Southern Miss traveled to Mobile, Alabama, Monday, defeating the Jaguars on its own court 64-53 for the first time since 1997.
After trailing and struggling to find an offensive rhythm early in the game, Markia Nix found Brittanny Dinkins for a layup, tying the game 19-19 with nine minutes left in the first half. The Lady Eagles were able to take the lead at halftime 28-25.
Bench play was crucial to USM’s victory. Tamara Jones and Kierra Jordan led the team in scoring off the bench with 16 and 14 points, respectively.
With 5:34 remaining in the game, Southern Miss took an 18-point lead. Jones was the spark USM needed, scoring all of her points in the second half. The Jaguars were able to come within nine points, but it was too late.
USM had nine steals on the night while South Alabama did not have any. Jerontay Clemons and Jordan each grabbed seven rebounds for the Golden Eagles.
Jordan dominated in the paint, making 60 percent of her shots. The Jaguars did not have an answer for Jordan’s strong post performance.
For the night, USM dominated the boards with 41 rebounds compared to the Jaguars’ 26. Southern Miss shot 59.1 percent from the field in the second half.
USM continued their hot start Wednesday night, topping Mississippi Valley State 69-51.
The Lady Eagles controlled the game from the tip behind Lashyra Cotton’s team-leading 14 points. Jerontay Clemons had a complete game, scoring 10 points and adding seven rebounds and four assists.
USM held the lead nearly the entire game after Brittany Dinkins stroked a three-pointer a minute in to make 3-2 and the Lady Eagles never trailed again.
The Lady Eagles were dominated on the glass, only pulling down 25 total rebounds compared to MVSU’s 48. However, the story of the game was offensive execution.
MVSU committed 35 turnovers with just eight assists while USM only turned the ball over nine times and had 19 assists.
The Lady Eagles’ defense stood tall all night, forcing turnovers and holding the MVSU to shooting just 37.8 percent from the field.
The Lady Eagles will travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana, Sunday to take on McNeese State University before hosting the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic which begins Nov. 29 when they host Austin Peay.
