The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Basketball Squad Travels to Athens
6/21/1999 | Women's Basketball
January 22, 1999
OLE MISS TRAVELS TO ATHENS TO FACE NATIONALLY-RANKED LADY BULLDOGS: The Lady Rebels (12-5, 3-3) travel to Athens, Ga., this weekend to face the No. 5 nationally-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs (17-1, 5-1), Sunday at 2:30 p.m. est.
OLE MISS GAMES CAN BE HEARD ON WQLJ: All Ole Miss Lady Rebel games -- home and away -- can be heard on the radio on WQLJ 93.7 FM, with each broadcast beginning 15 minutes prior to tip-off. Gary Darby returns for his seventh season as the Voice of the Lady Rebels. The broadcast is also available on the internet at www.WQLJ.com.
LADY REBELS TAME LADY TIGERS: Ole Miss freshman Angela Davidson (Leesville, La.) came off the bench to score seven points in the final five minutes to lead the Lady Rebels to a 66-59 victory over the LSU Lady Tigers last Sunday in Tad Smith Coliseum. Please see a recap of the game on page 6.
SERIES MEETING: This will be the 22nd meeting between Georgia and Ole Miss. Georgia leads the all-time series 14-7. The Lady Bulldogs have won four of the last five meetings. Ole Miss won the last meeting, a 77-73 win in the first round of the SEC Tournament last year.
PROBABLE STARTERS
1998-99 StatsNo. Player Ht Yr Pos PPG RPG APG25 Becky Myatt 5-8 So G 9.6 2.5 2.4 3 Takela Corbitt 5-3 Fr G 7.6 1.7 3.154 Frankie Boyd 6-4 Jr C 8.9 5.0 0.240 Lesli Vollrath 6-3 Sr F 3.2 3.1 0.935 Tarsha Bethley 5-11 Sr F 16.4 7.9 1.8OFF THE BENCH
1998-99 StatsNo. Player Ht Yr Pos PPG RPG APG24 Chandra Dorsey 5-3 So G 4.1 1.3 1.123 Stephanie Murphy 5-11 So F/G 4.7 2.6 0.733 Jennie Gadd 6-4 Sr C 3.3 2.5 0.213 Heather Bantz 6-0 So G/F 2.9 0.8 0.314 Sinissia Wysinger 6-1 Jr F 3.1 3.9 0.521 TaShondrea Moton 5-10 Fr G 1.5 1.8 0.432 Julianne Signaigo 6-3 So F 0.1 0.7 0.152 Tanya Bolden 6-0 Jr C 1.6 1.8 0.144 Angela Davidson 6-0 Fr F 2.8 1.1 0.1
THERES A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: If the Lady Rebels beat Georgia in Stegeman Coliseum this Sunday, it would be the first time in the history of the series, that Ole Miss has won there.
SCOUTING GEORGIA: Georgia comes into the game with a 17-1 overall record, 5-1 in the SEC. They are coming off a 68-59 win over Arkansas, Thursday. The Lady Bulldogs are off to their best start ever. Their lone loss on the season came against No. 1 Tennessee. Georgia is led by the Miller Twins Kelly and Coco. Kelly is averaging 19.3 points per game, while her sister Coco is scoring 18.9 per game. Elena Vishniakova leads the Lady Bulldogs on the boards, averaging 7.2 per game. Georgia is averaging an SEC leading 88.6 points per game, 22 more points per game than its opponents (66.9). They also rank second in the league in field goal percentage at 47.9 percent.
OLE MISS VERSUS GEORGIA SCHOOLS: The Lady Rebels have only played two other schools from the state of Georgia besides the University of Georgia. Ole Miss is 1-0 versus Georgia Southern and 2-4 against Valdosta State.
SEC GOES TO THURSDAY/SUNDAY FORMAT: The SEC experimented last year by adding two additional league games to the schedule to increase the games to 14. This year the SEC is experimenting with a Thursday/Sunday format for all league games.
