Preview: Southern Mississippi Lady Eagles at Toledo Rockets

TOLEDO, Ohio (Interstat) — Two teams looking to regain momentum will meet Saturday when the Southern Mississippi Lady Eagles visit the Toledo Rockets in a nonconference women’s basketball matchup at Savage Hall.

Southern Mississippi (12-11) arrives after a 72-83 home loss to James Madison on Wednesday. The Lady Eagles have lost five of their last seven games, though one of their two wins in that stretch was an 86-83 overtime victory at Old Dominion.

The Lady Eagles will lean on guard Jakayla Johnson, who is coming off a 22-point performance against James Madison and has been a consistent offensive force. She scored 32 points in the win at Old Dominion and has averaged 18.1 points over her last eight contests.

Toledo (11-9) also seeks to bounce back from a narrow road defeat, falling 74-77 at Akron on Wednesday. The Rockets had won four of their previous five games prior to that loss, including a 59-49 victory over rival Bowling Green.

The Rockets counter with their own standout guard in Patricia Anumgba. She scored 20 points in the loss at Akron and has provided explosive scoring at times this season, including a 24-point outing in a win over Northern Illinois and a 22-point game at Eastern Michigan.

This game features teams with similar profiles, both hovering near .500 and seeking consistency in the latter part of the season. Southern Mississippi’s offense, when clicking behind Johnson and supporting scorers like Whitney Hart, will test a Toledo defense that has held opponents under 60 points in three of its last five wins.

The matchup at point guard between Southern Mississippi’s Johnson and Toledo’s Anumgba could dictate the tempo. Both teams will view this as a key opportunity to build confidence before returning to their respective conference schedules next week.

Tip-off is set for Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at John F. Savage Hall.