Sunday, January 26
Huntington, W.Va. / Cam Henderson Center
Noon CT (1 p.m. ET)
Southern Miss
7-13,3-6Sun Belt
54
at
48
Marshall
6-14,1-8Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Southern Miss.
11
11
11
21
54
Marshall
10
9
14
15
48
Grayson’s Double-Double Pushes Southern Miss Past Marshall
1/26/2025 2:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Southern Miss snapped a five-game series skid to Marshall and moved to 3-6 in Sun Belt Conference play after outlasting Marshall 54-48 at the Cam Henderson Center Sunday afternoon. Melyia Grayson moved into 11th-place on the all-time scoring charts after recording her 26th double-double with a 20-point, 12-rebound performance.
The Lady Eagles (7-13, 3-6 Sun Belt) also stopped a three-game losing streak on the road as Marshall (6-14, 1-8 Sun Belt) picked up its eighth loss in league play.
Micah Cooper (Carrollton, Texas) grabbed the first points of the game at the 8:51 mark before Marshall responded on their next possession. Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) scored the first of her 11 points with a triple to take the lead for good in the quarter.
Heading into the media break, Southern Miss led 9-5 and had held the Herd to a 2-of-12 performance on the floor. After the break, however, Marshall forced back-to-back-to-back Southern Miss turnovers and held Southern Miss scoreless for over three minutes until Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) broke through at 1:17.
Grayson's points were the Lady Eagles' last of the quarter as they held on to an 11-10 lead after the first. The basket, Grayson's second of the day, gave her five points and gave her sole possession of 11th-place on the program's all-time scoring charts. Grayson ended up with 26 points on the day for to finish with 1,497 career points as a Lady Eagle.
After committing eight first quarter turnovers, Marshall opened up a full-court press to force another five before the media timeout. Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) finally found the basket after the Lady Eagles started 0-of-4 in the second quarter. A Lady Eagle timeout brought on a media break where the Lady Eagles were down 19-13 with 4:54 left in the frame. Most glaring, Southern Miss had committed 13 turnovers to Marshall's five.
However, Southern Miss scored the next seven points of the game and held Marshall scoreless for the rest of the quarter as well. Sieper's second three-point basket of the game gave Southern Miss the lead once again. Grayson added on to make the margin 24-19 in favor of the Lady Eagles.
Grayson broke through in the third quarter 38 seconds in but Southern Miss struggled to find the basket from then. The Lady Eagles did not score again until 3:22 left in the quarter, though Marshall also had similar struggles as the Herd did not score until the 5:37 mark in the quarter.
Aislynn Hayes tied the game with 3:54 left in the quarter at 24-24 before Sieper broke Southern Miss' scoreless streak at 3:22. Sieper drew the foul and completed her and-one to give Southern Miss the 27-24 lead.
Another three from Hayes gave the lead back to the Herd before Je'Mya Evans' game-tying shot with five seconds left in the third quarter. The two teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 33.
Marshall's first possession of the frame ended quickly as Grayson sent the shot back into the stands. On the next Southern Miss possession, Grayson gave Southern Miss the lead once again with a 1-of-2 showing at the line.
Hayes took the lead back on Marshall's next possession, continuing a streak of eight-straight possessions between the two where both teams found the basket. Southern Miss scored to tie and took the timeout with 5:19 left in the game.
After the timeout, Southern Miss forced a shot clock violation by the Herd to snap the streak of scoring possessions. Coming out of the media break, Manley found the basket once again to give Southern Miss the final lead of the game. From then on, the Lady Eagles fended off the Herd's attack and used a 10-0 run to take their largest lead of the game.
Hayes scored once again to break the scoring streak and cut the lead to 48-43. Southern Miss' consecutive scoring possessions extended to eight-consecutive possessions before a travel ended it. The two teams traded fouls and timeouts in the final minute with Grayson icing the game with an and-one with 35.4 seconds left. Grayson finished the day with a 20-point, 12-board performance for her fifth double-double of the year and 26th of her career.
Southern Miss shot 21-of-49 from the floor for a 42.9 percent day while attempting just eight three-pointers, snapping a nine-game streak of games with at least 15 three-point attempts.
