its most three-point baskets in 2014-15 with 178 makes.
As another sign of the Lady Eagles' growth beyond the arc, the Lady Eagles made 10 three-point baskets for the second time this season against South Alabama. Southern Miss first hit the mark at Georgia State earlier this season. The 2024-25 season is the fifth in school history where the Lady Eagles made 10 three-point baskets in two consecutive games and the first since 2007-08.
#BurgBuilt
Fifth-year center Melyia Grayson is one of 45 players in Division I playing her fifth season at the one school. She entered the year already on the 1,000-point club's roster and has a chance to move into the top 10 by the end of the year.
Grayson also has a chance to move up the charts in multiple records. Against App State, Grayson played her 120th career game at Southern Miss and started her 103rd, moving her into the top 10 in both categories.
She is now fifth in games played (125) and ninth in starts (108). She also ranks top 10 in rebounds (fifth), blocks (third), field goal percentage (seventh), field goals made (eighth) and double-doubles (ninth)
30 Piece
Grayson tied her career high of 32 points at ULM on Jan. 9, collecting 14 rebounds en route to her 24th career double-double and third this season.
The game also moved her from 14th on the all-time scoring charts to 13th, passing Tanya Bullock (1990-94). She is just eight points away from tying Wilhelmina Smith (1981-85) for 12th all-time.
The Tampa Two
Former high school teammates Nyla Jean and Morgan Sieper reunited at the Division I level last season in Hattiesburg with Jean transferring from Georgia State and Sieper signing out of H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, Fla.
The two won the 2021 FHSAA Class 7A State Title with the Plant Panthers where Jean was a senior and Sieper a sophomore. The two started together for the first time in their careers together on Dec. 21, 2023, at Florida Gulf Coast and last season's run in the Postseason WNIT was the first postseason action for the two since their 2021 state title run in Tampa.
The duo has scored in double-figures together in three games this season.
New Year, Newcomers
The 2024-25 season saw Southern Miss sign eight newcomers to their squad. Je'Mya Evans (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) and Samantha Shanks (Connors State) both signed from NJCAA while Bre Sutton transferred from Arkansas State after spending her first two seasons at ULM.
Five freshman – Micah Cooper, Jaime Gallatly, Whitney Hart, Trinity Rowe and Ava Shields – all inked their letters of intent with Southern Miss as well.
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 –
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballMissy 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