Southern Miss women’s basketball is set to face Arkansas State for the second time this season as they conclude a three-game road trip. The matchup will take place at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Arkansas, with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Southern Miss Sports Network and ESPN+.
The Lady Eagles (11-6, 4-2 Sun Belt) aim to recover from their earlier loss to the Red Wolves (15-4, 6-1 Sun Belt), who won 91-83 at Reed Green Coliseum on January 1. In that game, Arkansas State forced 29 turnovers and converted them into 30 points after overcoming a 12-point deficit.
Since their previous meeting, Arkansas State has recorded wins against ULM, South Alabama, and Louisiana, with their only Sun Belt loss coming against Troy on January 10. Senior guard Zyion Shannon leads the Red Wolves with an average of 13.2 points per game. Junior guard Crislyn Rose contributes 12 points per game, while Mia Tarver averages just under double digits at 9.3 points per contest. Head coach Destinee Rogers is in her fifth year with Arkansas State and implemented a high-paced system last season that led the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance.
“Rogers implemented a Grinnell-esque system last year and turned in the greatest season in program history, taking ASU to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The system is back in tune this year and has helped the Red Wolves to their 15-4 start,” according to Southern Miss Athletics.
Arkansas State currently leads the Sun Belt Conference in several categories: turnovers forced (27.74), turnover margin (+10.63), steals (15.8), and bench points (31.5).
Southern Miss recently secured its first road conference win in nearly a year by defeating Texas State 76-62 at Strahan Arena. Four Lady Eagles scored in double figures during that victory: Jakayla Johnson and Carly Keats each had 17 points; Hayleigh Breland added 15; Meloney Thames contributed 10.
With Sakyia White sidelined due to injury, Whitney Hart made her first career start alongside Anaisha Carriere, Je’Mya Evans, and Timaya Thurman as they work to fill White’s production of over eleven points and nearly eight rebounds per game.
Johnson currently leads all players in conference games with an average of 22.7 points per contest while Southern Miss sits fifth in the standings—a game-and-a-half behind first place.
Saturday’s matchup marks the thirteenth meeting between these teams overall; Southern Miss holds a slight advantage historically at seven wins to five over Arkansas State.
Fans interested in supporting Southern Miss women’s basketball can purchase season tickets for $75 through smttt.info/WBBTix.
Supporters can also follow team updates via social media platforms such as Twitter (@SouthernMissWBB), Instagram (@southernmisswbb), or Facebook (/SouthernMissWBB). Additional information including schedules and news releases is available at SouthernMiss.com or through the Southern Miss GameDay app.