ONCE IS ENOUGH: Last year, the Southeastern Conference added two contests to the schedule to increase the league games to 14. The Lady Rebels will play all conference teams once and will get the honor of playing three-time defending NCAA Champion Tennessee twice as well as Auburn and Mississippi State.
APPROACHING THE CENTURY MARK: The Lady Rebels are approaching 100 and its a good thing. With their win over LSU the Lady Rebels have now won 98 SEC games and need only two more to reach the 100-victory plateau. Tennessee (139), Georgia (116) and Auburn (104) are the only three SEC schools which have won 100 conference games.
LADY REBELS ONE OF THE WINNINGEST TEAMS IN THE SEC: Since the Southeastern Conference began regular-season play in the 1982-83 season, the Lady Rebels have posted a winning record in conference play in 11 of 16 years. Tennessee is first with 15 winning seasons in SEC play, while Georgia is second with 12. The 98 victories are fourth most among the leagues teams, following Tennessee (139), Georgia (116) and Auburn (104).
ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR BETHLEY: Senior forward Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) notched her 15th career double-double in the win over LSU with 15 points and 11 rebounds. She has four double-doubles this season. The following is a list of Bethleys double-doubles.
Game Points Rebounds UNC-Charlotte 22 10 Vanderbilt 11 10 Kentucky 15 13 LSU 15 11
BETHLEY BECOMES MEMBER OF SELECT GROUP: With her 11 rebounds in the win over LSU last Sunday, senior Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) became the seventh player in Lady Rebel history to record 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 100 assists and 100 steals in a career. Bethley joined an elite group that includes Jennifer Gillom, Eugenia Conner, Cynthia Autry, Clara Jackson, Alisa Scott, and Yolanda Moore. The following lists the players and their career statistics.
Player Points Rebs Asst. Stls.Jennifer Gillom 2,186 955 137 146Eugenia Conner 1,993 1,177 170 134Cynthia Autry 1,490 920 122 160Clara Jackson 1,919 885 150 194Alisa Scott 1,488 724 363 329Yolanda Moore 1,346 616 102 100Tarsha Bethley 1,234 600 137 123
CROWD GOES HOME HAPPY: For the fourth time this year, the crowd went home happy as the Lady Rebels held LSU to 59 points, meaning chicken for everyone. If the Lady Rebels score a 100 points or hold an opponent to less than 60 points in a game, the crowd receives a coupon for half price on a five-piece chicken tender meal at Abners. The Lady Rebels held Tennessee Tech to 50 points on Dec. 12, UAB to 56 on Dec. 16 and Kentucky to 57 on Jan. 10.
TAKELA FOR THREEEE!: Freshman Takela Corbitt (Bruce, Miss.) was perfect from the three-point line in last Sundays win over LSU, going 4-for-4 from behind the arc. Corbitt finished 6-of-10 from the field for 17 points and dished out six assists. She has dished five or more assists in six games.
LOUISIANA NATIVE STEPS UP TO QUIET THE TIGERS: It couldnt have been more fitting than if you had scripted it. Freshman Angela Davidson, a Louisiana native, was biding her time on the bench during the LSU game, when she got the call to go in with five minutes remaining. With LSU ahead by two (52-50) Davidson hit a jumper to tie the game and was fouled. She converted the three-point play to give Ole Miss the lead for good.
THE STARTING LINEUP: Ole Miss has had the same five starters in 13 of the first 17 games played with Takela Corbitt, Becky Myatt, Tarsha Bethley, Lesli Vollrath and Frankie Boyd. Boyd, Vollrath and Myatt have started all 17 games, while Bethley has started 16 and Corbitt has started 14. Bethley has started 65 of 66 games dating back to the 1996-97 season. Myatt has started 48 consecutive games.
A REBOUNDING MACHINE: Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) has has pulled down seven or more rebounds in 13 of the first 17 games including five double-digit rebound performances. The following is a list of the games in which Bethley has grabbed seven or more rebounds.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE: The Lady Rebels have had at least three players score in double digits in eight games this year. They are 7-1 when at least three players score in double digits and 5-4 when less than three players score in double digits.
