Keats’ Career-High 26 Points Leads Lady Eagles to Road Win Over Louisiana

Wednesday, February 18

Lafayette, La. / Cajundome

6 p.m.

Southern Miss

14-13,7-8Sun Belt

Louisiana

4-23,2-14Sun Belt

Southern Miss.

Louisiana

Keats’ Career-High 26 Points Leads Lady Eagles to Road Win Over Louisiana

2/18/2026 8:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Game Book

LAFAYETTE, La. – Carly Keats' eight three-pointers and 26 points both set new career-highs for the senior guard from Philadelphia, Miss., and proved crucial in Southern Miss' (14-13, 7-8 Sun Belt) 83-61 win over Louisiana (4-23, 2-14 Sun Belt) on Wednesday night at the Cajundome. Keats led a a trio of double-figure scorers with 10 Lady Eagles notching in the final box score with at least two points.

Southern Miss broke out a late 19-3 run in the fourth quarter to take a 24-point lead with three minutes to play to seal the win and give Southern Miss back-to-back Sun Belt Conference victories.

Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.) got the first basket of the game before the Ragin' Cajuns took their only lead of the game with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession. Keats quickly responded with her first three of the game to give Southern Miss a 5-3 lead two minutes in.

Southern Miss built up a five-point lead before the Cajuns cut it to a 10-9 game with 5:45 left to play in the quarter. Whitney Hart (Baton Rouge, La.) scored the first of what became a 10-1 Southern Miss run to give Southern Miss a 20-10 lead just two minutes later in the game.

Louisiana finally broke its scoreless streak with three to play but Southern Miss had tacked on 30 total points in the opening frame, setting a new season-best. UL cut into the Lady Eagles' 30-17 first quarter lead, pulling to within nine points late in the second quarter after holding Southern Miss to just 10 points in seven minutes. Keats broke a four-plus minute scoreless streak with her first two-point basket of the day, giving her 17 points on the night and Southern Miss 44 total.

The Lady Eagles led 44-33 going into the halftime locker rooms thanks to Keats' game-leading 17 points. Keats hit five three-point baskets to fuel Southern Miss 7-of-15 first half beyond the arc.

Brikayla Gray (Hebron, Miss.) stole the opening possession from UL with a steal and score in the first 10 seconds of the third quarter. Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) gave Southern Miss a 49-33 lead two minutes into the third quarter but Louisiana again closed the gap off of six Lady Eagle turnovers and a 28.6 percent (4-of-14) mark on the floor.

The Ragin' Cajuns cut the lead to its closest margin since late in the first quarter with a 59-51 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Thames got Southern Miss' first points of the fourth quarter, giving Southern Miss another double-digit lead. UL brought the game to eight points once again before Southern Miss' 19-3 run ran the margin to 24 points in favor of Southern Miss with an 80-56 score with 3:03 to play.

The Lady Eagles won the fourth quarter 24-10 to escape the Cajundome with an 83-61 final. Keats added on another nine points off three three-pointers while Thames led Southern Miss with 13 second half points.

Up Next
Southern Miss heads to Troy, Ala., for the second game against the Trojans this season. Tipoff between the Lady Eagles and Troy is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at Trojan Arena.

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