Saturday, February 8
Reed Green Coliseum
2 p.m.
Southern Miss
9-15,4-8Sun Belt
58
vs
46
Ohio
4-18,2-9MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Ohio
13
12
9
12
46
Southern Miss.
15
17
20
6
58
Lady Eagles Finish Off Ohio in Senior Day Victory
2/8/2025 5:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Melyia Grayson and Nyla Jean each chipped in 14 points to lead all scorers in Southern Miss' (9-15, 4-8 Sun Belt) 58-46 win over Ohio (4-18, 2-9 MAC)in the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Lady Eagles then celebrated Grayson, Jean and Bre Sutton in a Senior Day celebration on the court.
While the seniors were the stars of the show, freshman Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) claimed the first points of the day from beyond the arc. Her three is the sixth time the Lady Eagles have scored their first points from a three-pointer and the third time Rowe has scored the first Lady Eagle points of the game.
Jean (Tampa, Fla.) added on three points of her own after finishing off an and-one to give the Lady Eagles a 6-0 lead out of the gates. The Bobcats found the basket for their first points of the game but Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) scored the first of her 14 points on the next possession to push the Lady Eagle lead back to five.
The Bobcats tied the game at eight and took their first and only lead of the game with 1:58 left in the quarter. Samantha Shanks (Webbers Falls, Okla.) drilled a three on the next possession to swing the lead back in Southern Miss' favor. While they tied the game on three different occasions, the Bobcats never led for the remaining 31:42.
Southern Miss scored four unanswered at the free throw line thanks to Grayson and Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) to lead 23-20 at the media break. Jean hit two free throws after the break to extend the lead to 25-20. Grayson grabbed double-figures for the 91st time in her career to push the lead once more.
Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.) found nylon from deep as time expired to give Southern Miss a 32-25 lead heading into the locker room. The triple also marked the first time Southern Miss broke 30 first half points since Jan. 18.
The Lady Eagles broke the game open in the third quarter, starting with a 9-0 run in the first three minutes to force an Ohio timeout. Up 43-27 with 4:58 left in the frame, Sutton (New Orleans, La.) splashed a three of her own to make the run 12-2 before Ohio finally scored from the floor. A 20-9 third quarter margin gave Southern Miss a 52-34 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Ohio grabbed the first points of the quarter and cut the margin down to as few as 11, but Southern Miss did just enough to keep its double-figure advantage. Sieper scored three in the frame to give herself double-figures for the eighth time this season and for the 13th time in her career.
As a team, Southern Miss shot 19-of-50 from the floor (38.0 percent) and 7-of-22 (31.8 percent) from beyond the arc. The Lady Eagles missed just one free throw, connecting on 13 of their 14 attempts at the line today for a 92.9 percent mark.
Southern Miss also dominated the glass, winning the rebound margin by 14 (46-32) and holding Ohio to just three second chance points.
Up Next
The Lady Eagles start a four-game road trip spanning two weeks on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Arkansas State. The game will be the first of two between Southern Miss and Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Ark., as the Southern Miss men's basketball squad takes on the Red Wolves after the Lady Eagles.
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.
While the seniors were the stars of the show, freshman Trinity Rowe (Pikeville, Ky.) claimed the first points of the day from beyond the arc. Her three is the sixth time the Lady Eagles have scored their first points from a three-pointer and the third time Rowe has scored the first Lady Eagle points of the game.
Jean (Tampa, Fla.) added on three points of her own after finishing off an and-one to give the Lady Eagles a 6-0 lead out of the gates. The Bobcats found the basket for their first points of the game but Grayson (Hattiesburg, Miss.) scored the first of her 14 points on the next possession to push the Lady Eagle lead back to five.
The Bobcats tied the game at eight and took their first and only lead of the game with 1:58 left in the quarter. Samantha Shanks (Webbers Falls, Okla.) drilled a three on the next possession to swing the lead back in Southern Miss' favor. While they tied the game on three different occasions, the Bobcats never led for the remaining 31:42.
Southern Miss scored four unanswered at the free throw line thanks to Grayson and Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) to lead 23-20 at the media break. Jean hit two free throws after the break to extend the lead to 25-20. Grayson grabbed double-figures for the 91st time in her career to push the lead once more.
Mikaylah Manley (Lake Charles, La.) found nylon from deep as time expired to give Southern Miss a 32-25 lead heading into the locker room. The triple also marked the first time Southern Miss broke 30 first half points since Jan. 18.
The Lady Eagles broke the game open in the third quarter, starting with a 9-0 run in the first three minutes to force an Ohio timeout. Up 43-27 with 4:58 left in the frame, Sutton (New Orleans, La.) splashed a three of her own to make the run 12-2 before Ohio finally scored from the floor. A 20-9 third quarter margin gave Southern Miss a 52-34 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Ohio grabbed the first points of the quarter and cut the margin down to as few as 11, but Southern Miss did just enough to keep its double-figure advantage. Sieper scored three in the frame to give herself double-figures for the eighth time this season and for the 13th time in her career.
As a team, Southern Miss shot 19-of-50 from the floor (38.0 percent) and 7-of-22 (31.8 percent) from beyond the arc. The Lady Eagles missed just one free throw, connecting on 13 of their 14 attempts at the line today for a 92.9 percent mark.
Southern Miss also dominated the glass, winning the rebound margin by 14 (46-32) and holding Ohio to just three second chance points.
Up Next
The Lady Eagles start a four-game road trip spanning two weeks on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at Arkansas State. The game will be the first of two between Southern Miss and Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Ark., as the Southern Miss men's basketball squad takes on the Red Wolves after the Lady Eagles.
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
Ohio
USM
FG%
.283
.380
3FG%
.189
.318
FT%
.625
.929
RB
32
46
TO
14
21
STL
17
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
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