University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, February 21
Troy, Ala. / Trojan Arena
1 p.m.
Southern Miss
at
Troy
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Women’s Basketball Road Trip Continues with Saturday Visit to Troy
2/20/2026 7:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's basketball heads to Troy, Ala., to take on the Troy (22-5, 13-2 Sun Belt) on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Lady Eagles (14-13, 7-8 Sun Belt), who are in the midst of a four-game road swing to end the 2025-26 regular season, took the first matchup against the Trojans, 98-95, on Jan. 3 at Reed Green Coliseum. Tipoff for the second bout between the two squads is set for 1 p.m. at Trojan Arena.
The Lady Eagle Basketball Courtside Show opens at 12:30 p.m. on the Southern Miss Sports Network with Jason Baker, the Voice of the Lady Eagles, leading the pregame show and providing play-by-play during the game. Troy's Dan Peck will provide play-by-play on the ESPN+ broadcast through the Troy radio broadcast.
Southern Miss has won back-to-back games for the first time since the calendar turned over to 2026 after Wednesday's 83-61 win at Louisiana. Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.) led all scorers with a career-best 26 points and a program-record eight three-pointers. Her efforts fueled a 30-point first quarter, the best of the season, and then again helped Southern Miss finish off the game on a 19-3 run in the fourth quarter.
Keats is one of four Lady Eagle starters with double-figure averages with Jakayla Johnson (Clinton, Miss.) leading the team with 14.9 points per game. Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) and Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.) post 12.9 and 12.0 points per game, respectively, while Keats averages 11.3.
Keats also leads Southern Miss with 2.4 assists per game and in all metrics beyond the arc. She now has 71 made three-pointers and is just 11 threes behind single-season record holder Tanecka Carey, who made 82 on 212 attempts in 2012-13.
Troy enters the game with a 22-5 overall record and sits at 13-2 in Sun Belt play, currently tied for first with Georgia Southern and set to receive the two-seed in the Sun Belt Tournament. The Trojans defeated rival South Alabama 84-73 on Wednesday to collect their seventh-straight Sun Belt win and 12th at Trojan Arena this season. The Trojans have only lost once at home this year and are 24-3 dating back to last season when playing at home.
Trojans head coach Chanda Rigby became the program's all-time leader in wins last week and now holds a 277-162 record in 14 seasons leading Troy. Troy leads the Sun Belt in scoring (83.4), scoring margin (+14.0), rebounds (50.07), offensive rebounds (18.3), defensive rebounds (31.8), rebound margin (+12.7) and assists (16.0). Troy also leads all of Division I in rebounding and offensive rebounds, a testament to their attacking style of offense that helps them dominate the glass.
Fortuna Ngnawo leads the Trojans with 15.2 points per game and is one of five Trojans with double-figure scoring. Ngnawo and Zay Dyer also average double-doubles and hold the top two spots in rebounding in the Sun Belt Conference.
Southern Miss won the earlier meeting on Jan. 3 against the Trojans in a 98-95 shootout in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss put all five starters in double-figures with Johnson leading the way with 30 points to outlast Troy to the final buzzer. Southern Miss shot 50.7 percent and made 11 three-pointers to move the series to 7-3 all-time in favor of the Lady Eagles.
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 Eagle Basketball Courtside Show opens at 12:30 p.m. on the Southern Miss Sports Network with Jason Baker, the Voice of the Lady Eagles, leading the pregame show and providing play-by-play during the game. Troy's Dan Peck will provide play-by-play on the ESPN+ broadcast through the Troy radio broadcast.
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Southern Miss has won back-to-back games for the first time since the calendar turned over to 2026 after Wednesday's 83-61 win at Louisiana. Carly Keats (Philadelphia, Miss.) led all scorers with a career-best 26 points and a program-record eight three-pointers. Her efforts fueled a 30-point first quarter, the best of the season, and then again helped Southern Miss finish off the game on a 19-3 run in the fourth quarter.
Keats is one of four Lady Eagle starters with double-figure averages with Jakayla Johnson (Clinton, Miss.) leading the team with 14.9 points per game. Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) and Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.) post 12.9 and 12.0 points per game, respectively, while Keats averages 11.3.
Keats also leads Southern Miss with 2.4 assists per game and in all metrics beyond the arc. She now has 71 made three-pointers and is just 11 threes behind single-season record holder Tanecka Carey, who made 82 on 212 attempts in 2012-13.
Troy enters the game with a 22-5 overall record and sits at 13-2 in Sun Belt play, currently tied for first with Georgia Southern and set to receive the two-seed in the Sun Belt Tournament. The Trojans defeated rival South Alabama 84-73 on Wednesday to collect their seventh-straight Sun Belt win and 12th at Trojan Arena this season. The Trojans have only lost once at home this year and are 24-3 dating back to last season when playing at home.
Trojans head coach Chanda Rigby became the program's all-time leader in wins last week and now holds a 277-162 record in 14 seasons leading Troy. Troy leads the Sun Belt in scoring (83.4), scoring margin (+14.0), rebounds (50.07), offensive rebounds (18.3), defensive rebounds (31.8), rebound margin (+12.7) and assists (16.0). Troy also leads all of Division I in rebounding and offensive rebounds, a testament to their attacking style of offense that helps them dominate the glass.
Fortuna Ngnawo leads the Trojans with 15.2 points per game and is one of five Trojans with double-figure scoring. Ngnawo and Zay Dyer also average double-doubles and hold the top two spots in rebounding in the Sun Belt Conference.
Southern Miss won the earlier meeting on Jan. 3 against the Trojans in a 98-95 shootout in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss put all five starters in double-figures with Johnson leading the way with 30 points to outlast Troy to the final buzzer. Southern Miss shot 50.7 percent and made 11 three-pointers to move the series to 7-3 all-time in favor of the Lady Eagles.
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.
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