Friday, February 28
Reed Green Coliseum
5 p.m.
Southern Miss
vs
Louisiana
Women’s Basketball Closes Regular Season at Reed Green Coliseum Against Louisiana
2/27/2025 3:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Lady Eagles' season finale is set for 5 p.m. tomorrow night at Southern Miss welcomes Sun Belt Conference rival Louisiana to Reed Green Coliseum. The meeting will be the 22nd between Southern Miss and Louisiana in a series dating back to 1976.
Southern Miss (9-20, 4-13 Sun Belt) looks to snap its five-game losing streak and seven-game skid in conference play and give head coach Joye Lee-McNelis a win in her final game at Reed Green Coliseum. Louisiana (13-14, 9-8 Sun Belt) needs a win and an Old Dominion loss to move into sixth-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, earning the Ragin' Cajuns an extra off day before heading to Pensacola.
Ben Milam and Larry Boyd will anchor the broadcast on ESPN+ with Lee Field producing. Jason Baker, the Voice of the Lady Eagles, and Kay James will have the call on the Southern Miss Sports Network with the Lady Eagle Courtside Show beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Southern Miss will also celebrate Mardi Gras with free Mardi Gras beads available to all fans at Reed Green Coliseum.
Game 30 // Southern Miss (9-20, 4-13 Sun Belt) vs. Louisiana (13-14, 9-8 Sun Belt)
Friday, February 28, 2025 // 5 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ // Ben Milam (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.
About the Ragin' Cajuns
Louisiana holds a 13-14 overall record and sits at 9-8 in Sun Belt play with one game left in the campaign. The Ragin' Cajuns average 63.5 points per game and hold opponents to just 62.1 points per contest as well.
Erica Lafayette averages 14.7 points per game this season and enters the game with 398 points on the season. Three more Cajuns average at least nine points per contest with Tamiah Robinson (9.8), Nubia Benedith (9.3) and Jaylyn James (9.1) all contributing to the Cajuns' offense.
Cajuns head coach Garry Brodhead is in his 13th season in Lafayette and owns a 215-179 overall record. Brodhead, a graduate of Louisiana, was a track & field athlete for the Cajuns in the late 1970s and was a late entrant into the coaching ranks. He is the Cajuns' all-time wins leader and is seventh in all-time Sun Belt Conference wins.
The Louisiana Series
This is the 22nd meeting between Southern Miss and Louisiana with the Lady Eagles leading the series 16-5 since the first meeting in 1976. Louisiana snapped Southern Miss' 11-game winning streak over the Cajuns in the regular season finale last season in a 58-57 overtime game at the Cajundome.
Louisiana picked up its first back-to-back win over Southern Miss in the series' history in their last meeting earlier this year. Southern Miss is now 4-4 in Lafayette but holds an 11-1 record at Reed Green Coliseum. Louisiana's last – and only – win at Reed Green Coliseum was on Jan. 29, 1977 – an 85-84 overtime win.
Against Louisiana Teams
Southern Miss is 164-97 all-time against Louisiana-based programs. The Lady Eagles' 261 games against Bayou State teams is by far the most against any single state in Southern Miss' history. Southern Miss is 106-27 at Reed Green Coliseum against Louisiana teams and 41-35 in overall conference play.
Connections between Southern Miss and the Ragin' Cajuns
Four players – Whitney Hart (Baton Rouge), Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles), Ava Shields (Hammond) and Bre Sutton (New Orleans) – and three Lady Eagle staffers – associate head coach Brooks Donald Williams (Jennings), assistant head coach Barbara Farris (Harvey) and assistant coach Jessica Barber (Franklinton) – are from Louisiana.
Williams, former head coach at McNeese, gave Louisiana head coach Garry Brodhead his first job at the collegiate level after his successful career at Teurlings Catholic High School. Brodhead worked under Williams for five seasons before he took over at Louisiana in April 2012. Williams also hired Cajuns' chief of staff Kacie Cryer at McNeese in 2010. Cryer succeeded Williams as head coach of the Cowgirls for five seasons before coming to Lafayette.
