Record Education Day Crowd Powers Southern Miss to Win Over William Carey

Friday, November 7

Reed Green Coliseum

11 a.m.

Southern Miss

2-0,0-0Sun Belt

William Carey

0-1

William Carey

Southern Miss.

Record Education Day Crowd Powers Southern Miss to Win Over William Carey

11/7/2025 4:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Game Book Postgame Notes Highlights

Bilderback first coach to 2-0 in program history

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Five Lady Eagles and four starters scored double-figures to lead Southern Miss to a 92-80 win over William Carey on Monday afternoon. An Education Day record crowd of 4,189 packed into Reed Green Coliseum to help Southern Miss fend off the Lady Crusaders and collect their 21st straight win over William Carey.

In a meeting of first-year head coaches, Missy Bilderback's Lady Eagles did just enough over the course of the game to hold off Jessica Garriga's Lady Crusaders. William Carey (3-0) was led in scoring by Shaneal Corpuz's 31-point performance on 9-of-22 shooting and a 12-of-15 day at the free throw line. Corpuz led a trio of Lady Crusaders that finished in double-figures.

Southern Miss (2-0) is 2-0 for the sixth time in the last 10 years while Missy Bilderback is now the first head coach in program history to start their career 2-0. The Lady Eagles were led by Meloney Thames' (Philadelphia, Miss.) 18 points with Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.), Jakayla Johnson (Clinton, Miss.), Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.) and Timya Thurman (Linden, Ala.) each chipping in double-figure efforts.

William Carey got the first points of the game as Corpuz found nylon just 14 seconds into the game. The Lady Crusaders had four points before Sakyia White (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) gave Southern Miss its first points of the day. Thames hit her first shot of the day to tie the game at six and then at nine points as the teams fought for control of the game.

Southern Miss' first lead came at 6:31 in the first quarter with two Johnson free throws. William Carey immediately retook the lead with a three-pointer and then held Southern Miss scoreless until 3:43 in the first.

The lead changed nine times with five ties in the first quarter alone, with the teams knotted at 24 apiece at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Crusaders got the first points of the second quarter on their first possession while Southern Miss went into the quarter scoreless for over two minutes. A blocked shot by Thames gave way to a Keats three-pointer to give Southern Miss the lead once and for all with 6:40 left in the quarter. Keats hit back-to-back threes to give Southern Miss its largest cushion of the day. William Carey came within one point of the Lady Eagles' lead, but did not make a basket throughout the rest of the second quarter, going the final 4:34 without making a field goal.

After taking a 48-38 lead into the half, Johnson got the first points of the half at the free throw line and then finished off a Breland steal with a transition basket to cross the 50-point mark. Southern Miss took a 61-48 lead into the media timeout, leading by as many as 14 points with under two to go in the quarter.

William Carey scored 20 to Southern Miss' 19 in the third quarter to stay on the Lady Eagles' heels entering the final 10 minutes. WCU pulled within seven with 8:34 left to play before Southern Miss opened up a 13-2 scoring run over the next three minutes to put the game away.

Thames finished off the rare four-point play with 6:37 left in the game to help Southern Miss to an 11-0 run until William Carey scored with five minutes left. Johnson drilled a three with just under three to play to give her 15 points on the day, though William Carey continued to fight.

The Lady Eagles closed out the game and hit enough free throws to hold onto the double-digit lead and close out the 92-80 win.

Breland ended the day with 17 points while Johnson (15), Keats (13) and Thurman (10) all joined Thames in double-figures. The Lady Eagles assisted 22 of their 33 made baskets with just 10 turnovers on the day.

Up Next
Southern Miss closes out its season-opening three-game home stand on Monday, Nov. 10, against Blue Mountain Christian. Tipoff at Reed Green Coliseum is set for 6 p.m.

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