Women’s Basketball Closes Home Slate with Senior Day Win Over Texas State

Saturday, February 14

Reed Green Coliseum

5 p.m.

Southern Miss

13-13,6-8Sun Belt

Texas State

11-14,7-7Sun Belt

Texas St.

Southern Miss.

2026 Women's Basketball Senior Day Picture

Women’s Basketball Closes Home Slate with Senior Day Win Over Texas State

2/14/2026 8:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Game Book

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Jakayla Johnson scored 24 second half points to lead Southern Miss (13-13, 6-8 Sun Belt) to an 86-77 win over Texas State (11-14, 7-7 Sun Belt) on senior day at Reed Green Coliseum. Johnson's 27 total points led all scorers as one of three double-figure Lady Eagles on the night.

Southern Miss snapped a three-game overall losing streak and got its first win at home since Jan. 3, snapping a four-game skid in Hattiesburg. Johnson's (Clinton, Miss.) 17 made free throws are second-most in school history while her 20 free throw attempts on the night are tied for the most. Both marks are the most since Kendra Reed 18-of-20 at the line on Feb. 19, 2006.

Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) poured in 20 points while Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.) added in 14 in the winning effort. The Lady Eagles forced 21 Texas State turnovers to overcome the Bobcats' 50.8 percent (31-of-61) day from the floor. The Lady Eagles finished 31-of-40 from the free throw line for season-highs in both categories.

Saniya Burks led the Bobcats with 22 points on a 10-of-17 shooting line and was one of four Bobcats in double-figures. Southern Miss completed the two-game regular season sweep over Texas State to move to 6-8 in Sun Belt play.

Breland led the game off with a three-point basket on Southern Miss' first possession of the night and the Lady Eagles held an early 5-2 advantage after a Whitney Hart (Baton Rouge, La.) putback layup. Texas State then mounted an 8-0 run to tie and then take a 10-5 lead halfway through the first frame.

Southern Miss turned in a 13-0 run of its own, forcing five Texas State turnovers to lead 18-10 before the next Bobcat basket with 2:23 to play in the quarter. The Lady Eagles led 22-16 at the end of the opening quarter after forcing eight Bobcat turnovers in the first 10 minutes.

Je'Mya Evans (Gulfport, Miss.) gave the Lady Eagles their first double-digit lead with a turnover jumper three minutes into the second. Texas State took the margin down to as close as five points with three to play in the half, but Southern Miss turned in three consecutive scoring possessions to lead 40-31 at the half.

Texas State scored the first points of the second half, but Thames responded with an and-one to give the Lady Eagles a 43-33 lead a minute into the third. Johnson gave Southern Miss its largest lead of the day with 12 a 49-37 spread with 6:23 to play in the frame. The Bobcats capitalized on a three-minute scoreless streak by the Lady Eagles with a 6-0 run to make it a six-point game.

Thames snapped the scoreless streak and ran the margin back up to double digit with 1:32 to play in the third. The Lady Eagles held on a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter but Texas State still had some fight. The Bobcats whittled down the lead to four points out of the media timeout before Thames against emerged for a layup with four to play.

Johnson got her 21st point of the night on a jumper to give her eight 20-point games on the year and made her hay at the charity stripe, hitting seven free throws in the fourth quarter and 16 total in the second half. Texas State cut the lead down to two points with 1:24 to play before Southern Miss held serve at the free throw line to lead by as many as nine points under 30 seconds to go.

Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.) scored the final points of the night at the free throw line to seal the 86-77 win for Southern Miss. The two teams tied one another 46-46 in the second half with Texas State scoring 36 points off field goals to Southern Miss' 21 points off field goals. The Lady Eagles, though, shot 25-of-29 from the line in the second half to hang on to the victory.

Up Next
Southern Miss embarks on a four-game road trip to end the regular season beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at Louisiana. Tipoff at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La., is set for 6 p.m. with airing on the Southern Miss Sports Network and ESPN+.

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