Box Score Box ScoreHATTIESBURG, Miss.-The Texas Southern women's basketball team raced out to a 10-point halftime lead but they weren't able to hold off a second half Southern Miss rally as they fell 79-69 Thursday night in the first round of the WNIT.
Brianna Sidney hand the hot hand early in the game as she tallied 18 first half points. The Lady Tigers played exceptional well in the first as they clicked on all cylinders offensively.
Texas Southern used a 19-6 run early in the contest to take a 22-15 advantage. The Lady Tigers continued to hit timely shots and pushed the lead to 29-20 with 5:05 to go before the half. USM got a basket underneath, TSU subsequently answered with a score and free throw to push the lead to double digits, 32-22.
Southern Miss fought back to cut the lead to 34-30, but TSU hit three straight three-pointers for the 43-30 lead with under a minute remaining in the half. The Lady Eagles hit a three to draw within 10 at the half, 43-33.
TSU struggled defensively in the second half as the Lady Eagles shot 59.4 percent from the field which was a big part of their turnaround. Southern Miss also came up with 30 points off 18 TSU turnovers which was another critical factor for the Lady Tigers as their miscues allowed Southern Miss to get back in the game.
Texas Southern was outscored by Southern Miss 14-3 as they fell behind 47-46 four minutes into the second half. A four point play during that stretch put the Lady Eagles ahead for the first time since 11-10 in the first half.
The teams traded baskets over alternating possessions before the Lady Eagles scored 10 straight points for the 59-50 lead. TSU managed to cut the lead to 59-57 using a 7-0 run, but Southern Miss got back-to-back threes to push the lead to eight, 65-57.
Over the final eight minutes, Southern Miss led by as many as 16, but TSU hit a pair of threes and free throws to get within 10 in the final minute.
