Women shoot down Golden Eagles (Photo By John Schreiber, The Daily Campus)

The SMU women’s basketball team grabbed an early lead Monday and refused to let go against an overmatched Southern Miss team, claiming an 84-62 win and sole possession of second place in C-USA.

“We’re gelling,” coach Rhonda Rompola said of the team’s dominant performance at Moody Coliseum. “We’re playing better than we have all year.”

The 84-point effort was the Mustangs’ second highest total of the season, with contributions coming from all over the floor.

Sophomore Janielle Dodds led all scorers with 25 points and notched her ninth double-double of the season, pulling in 10 rebounds as well. She shot a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line.

Forward Katie Gross flirted with SMU’s all-time record of seven three-pointers made in a game, but finished with a second-best six treys in only nine shots. She also had seven rebounds. Rompola didn’t realize how close Gross was to the record until late, but knew she wanted the ball in her hands.

“Against a team like Southern Miss, you have to shoot well,” Rompola said. “We need [Gross] to shoot well. She and Katy Cobb always want the ball.”

The team clicked on all cylinders, getting the ball inside to Dodds and shooting well from the perimeter, hitting 51 percent of their shots from the field and 62.5 percent from the line.

“As a team, we came out knowing we had to handle our business,” said Gross, deferring credit for her game-changing performance. “We all shot really well.”

The Mustangs came out shooting, looking pumped up for the start of the game, despite the sub-1,000 attendance and skeletal student section.

The team went on an 8-0 run early in the first half to open up a 26-18 lead. The offensive efficiency was helped out by a scrappy defense that was anchored by guard Sharee Shepard, who came off the bench to contribute three steals and was in the faces of Southern Miss shooters all night. Three other players had two steals apiece.

Senior Sarah Davis played well in the paint early with two blocked shots, two boards before becoming the victim of a tightly officiated game and a widening lead, heading to the bench early.

All 12 players saw time for SMU as the Mustangs opened up a 32-point lead with just under seven minutes remaining. Frehmen Elbie Gates and Jennifer Colli both saw increased playing time and helped shut down the Southern Miss attack.

Monday’s win improves the team’s conference record to 7-3 and bumps their overall home record to 10-3. With C-USA leader Tulsa, 8-2, 17-4, coming to town Sunday and the Conference USA tournament to be played at Moody, Coach Rompola feels good about the team’s chances on its home floor.

“Any time you can get a conference game at home, that helps,” Rompola said. “We have local kids and that helps. They want to perform for their family and friends.”

“Fans help,” Gross agreed. “Everyone wants to play in front of people, your fans or not.”

While Gross said she hopes the crowd is larger for the upcoming game against Tulsa, which could be a conference championship preview, she also noted that the crowd will not affect how the team plays.

“This is the best team basketball we have played all year,” Gross said. “But we can be better.”