Southern Miss women’s basketball lost to Arkansas State for the second time this season, falling 81-71 on Saturday at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro. The Lady Eagles now hold an 11-7 overall record and are 4-3 in Sun Belt Conference play, while Arkansas State improves to 16-4 overall and 7-1 in conference.
Four Southern Miss starters scored in double figures, but the team struggled with turnovers, committing 26 that led to 29 points for the Red Wolves. Redshirt freshman Whitney Hart recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds in just her second career start. Meloney Thames also contributed 17 points for Southern Miss.
Zyion Shannon led Arkansas State with a game-high 26 points as one of three players from her team scoring in double digits.
The game started slowly, with both teams trading scoreless possessions before Wynter Rogers put Arkansas State on the board. Thames tied it at the free throw line before Hart sparked a 10-0 run for Southern Miss. Hayleigh Breland extended the lead to seven, prompting an early timeout from Arkansas State. However, the Red Wolves responded by outscoring Southern Miss for the remainder of the first quarter, though Southern Miss maintained a narrow four-point lead after one period.
Arkansas State gained momentum in the second quarter and took a four-point advantage into halftime, with Shannon already tallying 14 points. Turnovers were a key issue for both teams: Southern Miss committed 13 in the first half while forcing nine from Arkansas State. The Lady Eagles made only one three-pointer before halftime compared to four by their opponents.
Jakayla Johnson scored just two points before halftime but added twelve more after intermission to help keep Southern Miss close. She helped cut the deficit early in the third quarter before another run by Arkansas State pushed their lead back up. Despite several efforts by Southern Miss to close the gap—coming within two points late—the Red Wolves maintained control behind strong free throw shooting from Shannon down the stretch.
Johnson finished with fourteen total points, while Breland rounded out Southern Miss’s top scorers with fifteen. The Lady Eagles converted sixteen Arkansas State turnovers into eighteen points but could not overcome their own mistakes.
Southern Miss will return home for two games starting Thursday, January 22 against Marshall at Reed Green Coliseum.
Fans can support Southern Miss women’s basketball by purchasing season tickets through smttt.info/WBBTix and follow updates on social media or via the team’s official website.
