University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, December 20
Hattiesburg, Miss.
1:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
0-11,0-2Sun Belt
58
at
76
Southern Miss
9-4,2-0Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Louisiana
15
16
10
17
58
Southern Miss.
12
16
25
23
76
Tale of Two Halves in Hattiesburg Favors USM over Louisiana
12/20/2025 4:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lady Eagles attack inside to erase the Ragin’ Cajuns halftime advantage
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss used a strong second half to offset a strong first half by the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team and the result was a 76-58 victory for the Lady Eagles on Saturday, December 20 at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Louisiana (0-11, 0-2 SBC) shot 45 percent, making 13 field goals, while its defense limited USM's vaunted three-point attack to a 2-of-16 showing over the first 20 minutes of play to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room.
USM (9-4, 2-0 SBC) immediately made a concerted effort to take the ball inside during the second half, starting in the third quarter as 10 out of 11 made baskets on 18 attempts came inside of the arc leading the Lady Eagles to outscore Louisiana 25-10 and take control of the contest.
The Lady Eagles wound up shooting 19-of-35 (54 percent) in the final 20 minutes while quieting the Ragin' Cajuns to 9-of-36 (25 percent) to flip the game upside down on the visitors.
USM made five of its first six field goal attempts out of the locker room to wrestle control away from UL. Jakayla Johnson's three-point make at 7:06 capped off the strong start, making it 40-35 as the Lady Eagles began to create distance.
USM went on to make five more unanswered baskets over the next six minutes to extend its tiebreaking and game-changing run to 16-0 and grab a 51-35 advantage.
Amijah Price revived the Ragin' Cajuns offense with back-to-back triples in the final minute of the third quarter, the latter slicing the USM lead to 53-41 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Bianca Silva fed Kahlen Norris off an inbounds pass for a layup with 9:16 remaining to bring the deficit back to single digits at 53-44. The Lady Eagles, though, rediscovered their shooting rhythm at an opportune time, knocking down five of their next eight attempts to stretch the lead out to 65-48 ahead of the six-minute mark.
Southern Miss' second-half surge spoiled the Ragin' Cajuns effort at breaking into the win column. It was the second straight game Louisiana held a halftime lead only for the opposition to make a key second half move.
Silva and Imani Daniel lifted UL into an 8-6 lead in the first quarter by combining for a 6-0 run in the five-minute mark. Kahlen Norris' triple at 3:22 made it 12-8 and ensured the Cajuns of a lead after one quarter of play.
UL's defense, which held USM without a three-point make in the first quarter, held the Lady Eagles to only three makes inside the arc and forced five turnovers in the second quarter to win the points battle again and take a lead into the halftime break.
The Ragin' Cajuns broke away from a 20-all tie with a 6-0 run capped off by back-to-back conversions from Daniel off a USM turnover for a 26-20 at 4:59. The halftime edge was preserved thanks to Price's triple at 1:04 and Daniel beating her defender for a layup at 0:34 extending the lead to 31-25.
With the win, Southern Miss claimed the SBC matchup at Reed Green Coliseum between the two programs for the fourth time in as many tries. It's back-to-back series win for the Lady Eagles who claimed the 2024-25 season finale between the two teams.
Louisiana and Southern Miss are set for a rematch to close the annual home-and-home conference series on Wednesday, February 18 at the Cajundome.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Charged by 11 points in the opening half, Daniel led Louisiana in scoring for a second straight SBC game by finishing with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
Price rose into double figures also paced by her season-best of three triples (3-of-5 beyond the arc). With a late-game push, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter, Stephanie Mosely reached double digits and recorded a season-high 11 points.
Louisiana dominated the boards in the first half, holding a 25-15 edge in rebounds. The Ragin' Cajuns finished with a 45-38 advantage in the game as six different players collected at least five rebounds led by eight rebounds from Daniel.
Silva continued her steady play at point guard as she handed out five of UL's 11 assists. She also collected four steals for a third straight game with multiple swipes.
Three-point baskets were even with both sides connecting on four triples. The Lady Eagles shot 62 percent inside the arc (26-of-42) to overcome the Ragin' Cajuns.
UL's defense held a Lady Eagles offense averaging 9.3 makes from three-point range to well below their average and shut out Carly Keats and Meloney Thames who both came in with over 20-plus makes on the season.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
After the Christmas holiday break, the next contest for Louisiana is on Monday, December 29 at the Cajundome vs. Dillard. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+ and The GOAT 103.3 FM and 1420 AM.
