Jan. 16, 2008

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- - The Southern Miss women's basketball team returns home, after three-straight road games, to face Rice Thursday at 7 p.m. The Lady Eagles will try to snap a two-game losing streak. The game will be broadcasted over WXHB-FM 96.5 with the "Voice of the Lady Eagles" Jason Baker providing play-by-play action with former coach Kay James as the color analyst.

Southern Miss (10-6, 1-2) is coming off an 85-72 loss at SMU. In that game, Kendra Reed scored a game-high 19 points while Pauline Love recorded her 11th double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Andrea Barber handed out a six assists.

Love continues to lead the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.1 and 10.6, respectively, while Amber Eugene is averaging 10.8 points and Reed 10.9. Barber leads the team in assists with 5.8 per game.

As a team, the Lady Eagles are averaging 74.2 points and 40.5 rebounds, while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 75.1 percent from the line. Southern Miss has connected on 89-of-241 threes for 36.9 percent.

Rice (7-10, 0-3) is coming off a 71-66 loss at Houston, in which four Rice players scored in double digits, led by Morgan Mayse and Tara Watts with 14 apiece, Brittney Hudson had 13 and Kadie Riverin chipped in 10.

Coach Greg Williams is in his third season in charge of the Owl program. Williams returns six letterwinners from a last year's team that finished 19-14. Valeriya Berezhynska leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds, but has missed the last three games with an ankle injury. In the meantime, Kadie Riverin has led the team, averaging 12.0 points.

As a team, Rice is averaging 59.5 points and 38.6 rebounds, while shooting 36.2 percent from the field and 68.2 percent from the line.

Rice leads the series with Southern Miss, 2-0. The two teams met for the first time in 2006.

Following the Rice game, Southern Miss hits the road again, traveling to Houston, Jan. 20, at 2 p.m.