BOYD GETS FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Junior center Frankie Boyd (Ethel, Miss.) notched her first career double-double in the win over Mississippi State. She scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Boyd has scored in double digits in seven games this year.
ALDY TO BE ON SEC TELECONFERENCE MONDAY: Head Coach Ron Aldy will participate in the SEC teleconference Monday from 10:42-10:49 (Central). Media representatives wishing to participate in the teleconference should contact the SEC Media Relations Department for further details.
BOYD GRABS CAREER-HIGH 11 BOARDS: Junior Center Frankie Boyd (Ethel, Miss.) grabbed a career-best 11 rebounds in the win over Mississippi State. It marked the second time this year that she has pulled down double digit rebounds. She had 10 rebounds against Florida Atlantic.
BETHLEY MOVES UP 1,000 POINT LIST: Senior forward Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) added her name to the list of 1,000 point scorers in Lady Rebel history. With her 20-point performance against Florida Atlantic, Bethley became the 18th Lady Rebel to notch 1,000 points for her career. Bethleys 15 points in the LSU game moved her to 1,234 points for her career. She needs 75 points to pass Marilyn Brooks for 12th place.
TAKE IT AWAY: Senior forward Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) tied her career-high with six steals in the Mississippi State game. She notched six steals against Kentucky last year.
IT MUST BE 60: The Lady Rebels are 9-1 when they score at least 60 points, but when they score less than 60 points, they are 0-4.
GADD IS BAD IN NASHVILLE: Senior center Jennie Gadd (Yorba Linda, Calif.) had a solid game against Vanderbilt, scoring a season high 12 points and grabbing seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 19 minutes.
ITS ALL ACADEMIC: Eight members of the Lady Rebel basketball team were named to one of the Universitys three honor rolls for the fall semester. TaShondrea Moton (Prattville, Ala.), Julianne Signaigo (Collierville, Tenn.) and Lesli Vollrath (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) all made the Deans Honor Roll. To be eligible for the Deans Honor Roll a student must have a 3.50-3.74 grade point average. Heather Bantz (Ham Lake, Minn.), Tanya Bolden (Water Valley, Miss.), Takela Corbitt (Bruce, Miss.), Stephanie Murphy (Webb, Miss.) and Becky Myatt (Bon Aqua, Tenn.) made the UMAA Honor Roll, which requires a 3.00-3.49 grade point average.
LADY REBELS WELCOMED BACK FORMER PLAYERS: The Lady Rebels welcomed back many former Ole Miss players the weekend of the Kentucky game in a special Alumni Weekend celebration Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the former players teamed up for an alumni game coached by the juniors and seniors of the current Lady Rebel squad at 4:00 p.m., in Tad Smith Coliseum. That night they held a banquet at Abbeville Catfish with a highlight video of the former players. On Sunday, all former alumni were honored at halftime of the Kentucky game. Players that were present for the weekend included Sheila Sullivan, Mel Brooks, Regan Seybert, Jackie Martin-Glass, Kristen Goehring-Lee, Kimsey ONeal, Anita Milons, Niesha Dobbs, Lucy and Lindy Noble and Patti Ragsdale.
THE RON ALDY SHOW: The Ron Aldy Coaches Show airs weekly at 6:00 p.m., on local cable channel 12 in the Oxford area. The half-hour show will preview upcoming games, feature highlights from previous games, profile a different player and feature a segment called Chalk Talk with one of the assistant coaches.
BETHLEY, CORBITT NAMED TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM: Senior Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) and freshman Takela Corbitt (Bruce, Miss.) were named to the Navy Classic All-Tournament Team. Bethley averaged 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in leading Ole Miss to second place in the tournament. Corbitt averaged 10.5 points including a game-high 15 against Navy. She also had six assists and was 4-of-10 from the three-point line against Navy. It was Bethleys second all-tournament selection as she was named the tournament MVP of the Maine Blackbear Tournament.
