MONROE, La. – The ULM women's basketball team (6-10, 2-3) will hit the road for the first time in 2025, traveling to Hattiesburg, Miss. The Warhawks will face the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (5-11, 1-4) for the second time this season at 6 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 16) in Reed Green Coliseum. Both the Golden Eagles and the Warhawks are looking to bounce back from Sun Belt losses.
SERIES HISTORY –
The Warhawks and the Golden Eagles will be competing for the 31st time in the series. ULM is looking for its fifth-straight win over Southern Miss in the series spanning 45 years. The first matchup between ULM and Southern Miss was on Nov. 17, 1978 in Monroe. The Golden Eagles faced the Warhawks three times last season, twice in the regular season and in Monroe for the WNIT. ULM won all three contests in the 2023-24 season. Most recently, the Warhawks extended their win streak versus Southern Miss in a comeback win in Monroe, 84-75.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES –
The Red Wolves are looking to bounce back from a four-game losing streak, most recently recording a loss at the Ragin' Cajuns. Melyia Grayson leads the team in points per game (14.9), rebounds (7.2) and field goal percentage (.552), leading the team with 32 points and 14 rebounds in the first meeting with ULM this season. Freshman Trinity Rowe dropped 25 points in the conference opener against Georgia State, firing seven three-pointers. Rowe was awarded Sun Belt Player of the Week for the stand-out performance. The Golden Eagles are looking to surpass preseason expectations, as they were selected to finish seventh in the preseason coaches poll after a 20-14 record last season, making it to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championships before falling to James Madison and advancing to the WNIT Super 16 before falling to ULM.
FAMILIAR FACES –
ULM and Southern Miss are quite familiar with each other, with multiple players and staff having been associated with both teams. ULM head coach Missy Bilderback, associate head coach Lauren Pittman and assistant coaches Devin Cooper and Lauren Gross all attended Southern Miss, with Pittman and Gross competing for the Golden Eagles women's basketball team. AJ Leake and Brikayla Gray are also former Golden Eagles, transferring to ULM for the 2024-25 season.
Southern Miss associate head coach Brooks Donald Williams and assistant coach Jessica Barber both worked on staff for ULM women's basketball, with Williams coaching the Warhawks from 2019-23. Bre Sutton, who played for the Warhawks from 2021-23, is now competing with the Golden Eagles.
LEADING THE TEAM –
Jakayla Johnson led the team with 22 points, six rebounds and three steals versus Arkansas State (Jan. 11). She currently leads the team in points per game (15.0), field goals made (87), assists (52) and steals (28). Johnson leads the Sun Belt in free throw percentage (.840), is third in points per game and fourth in field goal percentage (.442). The senior guard is the only Sun Belt player to be on a current streak of recording two or more 20-point performances.
Sakyia White opened the season going 9-9 vs. Central Baptist (Nov. 4), dropping 18 points and leading the team in field goal percentage (.505). She then followed up with a 16-rebound performance vs. Tulane (Dec. 21) and a 14-rebound showing versus Arkansas State (Jan. 11), leading the team in rebounds per game (8.0) and second in the Sun Belt.
DOUBLE DOUBLE–
Laila Walker logged the team's first double-double of the season against Louisiana Christian (Nov. 11), posting 10 points and 11 rebounds. The achievement was also Walker's first career double-double. Katlyn Manuel and Jakayla Johnson have also been credited with double-doubles this season. The most recent double-double achieved by a Warhawk was Sakyia White, who recorded 19 points and 14 rebounds versus Arkansas State (Jan. 11) for her second double-double of the season.
IN OUR BILDERBACK ERA–
In her second season as head coach, Missy Bilderback posts winning records against five Sun Belt teams, including three undefeated records. Bilderback is 1-0 against Georgia Southern, 2-0 against South Alabama and a whopping 4-0 against Southern Miss, most recently winning in Monroe over the Golden Eagles last week.
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
Thursday's game will be available on KMLB 105.7 FM/540 AM with Adam Holland on the call. Streaming will be available on ESPN+. Links to live stats for all games, when available, can be found at ULMWarhawks.com. Navigate to the women's basketball schedule page and select that day's opponent.
LOOKING AHEAD –
The women's basketball team will remain on the road to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday (Jan. 18), for the second time in a week. The Warhawks will tip off against the Red Wolves at 2 p.m. CT in Jonesboro, Ark.
