HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Samford women's basketball team dropped a 51-33 decision at Southern Mississippi on the final day of the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic Saturday evening.
 
With the loss, Samford fell to 4-2 on the season. Southern Miss improved to 6-0 with the win.
 
Samford was led in the loss by Carly Heidger with eight points and eight rebounds. Masyn Marchbanks had six points for Samford, while Emily Bowman added five points.
 
For USM, Melyia Grayson tallied 15 points and 14 rebounds. Domonique Davis added 14 points for the Golden Eagles.
 
Samford jumped out to an early 14-6 lead with 3:09 to play in the first quarter after a layup by Heidger. The Bulldogs held a 16-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
In the second quarter, Samford pushed its lead to 10 points at 20-10 with 8:15 left in the period following a layup by Kiersten Nelson. Southern Miss closed the quarter with a 10-2 run to cut Samford's lead to 22-20 heading into the locker room at halftime.
 
In the third quarter, Southern Miss outscored Samford, 19-3, to take a 39-25 lead into the fourth quarter. The Golden Eagles led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter and they came away with the 51-33 win.
 
Samford will return home to play host to USC Upstate on Thursday, Nov. 30. The game is set for a 4:30 p.m. start from the Pete Hanna Center.
 
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