University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, January 24
Reed Green Coliseum
Noon
Southern Miss
11-9,4-5Sun Belt
55
vs
81
Coastal Carolina
10-11,3-6Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Coastal Carolina
20
18
21
22
81
Southern Miss.
10
12
10
23
55
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Lady Eagles Fall to Coastal Carolina
1/24/2026 3:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Coastal Carolina (10-11, 3-6 Sun Belt) scored 33 points off of 18 Lady Eagle turnovers to defeat Southern Miss (11-9, 4-5 Sun Belt) 81-55 on Saturday afternoon at Reed Green Coliseum.
The Lady Eagles were able to take the opening tip and had an early lead before the Chanticleers mounted a 14-3 run midway through the first quarter. Coastal Carolina led 20-10 at the end of the opening frame and then scored the first four points of the second quarter as well, leading to a timeout by Southern Miss down 24-10.
Southern Miss broke its scoreless streak on their first possession after the timeout with a Whitney Hart (Baton Rouge, La.) basket. Back-to-back scoring possessions with three-pointers by Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.) and Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.) brought Southern Miss within nine points of the Chanticleer lead.
The Chanticleers, however, held their own and out-scored Southern Miss 9-2 in the final five minutes of the first half. Southern Miss trailed 38-22 at halftime and owned a 25 percent (8-of-32) mark from the field with a 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) mark from three-point range. Coastal held a 50.0 percent mark from the floor making 15 of its 30 attempts.
Hart scored Southern Miss' first points of the second half before the Chants turned up the pressure in the third quarter. Coastal Carolina out-scored Southern Miss 21-10 in the frame and held the Lady Eagles to just three made field goals and five turnovers. The Chanticleers ended the quarter on a 14-2 run and took a 59-32 lead into the fourth quarter.
Southern Miss found some rhythm on offense and was able to hit threes on three of its first four possessions in the fourth frame. Coastal Carolina's cushion was large enough, though, to keep the game in their control. Southern Miss managed to cut the game to as close as 19 points with 4:38 remaining but the Chanticleers did not relent, taking their largest lead of the day on their final points of the afternoon.
Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) led Southern Miss with 15 points as one of three Lady Eagles in double-figures. Keats and Breland each held 14 points while Hart's 13 rebounds were a game high. Tracey Hueston led all scorers with 24 points as one of three Chanticleers with double-figure efforts.
Up Next
Southern Miss hits the road for a two-game swing up the east coast, beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 28, in Statesboro, Ga., as the Lady Eagles take on Georgia Southern. Tipoff from the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center is set for 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) Wednesday 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.
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.
The Lady Eagles were able to take the opening tip and had an early lead before the Chanticleers mounted a 14-3 run midway through the first quarter. Coastal Carolina led 20-10 at the end of the opening frame and then scored the first four points of the second quarter as well, leading to a timeout by Southern Miss down 24-10.
Southern Miss broke its scoreless streak on their first possession after the timeout with a Whitney Hart (Baton Rouge, La.) basket. Back-to-back scoring possessions with three-pointers by Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.) and Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.) brought Southern Miss within nine points of the Chanticleer lead.
The Chanticleers, however, held their own and out-scored Southern Miss 9-2 in the final five minutes of the first half. Southern Miss trailed 38-22 at halftime and owned a 25 percent (8-of-32) mark from the field with a 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) mark from three-point range. Coastal held a 50.0 percent mark from the floor making 15 of its 30 attempts.
Hart scored Southern Miss' first points of the second half before the Chants turned up the pressure in the third quarter. Coastal Carolina out-scored Southern Miss 21-10 in the frame and held the Lady Eagles to just three made field goals and five turnovers. The Chanticleers ended the quarter on a 14-2 run and took a 59-32 lead into the fourth quarter.
Southern Miss found some rhythm on offense and was able to hit threes on three of its first four possessions in the fourth frame. Coastal Carolina's cushion was large enough, though, to keep the game in their control. Southern Miss managed to cut the game to as close as 19 points with 4:38 remaining but the Chanticleers did not relent, taking their largest lead of the day on their final points of the afternoon.
Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) led Southern Miss with 15 points as one of three Lady Eagles in double-figures. Keats and Breland each held 14 points while Hart's 13 rebounds were a game high. Tracey Hueston led all scorers with 24 points as one of three Chanticleers with double-figure efforts.
Up Next
Southern Miss hits the road for a two-game swing up the east coast, beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 28, in Statesboro, Ga., as the Lady Eagles take on Georgia Southern. Tipoff from the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center is set for 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) Wednesday 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.
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.
– #ELEVATE | #SMTTT –
Team Stats
CCU
USM
FG%
.483
.281
3FG%
.227
.265
FT%
.833
1.000
RB
39
38
TO
12
18
STL
8
9
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's BasketballPG
/ Women's BasketballG
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