SAN MARCOS, Texas — Following three straight games on the road, Texas State women's basketball will now play three consecutive games at home, starting with hosting Southern Miss on Saturday at 4 pm in Strahan Arena.
 
Texas State (14-6, 6-3 Sun Belt) has won four of its last five and two straight at home coming into a matchup against the Lady Eagles that is among the conference's best teams.
 
Southern Miss (14-6, 7-2 Sun Belt) is tied for first in the Sun Belt standings at the halfway point of the conference slate while the Bobcats are only one game back of the three-way tie. Texas State currently sits in a tie for fourth with Louisiana.
 
This weekend's contest represents the first ever between the two programs. Southern Miss is in its first year in the Sun Belt Conference.
 
Saturday's game can be watched on ESPN+, with Brant Freeman and Suzanne Fox on the call.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

• Texas State has held its last two opponents to under 50 points, a first since November 2019.
• The Bobcats limited Old Dominion to 46 points on Thursday, a few days after limiting South Alabama to 45 points.
• The last time Texas State held two straight opponents under 50 points was Nov. 27-30, 2019 against New Orleans (W, 51-49) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (W, 57-48).
• Texas State is currently first in the Sun Belt and 31st in the nation in scoring defense. It has allowed 56.4 points per game this year.
• Over the last 5 games, Texas State has limited its opponents to a 50.2 points per game. The Bobcats are 4-1 over that 5-game stretch.
• This Saturday's opponent, Southern Miss, enters the weekend 12th in the Sun Belt in scoring offense (62.8 points/game).

 
HAD THEM IN THE SECOND HALF

• Texas State's win over Old Dominion on Thursday was its second win when trailing at halftime since earlier this season on Dec. 11 against Morgan State.
• The Bobcats have 3 wins this season when trailing at halftime. In addition to ODU and Morgan State, they beat UTSA after trailing by nine at the half on Nov. 30.
• Texas State is 3-5 this season when trailing at halftime.

 
FIRST THINGS FIRST

• Saturday represents Texas State's final game in the month of January. So far this month, the Bobcats are 5-2.
• The last time Texas State had a 6-2 record in the month of January was during the 2017-18 season.
• Texas State has already secured its first winning record in January since that 2017-18 campaign.

 
HOME IN STRAHAN

• After 13 days since its last home game, Texas State will return to Strahan Arena where it is 10-2 this season (2-1 in Sun Belt action).
• The 10 wins at home are already the most for the Bobcats in five years. In 2017-18, Texas State was 11-2 at home.
• In 12 home games, the Bobcats are averaging 69.9 points per game and have an average margin of victory of 18.0 points.
• Texas State is also shooting 45.1 percent at home. Opponents are shooting 33.3 percent from the field.
• Four different Bobcats are averaging double figures in scoring at home: Da'Nasia Hood (13.1), Lauryn Thompson (11.4), Tianna Eaton (11.3), and Kennedy Taylor (10.2).

 
HOOD'S CAREER

• Da'Nasia Hood enters this week as the team's leading scorer with 15.5 points per game. She is averaging 12.1 points in conference-only games.
• Hood has double-digit points in 10 of her 12 games played this season.
• Out of San Antonio, Hood has 1,598 points in five seasons of her Texas State career. She currently ranks 7th on the program's all-time career points list.
• Hood needs 94 points to match Yolanda Wilkerson (1993-97) for 6th on the all-time list.
• With 2 more points, Hood would become only the 7th Bobcat in program history to have 1,600 career points and first since Diamond Ford score 1,906 from 2009 to 2013.

 
AIMING FOR 700

• Fifth-year senior Kennedy Taylor is inching closer to becoming the Sun Belt's all-time leader in assists.
• Taylor, who is already Texas State's career leader in assists, is 36 assists away from matching Clemette Haskins (Western Kentucky) for the conference record for career assists. Haskins had 731 from 1983-87.
• Taylor is the only Sun Belt player with 500+ career assists in the last 11 years. She is 5 assists shy of becoming only the second Sun Belt payer in conference history to have 700+ career assists.

 
Sun Belt Conference
Career Assists, All-Time
1. Clemette Haskins, WKU           731                1983-87
2. Kennedy Taylor, TXST             695                2018-Present
3. Amy McNear, WKU                 677                2008-11
4. Ivelina Vrancheva, FIU             631                1999-04
5. Stephanie Richardson, USA      605                1987-91