Thursday, January 30
Reed Green Coliseum
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
8-13,4-6Sun Belt
52
vs
46
Texas State
9-11,3-7Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Texas St.
7
12
13
14
46
Southern Miss.
13
12
10
17
52
Grayson Joins 1,500-Point Club, Leads Southern Miss to Win Over Texas State
1/30/2025 9:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss turned 21 Texas State turnovers into 20 points to outlast the Bobcats 52-46 on Thursday night at Reed Green Coliseum. Melyia Grayson scored 15 to lead all scorers and became the 11th player in program history to score at least 1,500 points.
It was Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) that won the opening tip to give Southern Miss (8-13, 4-6 Sun Belt) the first possession of the game. The Lady Eagles found Grayson in the paint seconds later to give her the first of 15 points on the day. Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) and Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) each found the basket from three-point range to open up an 8-0 lead over Texas State (9-11, 3-7 Sun Belt).
The Bobcats finally found the basket at the 5:48 mark in the opening quarter and scored back-to-back buckets heading into the media break where Southern Miss lead 8-4. Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) got her first points of the evening with a three-pointer out of the break. After a quarter, Southern Miss led 13-7 despite shooting 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from the floor.
Texas State scored first in the second quarter and held Southern Miss scoreless from the floor for over three minutes. Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.) kept the lead in Southern Miss' favor with a basket with 6:28 left in the half. The Bobcats pushed back and tied the game at 18-all with 2:54 left, forcing a Southern Miss timeout.
The Lady Eagles came out of the timeout and scored seven unanswered to take a 25-18 lead. Texas State finished a trip to the free throw line 1-of-2 to trail 25-19 as the team went to the locker room. It marked the second time in as many games that Southern Miss held its opponent to less than 20 points in the first half.
Out of the locker room, Texas State stormed out to a 7-1 run and took their first lead of the night two minutes in. Grayson came through to tie the game at the free throw line before Rowe scored her second three-pointer of the evening to take a 29-26 lead.
After a Texas State timeout down 31-26, the Bobcats cut it to a three-point game at the third quarter media break. A defensive struggle broke Southern Miss' way as the Lady Eagles took a 35-32 into the fourth quarter.
Texas State, though, was not done yet. The Bobcats took their final lead of the night with 6:30 left to play. Grayson, however, saved her best for last, scoring seven of her 15 points in the fourth quarter. She gave the Lady Eagles the lead once again, 38-37, and helped Southern Miss win the quarter.
Grayson ended her night with 15 points and 10 rebounds, reaching double-figures for the 90th time in her career and 16th time this season. She also collected her 27th double-double, marking the third-straight game with a double-double performance. She now has 1,510 career points and is two points behind Joye Lee-McNelis for the 10th-most points in program history.
Jean joined Grayson in double-figure scoring with 10 points. As a team, Southern Miss shot 40.5 percent (17-of-42) overall and 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from three-point range.
Up Next
Southern Miss stays home and hosts Troy on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum as part of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader.
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.
It was Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) that won the opening tip to give Southern Miss (8-13, 4-6 Sun Belt) the first possession of the game. The Lady Eagles found Grayson in the paint seconds later to give her the first of 15 points on the day. Nyla Jean (Tampa, Fla.) and Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) each found the basket from three-point range to open up an 8-0 lead over Texas State (9-11, 3-7 Sun Belt).
The Bobcats finally found the basket at the 5:48 mark in the opening quarter and scored back-to-back buckets heading into the media break where Southern Miss lead 8-4. Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) got her first points of the evening with a three-pointer out of the break. After a quarter, Southern Miss led 13-7 despite shooting 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from the floor.
Texas State scored first in the second quarter and held Southern Miss scoreless from the floor for over three minutes. Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.) kept the lead in Southern Miss' favor with a basket with 6:28 left in the half. The Bobcats pushed back and tied the game at 18-all with 2:54 left, forcing a Southern Miss timeout.
The Lady Eagles came out of the timeout and scored seven unanswered to take a 25-18 lead. Texas State finished a trip to the free throw line 1-of-2 to trail 25-19 as the team went to the locker room. It marked the second time in as many games that Southern Miss held its opponent to less than 20 points in the first half.
Out of the locker room, Texas State stormed out to a 7-1 run and took their first lead of the night two minutes in. Grayson came through to tie the game at the free throw line before Rowe scored her second three-pointer of the evening to take a 29-26 lead.
After a Texas State timeout down 31-26, the Bobcats cut it to a three-point game at the third quarter media break. A defensive struggle broke Southern Miss' way as the Lady Eagles took a 35-32 into the fourth quarter.
Texas State, though, was not done yet. The Bobcats took their final lead of the night with 6:30 left to play. Grayson, however, saved her best for last, scoring seven of her 15 points in the fourth quarter. She gave the Lady Eagles the lead once again, 38-37, and helped Southern Miss win the quarter.
Grayson ended her night with 15 points and 10 rebounds, reaching double-figures for the 90th time in her career and 16th time this season. She also collected her 27th double-double, marking the third-straight game with a double-double performance. She now has 1,510 career points and is two points behind Joye Lee-McNelis for the 10th-most points in program history.
Jean joined Grayson in double-figure scoring with 10 points. As a team, Southern Miss shot 40.5 percent (17-of-42) overall and 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from three-point range.
Up Next
Southern Miss stays home and hosts Troy on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Reed Green Coliseum as part of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader.
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
TXST
USM
FG%
.306
.405
3FG%
.222
.412
FT%
.600
.550
RB
30
36
TO
21
24
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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