The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebels to Host Florida in Pivotal SEC Matchup
6/21/1999 | Women's Basketball
February 3, 1999
OXFORD, Miss. - With five regular season conference games left, the Lady Rebel basketball team is right in the middle of things in the Southeastern Conference race as they host Florida Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in Tad Smith Coliseum. Sunday is Student Appreciation Day as all students get in free with their I.D. and the organization with the most members present wins a free bowling party at Kiamie's.
"Florida has a fine basketball team," head coach Ron Aldy said. "We are looking forward to a good game and we would like for everyone to come out and support the team."
Sunday's game is a pivotal matchup for both the Lady Rebels and Lady Gators. Ole Miss, 13-7 overall, is tied at 4-5 in the SEC with Florida, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Vanderbilt for sixth in the league. Florida is currently 15-9 overall, and this matchup could provide a glimpse of which SEC teams will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Over the last decade, the top six teams in the league have been a fixture in the tournament, and this year looks to be no different. With a win over Florida on Sunday, the Lady Rebels could take a big step towards postseason play.
The Lady Rebels have always been tough to beat at home and this year is no different as they own a 9-2 record in Tad Smith Coliseum and have won four in a row and nine of their last 10 at home. Their only two losses at home are against 17th-ranked Clemson and No. 1 ranked Tennessee.
"As tough as this league is, you have to protect your home turf and then try to play as hard as you can on the road to have a chance to maybe win some games to stay in the conference race," Aldy said. "We've done a better job of taking care of business at home more so than on the road."
Sunday will be one of two remaining chances for Ole Miss fans to catch the 1999 Lady Rebels in action as they host Auburn Feb. 21 in the final regular season game.
Senior Tarsha Bethley leads the Lady Rebels in scoring with an average of 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Bethley has been among the league's leading scorers and rebounders all year. Sophomore guard Becky Myatt is second on the team with 10 points per game. She ranks second in the SEC in three-point field goals per game with 2.1. The Lady Rebels as a team rank third in the conference in three-point field goals made with 5.6 per game.
Sunday's game also features two coaches that know each other pretty well. Florida head coach Carol Ross played high school basketball under Aldy before enjoying an oustanding career at Ole Miss. Aldy spent five seasons at Florida as associate head coach under Ross from 1992- 97.
Before hosting Florida, the Lady Rebels travel to Tennessee, Thursday to take on the top- ranked Lady Vols, 7:00 p.m. in Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee is 19-1 overall and 8-0 in the SEC.