Happy Trails
Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis announced her intention to retire following the end of the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. McNelis is one of the game's greatest coaches, ranking in the top 70 all-time in wins and is currently the NCAA's 18th winningest active head coach.
Southern Miss has known only Joye Lee-McNelis basketball for the last 21 years, which has led to 336 victories and counting for the Lady Eagles.
History in the Making
Melyia Grayson continues to etch her name in the Lady Eagle record books and made her way into the most prestigious group against Troy on Feb. 1. Her first basket of the game tied her with Joye Lee-McNelis, placing her in the top 10 in all-time points scored. At Texas State, she scored eight to pass Pauline Love for the eighth-most points in program history.
She is currently 18 points behind Nedra Hosey (1993-97), who currently owns seventh place on the all-time charts.
Here is a list of Grayson's peers in this illustrious group of Lady Eagles:
Place Player Career Games Points
1 Janice Felder 1990-94 117 2,275
2 Portland McCaskill 1981-85 112 2,130
3 Jamierra Faulkner 2010-14 124 2,056
4 Patricia Nash 1992-96 118 1,875
5 Nancy Faulk 1977-81 103 1,696
6 Domonique Davis 2021-24 92 1,624
7 Nedra Hosey 1993-97 118 1,616
8 Melyia Grayson 2020-25 135 1,598
9 Pauline Love 2007-10 95 1,576
10 Kendra Reed 2005-09 126 1,537
#BurgBuilt
Fifth-year center Melyia Grayson is one of 45 players in Division I playing her fifth season at the one school. She entered the year already on the 1,000-point club's roster and has a chance to move into the top 10.
Against Texas State, she became the 11th player in program history to score at least 1,500 points as a Lady Eagle.
Grayson also has a chance to move up the charts in multiple categories. Against App State, Grayson played her 120th career game at Southern Miss and started her 103rd, moving her into the top 10 in both categories.
She is now first in games played (135) and fourth in starts (118). She also ranks top 10 in rebounds (fifth), blocks (third), field goal percentage (eighth), field goals made (fifth) and double-doubles (seventh).
Buckling the Sun Belt
Southern Miss is in its third season of Sun Belt Conference play after joining in 2022-23. With Southern Miss' addition to the league, the Sun Belt now spans 10 contiguous states from West Virginia to Texas. Six members of the league are within 400 miles of Hattiesburg with four less than a 300-mile drive away.
The Lady Eagles are 110-73 all-time against current Sun Belt teams and 43-41 all-time in conference play. Since 2022-23, Southern Miss is 27-26 in Sun Belt Conference games.
Joye Lee-McNelis is the league's longest tenured head coach and is the winningest active head coach in as well.
Leading Her Alma Mater
Joye Lee-McNelis is one of 40 active Division I head coaches currently leading their alma mater in women's basketball. She is one of 26 former women's basketball players currently leading the team she played for as well.
Three's Company
Southern Miss is on pace for a one of the program's best years behind the arc. The 2024-25 squad is making an average of 5.83 three-point baskets per game, making them just the second team in the program's history to average more than five three-pointers per game.
Southern Miss' current record average was 5.03 in 2007-08 while Southern Miss made its most three-point baskets in 2014-15 with 178 makes. This season's squad is just nine three-point baskets away from tying the record.
As another sign of the Lady Eagles' growth beyond the arc, the Lady Eagles made 10 three-point baskets for the second time this season against South Alabama. Southern Miss first hit the mark at Georgia State earlier this season. The 2024-25 season is the fifth in school history where the Lady Eagles made 10 three-point baskets in two consecutive games and the first since 2007-08.
30 Piece
Grayson tied her career high of 32 points at ULM on Jan. 9, collecting 14 rebounds en route to her 24th career double-double and third this season.
The game also moved her from 14th on the all-time scoring charts to 13th, passing Tanya Bullock (1990-94). She is just eight points away from tying Wilhelmina Smith (1981-85) for 12th all-time.
