Lady Eagles Host Against Arkansas State for Sun Belt Conference Game of the Week

Thursday, January 1

Reed Green Coliseum

6 p.m.

Southern Miss

Arkansas State

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Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles guard Jakayla Johnson (3) shoots a three point shot in a game between Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Louisiana in a NCAA Women’s Basketball game. December 20, 2025 (Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com)

Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com

Lady Eagles Host Against Arkansas State for Sun Belt Conference Game of the Week

12/31/2025 2:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's basketball looks to remain undefeated at Reed Green Coliseum as the Lady Eagles (9-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) take on Arkansas State (11-3, 2-0 Sun Belt) in a battle of unbeaten Sun Belt Conference foes. As such, the game has been selected as the Sun Belt Game of the Week with airings on ESPN+ and the Southern Miss Sports Network with tipoff set for 6 p.m.

Fans wanting to attend the game can buy one ticket and get one free for tomorrow's game by visiting the following link: smttt.info/WBBBOGO.

Southern Miss enters the new year with a 2-0 ledger in Sun Belt play after victories over South Alabama (84-65) and Louisiana (76-58) ahead of the Christmas holidays. With 12 days to prepare, the Lady Eagles look to take on one of the league's hottest teams in Arkansas State. The Red Wolves enjoyed an undefeated December and have won nine in-a-row since their last loss on Nov. 19 at Central Arkansas.

The Red Wolves are ranked seventh in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Poll thanks to their 11-3 overall record. A-State picked up wins over ULM and South Alabama to open Sun Belt play and most recently took an 81-72 decision over Arkansas on the road. Arkansas State was picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Coaches Poll with three first place votes.

As a team, Arkansas State is one of the nation's best in defensive pressure. They force 28.14 turnovers per game – the fourth-most in the country – and enjoy a plus-10.29 turnover margin – 10th-most in the country. Their fast-paced style of play helped the Red Wolves win the Sun Belt Championship last season and not miss a beat this year after losing half their team.

Southern Miss enters the week with the Sun Belt's second-best scoring average of 76.8 points per game. The Lady Eagles' scoring is bolstered by five double-figure scorers, led by Meloney Thames' (Philadelphia, Miss.) 12.4 points per game. Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.), Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.), Sakyia White (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and Jakayla Johnson (Clinton, Miss.) also average double-figures.

These five players form Southern Miss' primary starting lineup and make Southern Miss one of two teams in Division I with five players averaging 10.0 points per game with at least 10 starts this season.

Thursday's game also features two of the country's best three-point shooting teams. Southern Miss' 8.9 threes per game is 29th-most in Division I while Arkansas State's average of 10.1 threes per game is eighth. Offense and fast-paced play will be on full display at Reed Green Coliseum tomorrow night.

Support Southern Miss Women's Basketball
Support Southern Miss women's basketball by purchasing your season tickets today for just $75. Visit smttt.info/WBBTix today to purchase your seats.

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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.

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