Nov. 26, 2005

Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -

Northwestern State-Southern Miss Box Score in PDF Format

The Southern Miss Lady Eagle basketball team dropped the championship game in the 18th Lady Eagle Classic tonight, falling 85-75 to Northwestern State.

With the loss, Southern Miss falls to 1-3 on the season. Northwestern State improves to 3-1.

"The difference in the game was making a commitment to boxing out in rebounding," Head Coach Joye Lee McNelis said. "Our defensive game plan was solid. I think we made rush decisions. They are fixable, and we're going to continue to work hard in doing that.

"This team plays hard. We are very proud of them as a staff on their effort to play. We've got to work on some things and get better."

Southern Miss did not score for the first 3:30 of the game, but used a 7-0 run to take a 7-2 lead at the 14:24 mark. The Lady Eagles stretched their first half lead to six at the 13:10 mark on a jumper by Ashley Boehnel.

Northwestern State used a 14-6 run to take a four point advantage, 23-19 with 6:33 to play in the first half. The Lady Demons pushed their lead out to six, 29-23 with 3:27 remaining, before Southern Miss used a 7-0 run to re-take the lead, 30-29 with 1:56 to play. But Northwestern State again took a four point advantage with 1:04 before halftime, before taking a one-point lead, 36-35 at halftime.

In the second half, Southern Miss found themselves down by four, 43-39 at the 17:11 mark. The Lady Eagle ralied to knot the game at 52-52 with 10:09 remaining, before taking a three point lead, 57-54 with 8:55 to play on a jumper by Kelsey Gurganus and a free throw, as she was fouled on the play.

But Northwestern State used a 10-0 run from that point on, as it took a 64-57 lead with 7:35 to play. The Lady Eagles got back within four on three occasions, the last time coming at the 4:34 mark, 66-62, but were unable to get closer, as the Lady Demons used a 15-4 run to stretch the lead out to 15 with 36 seconds remaining, before the Lady Eagles hit three, three pointers, two from Ashley Harrell and one from Kristen Chaney in the final 30 seconds to make the final margin.

Tena Matthews led five players in double digit scoring for Northwestern State with 22 points, while Chassidy Jones added 15 and 10 rebounds. Sheronda Bell, Shonte Kennedy and Brittaney Isom each had 12 points for the Lady Demons.

Kendra Reed netted 21 for Southern Miss, while Ashley Harrell added 19. Ashley Boehnel and Amber Eugene each had nine points tonight for the Lady Eagles.

Southern Miss outshot Northwestern State 48 to 40 percent, while the Lady Demons held a 44-35 edge in rebounding, including a 21-10 edge in offensive rebounds.

Southern Miss returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at Mississippi State in a 7 p.m., contest.

Alcorn State Gets First Win, Defeats Florida A&M 64-57

Alcorn State-Florida A&M Box Score in PDF Format

HATTIESBURG, Miss.-- Alcorn State got its first won of the 2005 season today, winning the consolation game in game three of the Lady Eagle Classic, defeating Florida A&M 64-57 in overtime.

With the win, Alcorn State improves to 1-2 on the season, while Florida A&M falls to 1-4.

In the first half, Florida A&M opened the game on a 10-3 run and led by seven again, 20-13 at the 9:26 mark. Alcorn State then used a 8-0 run to take the lead, 21-20 with 7:23 remaining.

But Florida A&M again reestablished its lead, leading by eight, 32-24 at the 1:30 mark, thanks to a 8-0 run, before leading by six at halftime, 34-28.

In the second half, Alcorn State used a 20-5 run over the first nine minutes of the second half, taking a 48-39 advantage. Florida A&M got back to two, 52-50 at the 4:29 mark, and again, 54-52 at the 2:35 mark, before knotting the game at 54-54 with 46 seconds remaining in the game.

Alcorn State had a chance to win, but Tanika Nunez missed a three-pointer with 26 seconds remaning, before Rassaan Powell missed a jumper with seconds remaining. Florida A&M also had a chance to win in the closing seconds, by a three pointer by Deidra Jones as time expired fell short.

In the overtime session, Alcorn State out-scored Florida A&M 10-3, to claim the victory.

Powell led Alcorn State with 20 points, while Natasha Dennis added 13 and Nunez added 10. Tina Huff also had 10 rebounds for Alcorn State. Jones finished with a game-high 24 points for Florida A&M, while Stephanie Foster added 11. Denise Tate added a game-high 13 rebounds.

Lady Eagle Classic Tournament Results

Game 1: Southern Miss 90, Florida A&M 56

Game 2: Northwestern State 72, Alcorn State 64

Game 3: Alcorn State 64, Florida A&M 57 (Consolation)

Game 4: Northwestern State 85, Southern Miss 75 (Championship)

Lady Eagle Classic All-Tournament Team

Deidra Jones: Florida A&M

Rasaan Powell: Alcorn State

Kendra Reed: Southern Miss

Ashley Boehnel: Southern Miss

Tena Matthews: Northwestern State (MVP)