The Tampa Two
Former high school teammates Nyla Jean and Morgan Sieper reunited at the Division I level last season in Hattiesburg with Jean transferring from Georgia State and Sieper signing out of H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, Fla.
The two won the 2021 FHSAA Class 7A State Title with the Plant Panthers where Jean was a senior and Sieper a sophomore. The two started together for the first time in their careers together on Dec. 21, 2023, at Florida Gulf Coast and last season's run in the Postseason WNIT was the first postseason action for the two since their 2021 state title run in Tampa.
The duo has scored in double-figures together in five games this season.
New Year, Newcomers
The 2024-25 season saw Southern Miss sign eight newcomers to their squad. Je'Mya Evans (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) and Samantha Shanks (Connors State) both signed from NJCAA while Bre Sutton transferred from Arkansas State after spending her first two seasons at ULM.
Five freshman – Micah Cooper, Jaime Gallatly, Whitney Hart, Trinity Rowe and Ava Shields – all inked their letters of intent with Southern Miss as well.
Freshman Phenom
Speaking of newcomers, few have shown brighter than freshman Trinity Rowe. Rowe, a signee from Pikeville, Ky., was named 2024 Miss Kentucky Basketball after her senior season and has not slowed down since.
Currently, Rowe has started in all 29 games for the Lady Eagles, putting her on pace to become the fifth Lady Eagle to start in every game of their freshman season. If she keeps up her streak, she would join Portland McCaskill (1981-84), Ashley Boehnel (2005-06), Kendra Reed (2005-06) and Jamierra Faulkner (2013-14) as the only other freshmen to start in every game.
Rowe also owns 52 three-point baskets on the season – the most by a freshman in program history.
Welcome Back Bre
Bre Sutton made her return to the floor on Sunday, Jan. 26, at Marshall. The senior guard from New Orleans, La., left the Jan. 2 game against Old Dominion with an injury after just 3:50 on the court. Sutton had started in all 13 games for the Lady Eagles up to that point but missed the next six.
She played 10:41 off the bench at Marshall and, though she did not find the net, collected two rebounds in return to play. Against Texas State, she returned to the starting lineup to make her 14th start this season.
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.
Southern Miss (9-20, 4-13 Sun Belt) looks to snap its five-game losing streak and seven-game skid in conference play and give head coach Joye Lee-McNelis a win in her final game at Reed Green Coliseum. Louisiana (13-14, 9-8 Sun Belt) needs a win and an Old Dominion loss to move into sixth-place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, earning the Ragin' Cajuns an extra off day before heading to Pensacola.
Ben Milam and Larry Boyd will anchor the broadcast on ESPN+ with Lee Field producing. Jason Baker, the Voice of the Lady Eagles, and Kay James will have the call on the Southern Miss Sports Network with the Lady Eagle Courtside Show beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Southern Miss will also celebrate Mardi Gras with free Mardi Gras beads available to all fans at Reed Green Coliseum.
Game 30 // Southern Miss (9-20, 4-13 Sun Belt) vs. Louisiana (13-14, 9-8 Sun Belt)
Friday, February 28, 2025 // 5 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ // Ben Milam (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.
About the Ragin' Cajuns
Louisiana holds a 13-14 overall record and sits at 9-8 in Sun Belt play with one game left in the campaign. The Ragin' Cajuns average 63.5 points per game and hold opponents to just 62.1 points per contest as well.
Erica Lafayette averages 14.7 points per game this season and enters the game with 398 points on the season. Three more Cajuns average at least nine points per contest with Tamiah Robinson (9.8), Nubia Benedith (9.3) and Jaylyn James (9.1) all contributing to the Cajuns' offense.
Cajuns head coach Garry Brodhead is in his 13th season in Lafayette and owns a 215-179 overall record. Brodhead, a graduate of Louisiana, was a track & field athlete for the Cajuns in the late 1970s and was a late entrant into the coaching ranks. He is the Cajuns' all-time wins leader and is seventh in all-time Sun Belt Conference wins.
