University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, January 10
Boone, N.C. / George M. Holmes Convocation Center
Noon CT (1 p.m. ET)
Southern Miss
at
App State
Women’s Basketball Heads Up the Mountain to Take on App State
1/9/2026 3:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's basketball opens a three-game road swing with a trip into the Blue Ridge Mountains to take on App State (7-7, 0-4) in Sun Belt Conference action. The Lady Eagles (10-5, 3-1) look to stay within a game of the top of the Sun Belt standings and collect their 11th win of the season and match their best conference start since 2022-23.
The Lady Eagles are fresh after a week of rest following last Saturday's 98-95 win over Troy. Jakayla Johnson (Clinton, Miss.) now leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring in conference games with 24.0 points per contest. Her 30-point outburst against Troy helped to earn her Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career.
Johnson leads Southern Miss with 13.3 points per game as one of five Lady Eagle starters averaging double-figures. Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.), Sakyia White (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.) and Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) all averaged double-figure games. White has stepped up her game in Sun Belt play and is averaging 15.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in four league contests.
With five starters in double-figures, Southern Miss is in good company among Division I programs with No. 5/5 Oklahoma, (RV/RV) Oklahoma State, No. 24/(RV) Princeton and No. 3/3 South Carolina as the only other programs with all five starters in double-figures. Johnson's averages are boosted by her 20-point outings in all four Sun Belt games so far. She is one of three players in Division I to score 20-plus points in four-straight games to start conference play, joining Grace Sullivan from Northwestern and Alana Nelson from Purdue Fort Wayne.
App State enters the game on a nine-game skid in conference play dating back to last season. The Mountaineers are 0-4 in Sun Belt play this season with a minus-11.8 scoring margin in league games. Overall, Daisia Mitchell leads the Mountaineers with 11.3 points per game with Jayden McBride also notching in double-figures with 10.3 points per game. Emma Smith leads the Mountaineers in rebounding (6.1 per game), assists (58 total) and steals (30).
The Mountaineers are looking to tie the all-time series 2-2 after getting their first win over Southern Miss on Jan. 4, 2025, in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss is 1-0 all-time in Boone, last traveling to the Mountaineers' Holmes Convocation Center on Jan. 19, 2023.
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 are fresh after a week of rest following last Saturday's 98-95 win over Troy. Jakayla Johnson (Clinton, Miss.) now leads the Sun Belt Conference in scoring in conference games with 24.0 points per contest. Her 30-point outburst against Troy helped to earn her Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honors for the first time in her career.
Johnson leads Southern Miss with 13.3 points per game as one of five Lady Eagle starters averaging double-figures. Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.), Sakyia White (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.) and Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) all averaged double-figure games. White has stepped up her game in Sun Belt play and is averaging 15.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in four league contests.
With five starters in double-figures, Southern Miss is in good company among Division I programs with No. 5/5 Oklahoma, (RV/RV) Oklahoma State, No. 24/(RV) Princeton and No. 3/3 South Carolina as the only other programs with all five starters in double-figures. Johnson's averages are boosted by her 20-point outings in all four Sun Belt games so far. She is one of three players in Division I to score 20-plus points in four-straight games to start conference play, joining Grace Sullivan from Northwestern and Alana Nelson from Purdue Fort Wayne.
App State enters the game on a nine-game skid in conference play dating back to last season. The Mountaineers are 0-4 in Sun Belt play this season with a minus-11.8 scoring margin in league games. Overall, Daisia Mitchell leads the Mountaineers with 11.3 points per game with Jayden McBride also notching in double-figures with 10.3 points per game. Emma Smith leads the Mountaineers in rebounding (6.1 per game), assists (58 total) and steals (30).
The Mountaineers are looking to tie the all-time series 2-2 after getting their first win over Southern Miss on Jan. 4, 2025, in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss is 1-0 all-time in Boone, last traveling to the Mountaineers' Holmes Convocation Center on Jan. 19, 2023.
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 –
Players Mentioned
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