Lady Eagles Open 2005 Portion of Schedule at Home

Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis and her Lady Eagles open the New Year at home, looking to snap a three-game losing streak

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss Lady Eagles are looking to snap a three-game losing streak Monday when they host Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m. in Reed Green Coliseum.

 

Southern Miss (4-7) lost to Virginia Tech, 105-40 and Davidson, 76-60, in the Lady Luck Classic on Dec. 28 and 29 in Blacksburg, Va.  Shannon Stueber earned all-tournament honors, following her performance in the two games where she averaged 14.5 points and 1.5 rebounds.  She was 15-of-18 from the free throw line.

 

Stueber continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 13.8 points, while Deondra Carter is averaging 12.2 points.  Kimberly Rigg leads the team in rebounding at 7.1 rebounds per game.  The Lady Eagles are averaging 52.9 points and 37.7 rebounds.  Southern Miss is shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 74.3 percent from the free throw line.  The team has connected on 22-of-87 three-pointers.  The Lady Eagles have a rebounding margin of +2.9.

 

Southeastern Louisiana (5-4) is riding a two-game winning streak, following a 79-66 win over Nicholls State on Dec. 30.  Nakeya Downing posted a double-double with 23 points and 18 rebounds.

 

Following the Southeastern game, the Lady Eagles open Conference USA play against TCU on Jan. 7 and No. 22 Houston on Jan. 9.

 

Last Court Appearance

Turnovers proved to be the culprit once again as the Lady Eagles lost for the third straight time, 76-60, to Davidson in the Lady Luck Classic.  Davidson scored 33 points off 29 Southern Miss miscues.  Shannon Stueber led the team with 19 points with Liz Biland scoring 13 points off the bench and Kelsey Gurganus added 11 points.  Southern Miss connected on 21-of-24 free throws, including 9-of-9 in the first half.

 

Scouting Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana is 5-4 following a 79-66 win over Nicholls State.  In that game, Nakeya Downing scored 23 points and pulled down 18 rebounds.  Dacia McGowan and Tai Cawthon came off the bench to score 18 and 14 points, respectively.  The Lions finished the game shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the line.  Dania McGowan leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game with Downing averaging 14.4 points.  Downing also leads the team in rebounding with an 11.1 rebound per game average.  The Lady Lions are averaging 59.2 points and 39.1 rebounds per game, while allowing 65.9 points and 40.4 rebounds per game.  As a team, SLU is shooting 36.0 percent from the field and 65.1 percent from the line.  The Lions have connected on 42-of-137 three-pointers.

 

Southern Miss vs. Southland Conference

Southern Miss is 40-23 (.635 winning percentage) versus schools in the Southland Conference, including a 4-4 mark against Southeastern Louisiana.  Southern Miss Head coach Joye Lee-McNelis has played three schools in the Southland, Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern Louisiana and UL-Monroe.

 

About The Series

This is the sixth meeting between Southern Miss and Southeastern.  The series is tied, 4-4, in a series dating back to the 1975-76 season.  It's been 22 years since these two teams have played each other.  The last time the two teams played was Dec. 18, 1982, in Hammond, La.  Southern Miss defeated Southeastern, 75-55.

 

Next Opponent

Following the Southeastern Louisiana game, Southern Miss opens Conference USA play against TCU on Jan. 7.

 

On This Date

Southern Miss has played 11 times on Jan. 3.  The Lady Eagles own an 11-4 record.  The last time Southern Miss played on Jan. 3 was last season when the Lady Eagles defeated Samford, 63-47, in Birmingham, Ala.

 

Southern Miss-Southeastern Louisiana Ties

Both schools have several ties to each other.  The Lady Eagles have one player from the state of Louisiana, while Southeastern has one player from the state of Mississippi.  One other player played at Southwest Mississippi JC.  Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis and SLU's Brooke Necaise hail from the same high school, Hancock.  Assistant Coach Brooks Donald is from the state of Louisiana.

 

Another All-Tournament Honor

Shannon Stueber received all-tournament honors at the Lady Luck Classic.  Stueber averaged 14.5 points and 1.5 rebounds.  She was 15-of-18 from the line with three steals.

 

A Little Perfection

Deondra Carter was a perfect 10-of-10 from the line in the Lady Luck Classic.

 

Glad They Missed It

When Virginia Tech defeated the Lady Eagles, 105-40, it marked the second worst defeat (65 points) in Lady Eagle history.  Delta State gave the Lady Eagles their worst defeat (67 points), 111-44, on Dec. 5, 1976.  

 

Not A Proud Moment

Three times this season Southern Miss has failed to score 20 points in a half.  The Lady Eagles scored only 13 points in the first half against LSU (11/21), then scored 17 points in the second half against Columbia (12/3) and 18 points against Virginia Tech (12/28).