The Louisiana Series
This is the 22nd meeting between Southern Miss and Louisiana with the Lady Eagles leading the series 16-5 since the first meeting in 1976. Louisiana snapped Southern Miss' 11-game winning streak over the Cajuns in the regular season finale last season in a 58-57 overtime game at the Cajundome.
Louisiana picked up its first back-to-back win over Southern Miss in the series' history in their last meeting earlier this year. Southern Miss is now 4-4 in Lafayette but holds an 11-1 record at Reed Green Coliseum. Louisiana's last – and only – win at Reed Green Coliseum was on Jan. 29, 1977 – an 85-84 overtime win.
Against Louisiana Teams
Southern Miss is 164-97 all-time against Louisiana-based programs. The Lady Eagles' 261 games against Bayou State teams is by far the most against any single state in Southern Miss' history. Southern Miss is 106-27 at Reed Green Coliseum against Louisiana teams and 41-35 in overall conference play.
Connections between Southern Miss and the Ragin' Cajuns
Four players – Whitney Hart (Baton Rouge), Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles), Ava Shields (Hammond) and Bre Sutton (New Orleans) – and three Lady Eagle staffers – associate head coach Brooks Donald Williams (Jennings), assistant head coach Barbara Farris (Harvey) and assistant coach Jessica Barber (Franklinton) – are from Louisiana.
Williams, former head coach at McNeese, gave Louisiana head coach Garry Brodhead his first job at the collegiate level after his successful career at Teurlings Catholic High School. Brodhead worked under Williams for five seasons before he took over at Louisiana in April 2012. Williams also hired Cajuns' chief of staff Kacie Cryer at McNeese in 2010. Cryer succeeded Williams as head coach of the Cowgirls for five seasons before coming to Lafayette.
Happy Trails
Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis announced her intention to retire following the end of the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. McNelis is one of the game's greatest coaches, ranking in the top 70 all-time in wins and is currently the NCAA's 18th winningest active head coach.
Southern Miss has known only Joye Lee-McNelis basketball for the last 21 years, which has led to 336 victories and counting for the Lady Eagles.
History in the Making
Melyia Grayson continues to etch her name in the Lady Eagle record books and made her way into the most prestigious group against Troy on Feb. 1. Her first basket of the game tied her with Joye Lee-McNelis, placing her in the top 10 in all-time points scored. At Texas State, she scored eight to pass Pauline Love for the eighth-most points in program history.
She is currently 18 points behind Nedra Hosey (1993-97), who currently owns seventh place on the all-time charts.
Here is a list of Grayson's peers in this illustrious group of Lady Eagles:
Place Player Career Games Points
1 Janice Felder 1990-94 117 2,275
2 Portland McCaskill 1981-85 112 2,130
3 Jamierra Faulkner 2010-14 124 2,056
4 Patricia Nash 1992-96 118 1,875
5 Nancy Faulk 1977-81 103 1,696
6 Domonique Davis 2021-24 92 1,624
7 Nedra Hosey 1993-97 118 1,616
8 Melyia Grayson 2020-25 135 1,598
9 Pauline Love 2007-10 95 1,576
10 Kendra Reed 2005-09 126 1,537
#BurgBuilt
Fifth-year center Melyia Grayson is one of 45 players in Division I playing her fifth season at the one school. She entered the year already on the 1,000-point club's roster and has a chance to move into the top 10.
Against Texas State, she became the 11th player in program history to score at least 1,500 points as a Lady Eagle.
Grayson also has a chance to move up the charts in multiple categories. Against App State, Grayson played her 120th career game at Southern Miss and started her 103rd, moving her into the top 10 in both categories.
She is now first in games played (135) and fourth in starts (118). She also ranks top 10 in rebounds (fifth), blocks (third), field goal percentage (eighth), field goals made (fifth) and double-doubles (seventh).
