HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Texas State outscored Southern Miss 25-9 in the fourth quarter as the Bobcats took down the Lady Eagles on the road at Reed Green Coliseum on Thursday by a score of 69-52.
 
The Bobcats (17-7, 9-4 Sun Belt) beat one of the teams they were locked in a five-way tie with for second in the Sun Belt standings entering Thursday by outrebounding the Lady Eagles (15-9, 8-5 Sun Belt) by a 35-19 margin and using an offensive performance in the second half that saw the Bobcats shoot 53.3 percent from the field (16-of-30).
 
In the fourth quarter alone, Texas State was 8-of-14 shooting (57.1 percent) and held Southern Miss to only four field goals. The Bobcats scored 19 of the game's final 24 points.
 
The win for Texas State was its largest on the road in more than a year and fifth road victory this season.
 
Four different Bobcats had double-digit points, led by 17 from Da'Nasia Hood. Tianna Eaton had 13 – including 10 in the second half – while Ja'Kayla Bowie and Jaeda Reed each had 12. The dozen points by Reed were a season-high.
 
The Bobcats finished the game shooting 47.1 percent from the field but were also 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from three-point range. Bowie and Kennedy Taylor each had a trio of three-pointers made to lead the way.
 
While Southern Miss finished shooting 46.8 percent from the field (22-of-47), the 47 field goal attempts matched the fewest allowed by Texas State against a Sun Belt opponent this season. The 52 points surrendered were also the fourth time in the last six games a Bobcat opponent has scored 52 points or less.
 
The 16-point advantage on the boards helped Texas State snap a six-game stretch in which it lost the rebounding margin. It was also its second-largest rebounding margin won against a Division I opponent this season.
 
Texas State had 14 offensive rebounds and used those to outscore the Lady Eagles in second-chance points, 16-2.
 
The Bobcats trailed by two at halftime, but they seized the lead with the second half's first five points after Bowie hit a three and Hood sank a lay-up. Southern Miss did lead 39-37 at the 3:00 mark in the third quarter, but Hood and Bowie responded again with back-to-back baskets for the Bobcats to make it 41-39.
 
After Domonique Davis of Southern Miss made a fastbreak lay-up with about a minute to go in the third quarter, Eaton responded with a lay-up of her own to give Texas State an advantage – 44-43 – it would never relinquish.
 
The Bobcats finished the game leading for 32:09, including all of the final 10:47 of the contest.
 
STAT LEADERS

• Points – Da'Nasia Hood (17)
• Rebounds – Tianna Eaton (8)
• Assists – Kennedy Taylor, Ja'Kayla Bowie, Lauryn Thompson, Da'Nasia Hood (3)
• Steals – Da'Nasia Hood (2)
• Blocks – Kennedy Taylor, Tianna Eaton (1)

 
SCORES BY QUARTER
1st | Texas State 14, Southern Miss 10
2nd | Southern Miss 28, Texas State 26
3rd | Texas State 44, Southern Miss 43
4th | Texas State 69, Southern Miss 52
 
GAME NOTES

• Thursday's 17-point win was the largest margin of victory for Texas State on the road since January 15, 2022 at Georgia State (73-55).
• Texas State is 5-4 on the road this season.
• The Bobcats held Southern Miss to 52 points in each of the two matchups this season. Texas State topped the Lady Eagles, 62-52, in overtime on Jan. 28 in San Marcos.
• Da'Nasia Hood moved into 5th on Texas State's all-time career three-pointers made. She had two on Thursday to give her 164 in her career.
• Kennedy Taylor also moved up the Texas State career three-pointers made list as her 3 on Thursday moved her into 7th on the program's all-time list.
• Da'Nasia Hood has 6 straight games of 10+ points and 5 consecutive contests of 17+ points. She is averaging 17.4 points after missing back-to-back games of a road trip in mid-January.
• Ja'Kayla Bowie has 5 straight games of 10+ points.
• The 12 points by Jaeda Reed was the first time she has reached double-digits in points since Feb. 19, 2022 against App State.
• Each of Texas State's last 3 wins have been by double-digits. Of its 9 conference wins this year, 6 are by 10 or more points.
• Texas State had 17 assists on its 24 field goals made.

 
UP NEXT
Texas State continues its road trip with a game at Marshall on Saturday at 12 pm CT/1 pm ET. It is the first all-time meeting between the Bobcats and Thundering Herd.