Women’s Basketball Falls to Troy on the Road

Saturday, February 21

Troy, Ala. / Trojan Arena

1 p.m.

Southern Miss

14-14,7-9Sun Belt

Troy

23-5,14-2Sun Belt

Southern Miss.

Troy

Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com

Women’s Basketball Falls to Troy on the Road

2/21/2026 3:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Game Book

TROY, Ala. – Southern Miss (14-14, 7-9 Sun Belt) fell to Troy (23-5, 14-2 Sun Belt) on senior day at Trojan Arena by a final score of 97-80. The Trojans never trailed despite Southern Miss tying the game four times in the early goings.

Meloney Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) led all scorers with 24 points on an 8-of-20 day on the floor, including a 4-of-11 mark beyond the arc. Thames was one of four Lady Eagles in double-figures.

Troy's Zay Dyer led the Trojans with a 21-point, 20-rebound double-double in her final game at Trojan Arena. She helped the Trojans post 62 total rebounds, the most allowed by a Lady Eagle opponent this season.

The Trojans' Fortuna Ngnawo got the first points of the game with a three-pointer before Jakayla Johnson (Clinton, Miss.) gave the Lady Eagles their first points at the free throw line. Johnson later tied the game with a driving basket as the first of four ties in the quarter. Southern Miss was not able to take the lead, but continued to hold the Trojans at bay up until the first media timeout.

The Lady Eagles trailed 13-11 at the media break with the Trojans taking back the lead five times prior. Dyer held double-figures at the media break thanks to 10-straight points, helping Troy take the lead four separate occasions.

Out of the media break, however, Troy pressed to a 9-0 run to take a 20-11 lead and force an timeout from Southern Miss. The Lady Eagles snapped the their scoreless streak with a pair of Hayleigh Breland (Wiggins, Miss.) free throws but did not make a field goal in the final 5:15 of the first quarter.

Troy led 22-15 at the end of the first quarter thanks to hitting seven more field goals than the Lady Eagles in the frame. Johnson held seven of the Lady Eagles 15 points but was limited due to picking up two fouls in the frame as well.

Southern Miss broke its streak of no field goals on the first possession of the second quarter with a Thames jumper. Morgan Sieper (Tampa, Fla.) made it a five-point game on the next Lady Eagles possession just one minute into the frame. Troy ran out another 6-0 run to force a Southern Miss timeout at 5:16 down 35-22.

Overall, the Trojans had a 15-point run late in the second quarter to lead by as many as 24 points over Southern Miss. The Lady Eagles managed to close the gap in the end of the frame thanks to back-to-back three-point baskets from Thames. Brikayla Gray (Hebron, Miss.) made it an 8-0 run to end the first half and send the Lady Eagles into the locker room down 46-30.

Whitney Hart (Baton Rouge, La.) gave the Lady Eagles the first points of the second half at the free throw line but the Trojans quickly responded and ran out to a 17-2 run to put Troy up 63-36. Another Hart basket stopped that Trojan run and helped cut the margin down again with an and-one basket from Thames setting the score at 76-57 heading into the fourth quarter.

The two teams traded baskets in the fourth quarter with Southern Miss eventually winning the final frame 23-21. The Lady Eagles were down by 20, 89-69, at the media timeout with 4:15 left in regulation. The Lady Eagles were able to match the Trojans with each shot and slow down the Troy attack.

Southern Miss finished the game with a 25-of-76 mark on the floor while Troy made 40-of-85 shots on the day. The Lady Eagles posted a 23-of-27 performance at the free throw line thanks to 20 Troy fouls.

Up Next
Southern Miss' season-ending road trip continues to Mobile, Ala., for a Wednesday, Feb. 25, meeting against South Alabama. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at the Mitchell Center.

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