The University of Southern Mississippi women’s basketball team will host Coastal Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Reed Green Coliseum. The game, originally scheduled for later in the day, has been moved up to noon because of Winter Storm Fern, according to school officials.
The Lady Eagles enter the contest with an 11-8 overall record and a 4-4 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. Coastal Carolina stands at 9-11 overall and 2-6 in league action. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with coverage beginning at noon. Lee Roberts and Larry Boyd will call the action, while Jason Baker will host the pregame Courtside Show at 11:30 a.m. from Reed Green Coliseum.
Southern Miss is looking to bounce back after losing three of its last four games, including defeats at Arkansas State and Marshall. The Lady Eagles fell 61-52 Thursday night to Marshall, overcoming an early 26-point deficit in the third quarter but falling short in the final minutes. Meloney Thames led Southern Miss with 17 points, while Whitney Hart grabbed 14 rebounds in her first start at Reed Green Coliseum. Thames, Jakalya Johnson, and Hayleigh Breland scored in double figures, with Johnson averaging a team-high 14.0 points per game.
Hart leads the team in rebounding with 4.8 per game, especially after the injury to Sakyia White. The Lady Eagles and Coastal Carolina have met three times, with Southern Miss holding a 2-1 series edge. Their first meeting was in February 2023, with Southern Miss winning 80-68. Coastal Carolina’s only win came in the following matchup, but Southern Miss reclaimed the series in the 2024 Sun Belt Tournament.
Kristin Williams leads the Chanticleers with an average of 13.8 points per game, followed by Tessa Grady at 12.6. Williams also has a team-high 59 assists. Coastal Carolina’s fourth-year coach Kevin Pederson has a 58-57 record at the school. He led the Chanticleers to their first 20-win season in five years and the second of the century. Pederson earned his 500th career win earlier this year, with coaching stops at Anderson and Lander in South Carolina.
Fans are encouraged to support Southern Miss women’s basketball by purchasing season tickets for $75 at smttt.info/WBBTix. Follow the Lady Eagles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates. Full schedules and game highlights are available on SouthernMiss.com and the Southern Miss GameDay app.
