HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Marshall University’s women’s basketball team rallied from a 26-point third-quarter deficit to beat Southern Miss 61-52 Thursday night at Reed Green Coliseum. The Thundering Herd (16-5, 7-2 Sun Belt) outscored the Lady Eagles (11-8, 4-4 Sun Belt) 35-30 in the second half to secure the victory.
Southern Miss trailed early and did not score its first points until 7:34 remained in the first quarter. The Lady Eagles initially led 3-2 after Meloney Thames scored a layup following a steal. However, Marshall responded with a 15-0 run, taking control of the game. The Herd led 18-7 after the first quarter and extended its lead to 31-17 at halftime.
Thames led all scorers with 17 points and added 11 rebounds for Southern Miss. Jakayla Johnson scored 13 points, and Hayleigh Breland added 12. Whitney Hart led the team with 14 rebounds, the only player with double-digit boards. Meredith Maier paced Marshall with 14 points, among three double-figure scorers for the visitors.
The Lady Eagles mounted a comeback in the second half, outscoring Marshall 12-3 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 17 points. Early in the fourth quarter, Southern Miss scored 11 unanswered points to narrow the gap to eight. However, Marshall responded with free throws down the stretch to seal the win, hitting six of eight foul shots in the final minute.
Southern Miss remains at home to face Coastal Carolina on Saturday at noon. Tickets are available at SouthernMiss.com/Tickets. The game coincides with Lady Eagle Alumni Day and Lung Cancer Awareness efforts.
Follow Southern Miss women’s basketball on Twitter (@SouthernMissWBB), Instagram (@southernmisswbb), and Facebook (/SouthernMissWBB) for updates. Full schedules and game coverage are available on SouthernMiss.com and via the Southern Miss GameDay app.
