Marshall Women’s Basketball snapped its five-game losing streak with a win over the Southern Miss Lady Eagles, making Marshall’s record (10-9) overall and (3-5) in conference play.

This matchup marks the 28^th time these old Conference USA opponents have played since 2006. Marshall has won 12 of these games now.

Coach Tony Kemper emphasized the importance of defense and rebounding after a loss to Troy last week, and The Herd responded with a tremendous defensive performance. Marshall held the Lady Eagles to 52 points and hustled till the end, winning by one point.

Marshall and Southern Miss lacked in the three-point percentage category on Saturday, but the Herd’s defense outplayed The Lady Eagles. Marshall shot 31 three-pointers and only made seven, compared to Southern Miss making four threes while only shooting 11.

Junior guard Abby Beeman got the game-winning steal after Marshall’s turnover off the inbounds pass to secure the one-point lead as the buzzer sounded. Beeman had eight points in the second half after not scoring a single time in the first two quarters. Roshala Scott ended with 18 points while going one of 10 from three-point territory, mainly scoring from the free-throw line and in the paint.

The Lady Eagles outrebounded the Herd (44-41), which is an improvement after Marshall had 21 fewer boards than Troy in the previous game.

Southern Miss had one player in double digits. Junior guard Domonique Davis had 18 points in the contest. Davis and Roshala Scott for The Herd are in the top 15 for scoring in the Sunbelt conference, with Scott ranked 2nd and Davis at 15^th.

The Herd’s defense shined on Saturday, getting eight steals and eight blocks. Marshall also held the sophomore center Melyia Grayson to eight points after her last game, scoring an outstanding 26 points against Appalachian State.

Later this week the Thundering Herd goes on the road looking to improve its win streak, facing ULM at 7:30 p.m.  Thursday and Arkansas State at 3 p.m. Saturday.