Buckling the Sun Belt
Southern Miss is in its third season of Sun Belt Conference play after joining in 2022-23. With Southern Miss' addition to the league, the Sun Belt now spans 10 contiguous states from West Virginia to Texas. Six members of the league are within 400 miles of Hattiesburg with four less than a 300-mile drive away.
The Lady Eagles are 110-73 all-time against current Sun Belt teams and 43-41 all-time in conference play. Since 2022-23, Southern Miss is 27-26 in Sun Belt Conference games.
Joye Lee-McNelis is the league's longest tenured head coach and is the winningest active head coach in as well.
Leading Her Alma Mater
Joye Lee-McNelis is one of 40 active Division I head coaches currently leading their alma mater in women's basketball. She is one of 26 former women's basketball players currently leading the team she played for as well.
Three's Company
Southern Miss is on pace for a one of the program's best years behind the arc. The 2024-25 squad is making an average of 5.83 three-point baskets per game, making them just the second team in the program's history to average more than five three-pointers per game.
Southern Miss' current record average was 5.03 in 2007-08 while Southern Miss made its most three-point baskets in 2014-15 with 178 makes. This season's squad is just nine three-point baskets away from tying the record.
As another sign of the Lady Eagles' growth beyond the arc, the Lady Eagles made 10 three-point baskets for the second time this season against South Alabama. Southern Miss first hit the mark at Georgia State earlier this season. The 2024-25 season is the fifth in school history where the Lady Eagles made 10 three-point baskets in two consecutive games and the first since 2007-08.
30 Piece
Grayson tied her career high of 32 points at ULM on Jan. 9, collecting 14 rebounds en route to her 24th career double-double and third this season.
The game also moved her from 14th on the all-time scoring charts to 13th, passing Tanya Bullock (1990-94). She is just eight points away from tying Wilhelmina Smith (1981-85) for 12th all-time.
The Tampa Two
Former high school teammates Nyla Jean and Morgan Sieper reunited at the Division I level last season in Hattiesburg with Jean transferring from Georgia State and Sieper signing out of H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, Fla.
The two won the 2021 FHSAA Class 7A State Title with the Plant Panthers where Jean was a senior and Sieper a sophomore. The two started together for the first time in their careers together on Dec. 21, 2023, at Florida Gulf Coast and last season's run in the Postseason WNIT was the first postseason action for the two since their 2021 state title run in Tampa.
The duo has scored in double-figures together in five games this season.
New Year, Newcomers
The 2024-25 season saw Southern Miss sign eight newcomers to their squad. Je'Mya Evans (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC) and Samantha Shanks (Connors State) both signed from NJCAA while Bre Sutton transferred from Arkansas State after spending her first two seasons at ULM.
Five freshman – Micah Cooper, Jaime Gallatly, Whitney Hart, Trinity Rowe and Ava Shields – all inked their letters of intent with Southern Miss as well.
Freshman Phenom
Speaking of newcomers, few have shown brighter than freshman Trinity Rowe. Rowe, a signee from Pikeville, Ky., was named 2024 Miss Kentucky Basketball after her senior season and has not slowed down since.
Currently, Rowe has started in all 29 games for the Lady Eagles, putting her on pace to become the fifth Lady Eagle to start in every game of their freshman season. If she keeps up her streak, she would join Portland McCaskill (1981-84), Ashley Boehnel (2005-06), Kendra Reed (2005-06) and Jamierra Faulkner (2013-14) as the only other freshmen to start in every game.
Rowe also owns 52 three-point baskets on the season – the most by a freshman in program history.
Welcome Back Bre
Bre Sutton made her return to the floor on Sunday, Jan. 26, at Marshall. The senior guard from New Orleans, La., left the Jan. 2 game against Old Dominion with an injury after just 3:50 on the court. Sutton had started in all 13 games for the Lady Eagles up to that point but missed the next six.
She played 10:41 off the bench at Marshall and, though she did not find the net, collected two rebounds in return to play. Against Texas State, she returned to the starting lineup to make her 14th start this season.
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 –
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