The Ragin' Cajuns will be starting a five-game homestand that includes a return to SBC play on New Year's Day vs. Troy.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsWBB), Facebook (/RaginCajunsWBB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsWBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Women's Basketball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Fans can support the women's basketball student-athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Assist Club (click here).
Louisiana (0-11, 0-2 SBC) shot 45 percent, making 13 field goals, while its defense limited USM's vaunted three-point attack to a 2-of-16 showing over the first 20 minutes of play to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room.
USM (9-4, 2-0 SBC) immediately made a concerted effort to take the ball inside during the second half, starting in the third quarter as 10 out of 11 made baskets on 18 attempts came inside of the arc leading the Lady Eagles to outscore Louisiana 25-10 and take control of the contest.
The Lady Eagles wound up shooting 19-of-35 (54 percent) in the final 20 minutes while quieting the Ragin' Cajuns to 9-of-36 (25 percent) to flip the game upside down on the visitors.
USM made five of its first six field goal attempts out of the locker room to wrestle control away from UL. Jakayla Johnson's three-point make at 7:06 capped off the strong start, making it 40-35 as the Lady Eagles began to create distance.
USM went on to make five more unanswered baskets over the next six minutes to extend its tiebreaking and game-changing run to 16-0 and grab a 51-35 advantage.
Amijah Price revived the Ragin' Cajuns offense with back-to-back triples in the final minute of the third quarter, the latter slicing the USM lead to 53-41 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Bianca Silva fed Kahlen Norris off an inbounds pass for a layup with 9:16 remaining to bring the deficit back to single digits at 53-44. The Lady Eagles, though, rediscovered their shooting rhythm at an opportune time, knocking down five of their next eight attempts to stretch the lead out to 65-48 ahead of the six-minute mark.
Southern Miss' second-half surge spoiled the Ragin' Cajuns effort at breaking into the win column. It was the second straight game Louisiana held a halftime lead only for the opposition to make a key second half move.
Silva and Imani Daniel lifted UL into an 8-6 lead in the first quarter by combining for a 6-0 run in the five-minute mark. Kahlen Norris' triple at 3:22 made it 12-8 and ensured the Cajuns of a lead after one quarter of play.
UL's defense, which held USM without a three-point make in the first quarter, held the Lady Eagles to only three makes inside the arc and forced five turnovers in the second quarter to win the points battle again and take a lead into the halftime break.
The Ragin' Cajuns broke away from a 20-all tie with a 6-0 run capped off by back-to-back conversions from Daniel off a USM turnover for a 26-20 at 4:59. The halftime edge was preserved thanks to Price's triple at 1:04 and Daniel beating her defender for a layup at 0:34 extending the lead to 31-25.
With the win, Southern Miss claimed the SBC matchup at Reed Green Coliseum between the two programs for the fourth time in as many tries. It's back-to-back series win for the Lady Eagles who claimed the 2024-25 season finale between the two teams.
Louisiana and Southern Miss are set for a rematch to close the annual home-and-home conference series on Wednesday, February 18 at the Cajundome.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Charged by 11 points in the opening half, Daniel led Louisiana in scoring for a second straight SBC game by finishing with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
Price rose into double figures also paced by her season-best of three triples (3-of-5 beyond the arc). With a late-game push, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter, Stephanie Mosely reached double digits and recorded a season-high 11 points.
Louisiana dominated the boards in the first half, holding a 25-15 edge in rebounds. The Ragin' Cajuns finished with a 45-38 advantage in the game as six different players collected at least five rebounds led by eight rebounds from Daniel.
Silva continued her steady play at point guard as she handed out five of UL's 11 assists. She also collected four steals for a third straight game with multiple swipes.
Three-point baskets were even with both sides connecting on four triples. The Lady Eagles shot 62 percent inside the arc (26-of-42) to overcome the Ragin' Cajuns.
UL's defense held a Lady Eagles offense averaging 9.3 makes from three-point range to well below their average and shut out Carly Keats and Meloney Thames who both came in with over 20-plus makes on the season.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
After the Christmas holiday break, the next contest for Louisiana is on Monday, December 29 at the Cajundome vs. Dillard. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+ and The GOAT 103.3 FM and 1420 AM.
The Ragin' Cajuns will be starting a five-game homestand that includes a return to SBC play on New Year's Day vs. Troy.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter (@RaginCajunsWBB), Facebook (/RaginCajunsWBB) or Instagram (@RaginCajunsWBB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Women's Basketball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Fans can support the women's basketball student-athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Assist Club (click here).
- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Team Stats
LA
USM
FG%
.338
.435
3FG%
.333
.148
FT%
.625
.857
RB
45
38
TO
21
15
STL
7
8
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
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