University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Wednesday, February 18
Lafayette
6:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
4-23,2-14Sun Belt
61
vs
83
Southern Miss
14-13,7-8Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Southern Miss.
30
14
15
24
83
Louisiana
17
16
18
10
61
Louisiana Rallies in Third but Falls to Southern Miss
2/18/2026 11:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Ragin’ Cajuns close within eight before Lady Eagles surge late
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Women's Basketball team was met by a red-shot three-point shooting performance from Southern Miss – particularly eight triples from Carly Keats – as the season's final homestand at the Cajundome began on Wednesday, February 18, falling to the Lady Eagles 83-61.
Southern Miss (14-13, 7-8) shot 48 percent from the field and an even 50 percent (13-of-26) from 3-point range, building a double-digit lead in the opening quarter and maintaining control for much of the night. Louisiana (4-23, 2-14) showed fight in the middle quarters, particularly in the third period, but could not overcome the Lady Eagles' early surge and fourth-quarter push.
The Lady Eagles established the tone early from long range, knocking down five three-pointers in the first quarter, including three from Keats, to claim a 30-17 advantage after 10 minutes.
The Ragin' Cajuns responded by outscoring Southern Miss in each of the next two periods to pull within single digits.
Kahlen Norris sparked the second-quarter rally. Her fastbreak layup at the 2:40 mark and a pair of free throws at 1:28 capped a 6-0 run that trimmed once a 17-point deficit down to 42-33. Southern Miss, however, carried a 44-33 lead into halftime.
The Lady Eagles pushed the margin back to double digits to open the third quarter, scoring the first five points. Meloney Thames converted all three free throws after drawing a foul on a three-point attempt, extending the lead to 49-33 with 8:01 remaining.
Louisiana answered with its strongest stretch of the night, converting 8-of-11 field goal attempts and outscoring Southern Miss 18-10 over the remainder of the quarter. An 8-2 surge in the final four minutes was capped by Mikaylah Manley's buzzer-beating jumper, cutting the deficit to 59-51 entering the fourth.
Norris' fastbreak layup at 8:23 of the fourth quarter kept Louisiana within eight points, at 61-53, but the offense stalled producing only three points over the next five minutes. Southern Miss capitalized starting with four straight field goal makes to extend the lead to 70-53 – the latter basket being the first of four 3-pointers made in the final 5:15 of the contest that put the game out of reach.
Southern Miss outscored Louisiana 24-10 in the final quarter. The Ragin' Cajuns comeback chances were hindered by 4-of-20 shooting (20 percent) and the Lady Eagles' 10-of-15 finish (67 percent).
Louisiana's bid for its first consecutive wins of the 2025-26 season was halted. Southern Miss became the first road team to win in the series since February 2023, secured its third straight victory over Louisiana, and extended its Sun Belt era series lead to 6-2.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Amijah Price led Louisiana with 16 points, while Imani Daniel added 15 and Norris contributed 14. For Price – who scored 17 at South Alabama on Saturday – it marked her first back-to-back double-digit performances since early January.
Manley scored eight of her 10 points in the first half. She posted her ninth double-digit scoring effort in the past 10 games.
Louisiana's defense forced 14 Southern Miss turnovers, collecting 10 steals. Daniel led the way with a season-high four steals.
The Ragin' Cajuns finished with a 36-24 advantage in points in the paint and recorded 16 fast-break points.
USM produced fewer turnovers but gained 20 points off 12 Louisiana's miscues. The Lady Eagles held a 41-36 rebounding advantage and a decisive 13-1 edge from 3-point range.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana closes out the 2025-26 home schedule on Saturday, February 21, hosting Arkansas State at 3:00 p.m. inside the Cajundome.
A Senior Day ceremony will be held prior to tipoff to honor Stephanie Mosley, Jazmyne Jackson, and manager London Neal.
The game will stream on ESPN+, with radio coverage available on KPEL 105.1 FM throughout Acadiana and worldwide on the Varsity Network.
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).
Southern Miss (14-13, 7-8) shot 48 percent from the field and an even 50 percent (13-of-26) from 3-point range, building a double-digit lead in the opening quarter and maintaining control for much of the night. Louisiana (4-23, 2-14) showed fight in the middle quarters, particularly in the third period, but could not overcome the Lady Eagles' early surge and fourth-quarter push.
The Lady Eagles established the tone early from long range, knocking down five three-pointers in the first quarter, including three from Keats, to claim a 30-17 advantage after 10 minutes.
The Ragin' Cajuns responded by outscoring Southern Miss in each of the next two periods to pull within single digits.
Kahlen Norris sparked the second-quarter rally. Her fastbreak layup at the 2:40 mark and a pair of free throws at 1:28 capped a 6-0 run that trimmed once a 17-point deficit down to 42-33. Southern Miss, however, carried a 44-33 lead into halftime.
The Lady Eagles pushed the margin back to double digits to open the third quarter, scoring the first five points. Meloney Thames converted all three free throws after drawing a foul on a three-point attempt, extending the lead to 49-33 with 8:01 remaining.
Louisiana answered with its strongest stretch of the night, converting 8-of-11 field goal attempts and outscoring Southern Miss 18-10 over the remainder of the quarter. An 8-2 surge in the final four minutes was capped by Mikaylah Manley's buzzer-beating jumper, cutting the deficit to 59-51 entering the fourth.
Norris' fastbreak layup at 8:23 of the fourth quarter kept Louisiana within eight points, at 61-53, but the offense stalled producing only three points over the next five minutes. Southern Miss capitalized starting with four straight field goal makes to extend the lead to 70-53 – the latter basket being the first of four 3-pointers made in the final 5:15 of the contest that put the game out of reach.
Southern Miss outscored Louisiana 24-10 in the final quarter. The Ragin' Cajuns comeback chances were hindered by 4-of-20 shooting (20 percent) and the Lady Eagles' 10-of-15 finish (67 percent).
Louisiana's bid for its first consecutive wins of the 2025-26 season was halted. Southern Miss became the first road team to win in the series since February 2023, secured its third straight victory over Louisiana, and extended its Sun Belt era series lead to 6-2.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Amijah Price led Louisiana with 16 points, while Imani Daniel added 15 and Norris contributed 14. For Price – who scored 17 at South Alabama on Saturday – it marked her first back-to-back double-digit performances since early January.
Manley scored eight of her 10 points in the first half. She posted her ninth double-digit scoring effort in the past 10 games.
Louisiana's defense forced 14 Southern Miss turnovers, collecting 10 steals. Daniel led the way with a season-high four steals.
The Ragin' Cajuns finished with a 36-24 advantage in points in the paint and recorded 16 fast-break points.
USM produced fewer turnovers but gained 20 points off 12 Louisiana's miscues. The Lady Eagles held a 41-36 rebounding advantage and a decisive 13-1 edge from 3-point range.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana closes out the 2025-26 home schedule on Saturday, February 21, hosting Arkansas State at 3:00 p.m. inside the Cajundome.
A Senior Day ceremony will be held prior to tipoff to honor Stephanie Mosley, Jazmyne Jackson, and manager London Neal.
The game will stream on ESPN+, with radio coverage available on KPEL 105.1 FM throughout Acadiana and worldwide on the Varsity Network.
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
USM
LA
FG%
.476
.373
3FG%
.500
.083
FT%
.833
.714
RB
41
36
TO
14
12
STL
6
10
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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