Best of all, the win snaps a five-game Marshall winning streak to collect Southern Miss' first win in the series since Jan. 26, 2019, exactly six years ago today.
Up Next
Southern Miss returns home to take on Texas State at Reed Green Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 30. The game opens a four-game homestand at RGC for the Lady Eagles.
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.
The Lady Eagles (7-13, 3-6 Sun Belt) also stopped a three-game losing streak on the road as Marshall (6-14, 1-8 Sun Belt) picked up its eighth loss in league play.
Micah Cooper (Carrollton, Texas) grabbed the first points of the game at the 8:51 mark before Marshall responded on their next possession. Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) scored the first of her 11 points with a triple to take the lead for good in the quarter.
Heading into the media break, Southern Miss led 9-5 and had held the Herd to a 2-of-12 performance on the floor. After the break, however, Marshall forced back-to-back-to-back Southern Miss turnovers and held Southern Miss scoreless for over three minutes until Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) broke through at 1:17.
Grayson's points were the Lady Eagles' last of the quarter as they held on to an 11-10 lead after the first. The basket, Grayson's second of the day, gave her five points and gave her sole possession of 11th-place on the program's all-time scoring charts. Grayson ended up with 26 points on the day for to finish with 1,497 career points as a Lady Eagle.
After committing eight first quarter turnovers, Marshall opened up a full-court press to force another five before the media timeout. Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) finally found the basket after the Lady Eagles started 0-of-4 in the second quarter. A Lady Eagle timeout brought on a media break where the Lady Eagles were down 19-13 with 4:54 left in the frame. Most glaring, Southern Miss had committed 13 turnovers to Marshall's five.
However, Southern Miss scored the next seven points of the game and held Marshall scoreless for the rest of the quarter as well. Sieper's second three-point basket of the game gave Southern Miss the lead once again. Grayson added on to make the margin 24-19 in favor of the Lady Eagles.
Grayson broke through in the third quarter 38 seconds in but Southern Miss struggled to find the basket from then. The Lady Eagles did not score again until 3:22 left in the quarter, though Marshall also had similar struggles as the Herd did not score until the 5:37 mark in the quarter.
Aislynn Hayes tied the game with 3:54 left in the quarter at 24-24 before Sieper broke Southern Miss' scoreless streak at 3:22. Sieper drew the foul and completed her and-one to give Southern Miss the 27-24 lead.
Another three from Hayes gave the lead back to the Herd before Je'Mya Evans' game-tying shot with five seconds left in the third quarter. The two teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 33.
Marshall's first possession of the frame ended quickly as Grayson sent the shot back into the stands. On the next Southern Miss possession, Grayson gave Southern Miss the lead once again with a 1-of-2 showing at the line.
Hayes took the lead back on Marshall's next possession, continuing a streak of eight-straight possessions between the two where both teams found the basket. Southern Miss scored to tie and took the timeout with 5:19 left in the game.
After the timeout, Southern Miss forced a shot clock violation by the Herd to snap the streak of scoring possessions. Coming out of the media break, Manley found the basket once again to give Southern Miss the final lead of the game. From then on, the Lady Eagles fended off the Herd's attack and used a 10-0 run to take their largest lead of the game.
Hayes scored once again to break the scoring streak and cut the lead to 48-43. Southern Miss' consecutive scoring possessions extended to eight-consecutive possessions before a travel ended it. The two teams traded fouls and timeouts in the final minute with Grayson icing the game with an and-one with 35.4 seconds left. Grayson finished the day with a 20-point, 12-board performance for her fifth double-double of the year and 26th of her career.
Southern Miss shot 21-of-49 from the floor for a 42.9 percent day while attempting just eight three-pointers, snapping a nine-game streak of games with at least 15 three-point attempts.
Best of all, the win snaps a five-game Marshall winning streak to collect Southern Miss' first win in the series since Jan. 26, 2019, exactly six years ago today.
Up Next
Southern Miss returns home to take on Texas State at Reed Green Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 30. The game opens a four-game homestand at RGC for the Lady Eagles.
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
Marsh
FG%
.429
.270
3FG%
.375
.216
FT%
.692
.857
RB
42
37
TO
22
14
STL
6
11
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
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