MONROE, La. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking momentum for the conference tournament will meet Friday when the Southern Mississippi Lady Eagles visit the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The matchup is a quick rematch from Feb. 12, when Louisiana-Monroe (12-14) dominated Southern Mississippi (14-15) in Hattiesburg, winning 85-62. The Warhawks have dropped two straight since that victory, however, including a 67-54 loss at Georgia Southern last Saturday. Southern Mississippi is also looking to rebound from a loss, falling 57-43 at South Alabama on Wednesday. A key storyline will be the individual duel between two of the conference’s top performers. Southern Mississippi guard Meloney Thames enters averaging 17.1 points per game and is coming off a 24-point effort in a loss to Troy last weekend. In the first meeting against ULM, Thames scored 18 points. For Louisiana-Monroe, forward Marcavia Shavers poses a major interior threat. She recorded a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double against Georgia Southern and had 15 points and 11 rebounds in the earlier win over the Lady Eagles. Southern Mississippi’s recent form has been inconsistent, mixing double-digit road wins with several double-digit losses. The Lady Eagles have struggled offensively at times, scoring 62 points or fewer in three of their last five games. Louisiana-Monroe has shown a higher ceiling offensively, scoring 80-plus points in three of its last six contests, but has also been held under 55 points twice in that span. The game could hinge on which team controls the paint. Shavers and the Warhawks outmuscled Southern Mississippi in the first meeting, and a similar effort would provide a significant advantage. The Lady Eagles will need Thames to have a high-efficiency scoring night and must find supplementary offense to keep pace. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CST Friday. Both teams are jockeying for seeding in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference tournament, making this a critical late-season contest.