Saturday, January 4
Reed Green Coliseum
2 p.m.
Southern Miss
vs
App State
Southern Miss Hosts App State in Saturday Sun Belt Matinee
1/3/2025 5:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's basketball takes on App State on Saturday, Jan. 4, at Reed Green Coliseum in the Mountaineers' first trip to Hattiesburg since 2001. The Lady Eagles and Mountaineers are set to tip off at 2 p.m. with broadcasts on ESPN+ and the Southern Miss Sports Network.
Game 14 // Southern Miss (5-8, 1-1 Sun Belt) vs. App State (6-6, 2-0 Sun Belt)
Saturday, January 4, 2025 // 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ // Lee Roberts (PxP) and Larry Boyd (Color)
Radio: Southern Miss Sports Network (92.7 FM) // Jason Baker (PxP) and Kay James (Color)
Reed Green Coliseum (8,095) // Hattiesburg, Miss.
Starting Five
1) Southern Miss is looking to rebound after dropping their last game against Old Dominion at Reed Green Coliseum. It was the Lady Eagles' first loss at home this season and snapped a 10-game win streak at home dating back to last season.
2) Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) is moving up the all-time scoring charts. She currently owns 1,374 career points with a team-best 13.7 points per game this season. She is already in the top 10 for blocks (third), field goal percentage (fifth), rebounds (sixth), field goals made (nine) and double-doubles (ninth).
3) Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) entered the week as the Sun Belt reigning Player of the Week after her career-best 25-point outing at Georgia State on Sunday, Dec. 29. The freshman guard drained seven three-point baskets against the Panthers in Southern Miss' 73-59 win to earn her first career Player of the Week accolades. She is the first Lady Eagle to earn the nod this season and the first freshman selected this season for the award.
4) Southern Miss fell to 24-14 all-time in Sun Belt Conference play with their loss at the hands of Old Dominion.
5) Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) made her first trip back to Atlanta, Ga., on Sunday since transferring to Southern Miss last season. The game against her former team, Georgia State, was also her first game back from injury after missing the Missouri State game earlier this year. Jean scored 19 as one of three Lady Eagles to hit double-figures in the contest.
About the Mountaineers
First-year App State head coach Alaura Sharp has her Mountaineers out to a 6-6 start after taking the reigns in Boone, N.C., this offseason. Sharp's Mountaineers are tied for the best record in conference play with a 2-0 record so far in Sun Belt Conference action.
Sharp spent two seasons at Southern Miss under Joye Lee-McNelis, helping Southern Miss to back-to-back Conference USA Tournament Title Games in 2015 and 2016. She served as the Lady Eagles' associate head coach and recruiting coordinator and helped Southern Miss win 52 games in her two seasons.
Senior guard Emily Carver was selected to the All-Sun Belt Preseason First Team by the league's coaches while the Mountaineers were chosen 11th in the league's Preseason Coaches' Poll. Carver currently averages a team-best 10.6 points per game and leads the team with 26.8 minutes per game.
Mara Neira is the only other Mountaineer to average double-figures with 10.0 points per game and a team-leading 23 steals. Zada Porter leads the group with 39 assists on a 9.5 points per game average.
The App State Series
This is the third meeting between the two schools with the first taking place at the 2001 Lady Eagle Classic at Reed Green Coliseum. Southern Miss traveled to Boone, N.C., for the first time in 2023 for Sun Belt Conference action at the George M. Holmes Convocation Center.
The Lady Eagles have won both games of the series so far.
After This
Southern Miss hits the road for a two-game swing through Louisiana, beginning with a Thursday, Jan. 9, trip to Monroe, La., to take on ULM.
Tipoff at Fant-Ewing Coliseum is set for 6:30 p.m.
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.
Game 14 // Southern Miss (5-8, 1-1 Sun Belt) vs. App State (6-6, 2-0 Sun Belt)
Saturday, January 4, 2025 // 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+ // Lee Roberts (PxP) and Larry Boyd (Color)
Radio: Southern Miss Sports Network (92.7 FM) // Jason Baker (PxP) and Kay James (Color)
Reed Green Coliseum (8,095) // Hattiesburg, Miss.
Starting Five
1) Southern Miss is looking to rebound after dropping their last game against Old Dominion at Reed Green Coliseum. It was the Lady Eagles' first loss at home this season and snapped a 10-game win streak at home dating back to last season.
2) Melyia Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) is moving up the all-time scoring charts. She currently owns 1,374 career points with a team-best 13.7 points per game this season. She is already in the top 10 for blocks (third), field goal percentage (fifth), rebounds (sixth), field goals made (nine) and double-doubles (ninth).
3) Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) entered the week as the Sun Belt reigning Player of the Week after her career-best 25-point outing at Georgia State on Sunday, Dec. 29. The freshman guard drained seven three-point baskets against the Panthers in Southern Miss' 73-59 win to earn her first career Player of the Week accolades. She is the first Lady Eagle to earn the nod this season and the first freshman selected this season for the award.
4) Southern Miss fell to 24-14 all-time in Sun Belt Conference play with their loss at the hands of Old Dominion.
5) Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) made her first trip back to Atlanta, Ga., on Sunday since transferring to Southern Miss last season. The game against her former team, Georgia State, was also her first game back from injury after missing the Missouri State game earlier this year. Jean scored 19 as one of three Lady Eagles to hit double-figures in the contest.
About the Mountaineers
First-year App State head coach Alaura Sharp has her Mountaineers out to a 6-6 start after taking the reigns in Boone, N.C., this offseason. Sharp's Mountaineers are tied for the best record in conference play with a 2-0 record so far in Sun Belt Conference action.
Sharp spent two seasons at Southern Miss under Joye Lee-McNelis, helping Southern Miss to back-to-back Conference USA Tournament Title Games in 2015 and 2016. She served as the Lady Eagles' associate head coach and recruiting coordinator and helped Southern Miss win 52 games in her two seasons.
Senior guard Emily Carver was selected to the All-Sun Belt Preseason First Team by the league's coaches while the Mountaineers were chosen 11th in the league's Preseason Coaches' Poll. Carver currently averages a team-best 10.6 points per game and leads the team with 26.8 minutes per game.
Mara Neira is the only other Mountaineer to average double-figures with 10.0 points per game and a team-leading 23 steals. Zada Porter leads the group with 39 assists on a 9.5 points per game average.
The App State Series
This is the third meeting between the two schools with the first taking place at the 2001 Lady Eagle Classic at Reed Green Coliseum. Southern Miss traveled to Boone, N.C., for the first time in 2023 for Sun Belt Conference action at the George M. Holmes Convocation Center.
The Lady Eagles have won both games of the series so far.
After This
Southern Miss hits the road for a two-game swing through Louisiana, beginning with a Thursday, Jan. 9, trip to Monroe, La., to take on ULM.
Tipoff at Fant-Ewing Coliseum is set for 6:30 p.m.
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 –
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C
/ Women's Basketball
G
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