MONROE, La. — Southern Miss women’s basketball wrapped up the regular season with a 68-61 victory over ULM at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on Friday night. The Eagles, with a 15-15 overall record and an 8-10 mark in Sun Belt play, secured the seventh seed for next week’s conference tournament, according to school sources.
Jakayla Johnson led all scorers with a season-high 32 points, marking her third 30-point game of the season. Meloney Thames added 13 points for Southern Miss. ULM was led by J’Mani Ingram with 19 points, and Marcavia Shavers recorded the only double-double of the game with 11 points and 14 rebounds, per officials.
The Lady Eagles opened the game strongly, with Johnson scoring immediately. ULM struggled early, not making a basket until 7:23 into the first quarter, but eventually tied the game at 4-4. Southern Miss held the lead for most of the first half, which ended with the Eagles ahead 26-24. Johnson scored 14 points in the first half, over half of Southern Miss’s total.
In the second half, Southern Miss built a lead as large as 20 points. The Lady Eagles shot 60% in the third quarter and led 54-40 entering the final period. ULM mounted an 11-0 run late in the game, trimming the deficit to 65-61 with just over a minute remaining. Johnson sealed the win with free throws, finishing with 32 points, according to game officials.
Southern Miss outscored ULM 42-35 in the second half and shot 48.5% from the floor after halftime. The Lady Eagles will now prepare for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Pensacola, Florida, starting March 5. They will face an opponent to be determined in the third round, officials said.