MURPHY PULLS DOWN CAREER HIGH IN REBOUNDS: Sophomore forward Stephanie Murphy (Webb, Miss.) grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in the win over UMKC in the first round of the Navy Classic on Dec. 19. Her previous high was eight which she pulled down twice last year.
FIVE MORE MINUTES PLEASE: The Lady Rebels went into overtime for the second game this season as they rallied to beat UMKC in the first round of the Navy Classic on Dec. 19. Sophomore Becky Myatt (Bon Aqua, Tenn.) sank four free-throws in overtime for the win. The Lady Rebels rallied from 12 down in the title game of the Maine Blackbear Tournament to defeat Maine 77-72 in overtime.
LADY REBELS FOR THREEEE!: The Lady Rebels have already scored well over half as many three-pointers in their first 17 games as they scored all year last season. Last year the Lady Rebels tallied 135 three-pointers. They already have 96 this year and are averaging 5.6 per game, two more than last year.
DOUBLE DIGITS: Senior Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) has scored in double digits in every game but one this year. She only had nine points against Tennessee Tech. Bethley is averaging 16.4 points per game. For the past two years, Bethley has scored in double digits in 40 of 48 games.
BETHLEY AMONG SCORING LEADERS IN THE SEC: Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) is currently ranked seventh in the Southeastern Conference in scoring with 16.4 points per game. She has been among the SEC leaders in scoring for the past two years.
BETHLEY ON SEC REBOUNDING LIST: Tarhsa Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) jumped up to fourth in the SEC in rebounding with 7.9 boards per game. She has been among the SEC leaders in rebounding for the past two years.
OTHER LADY REBELS IN THE SEC STATS: Sophomore guard Becky Myatt (Bon Aqua, Tenn.) is ranked fourth in three-point field goals made with 1.94 per game. The Lady Rebels as a team rank second in the SEC in three-point field goals made with 5.6 three-pointers per game. Junior Frankie Boyd (Ethel, Miss.) is third in blocked shots with 1.4 per game.
Ill TAKE THAT: The Lady Rebels are tied with Auburn, Vanderbilt and Georgia for the most blocked shots in a game this season with 11 against Memphis. Ole Miss has 62 blocked shots on the year. The Lady Rebels already have over half as many blocked shots as they had all last year (69) in half as many games (17).
TRAVELING ACROSS THE USA: In 24 years, the Ole Miss Lady Rebel basketball program has been one of the most well-traveled teams in the nation, and with their trip to Annapolis, Md., this year, the Lady Rebels have now visited 30 states in their history.
HOW ABOUT THAT DEFENSE: Things didnt look so good for the Lady Rebels in the first half of the Tennessee Tech game, but they turned it around 180 degrees in the second half. Down 20 points at the half, Ole Miss outscored Tennessee Tech 44-9 in the second half to defeat the Golden Eaglettes 65-50. The nine points is the fewest points allowed in a half in the history of the program.
BOYD NETS CAREER-HIGH IN BLOCKED SHOTS: Junior Frankie Boyd (Ethel, Miss.) notched a career-high four blocked shots in the win over Tennessee Tech. She has 24 blocked shots on the year and is averaging 1.4 per game.
CORBITT DOES IT ALL IN WIN: The win over Oklahoma got started with a Takela shot and it ended with a Takela shot. Takela Corbitt (Bruce, Miss.) scored 14 of the Lady Rebels first 20 points on four consecutive three-pointers. She finished the night with a career-high 16 points on 6-of-9 from the floor including 4-of-5 from three-point range. She also dished out six assists, grabbed two rebounds and had two steals, all while guarding a 6-0 guard.
LOVE THOSE THREEEES!: The Lady Rebels were on fire from beyond the arc against Oklahoma hitting 10 three-pointers. That is the most three-pointers in a game since the Lady Rebels made 11 against Tennessee during the 1996-97 season. The most ever by a Lady Rebel squad in a game is 14 against Wright State in the same season.
EVERYTHINGS BETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND: Things are definitely a lot better the second time around for the Lady Rebels under head coach Ron Aldy. Ole Miss is off to a 12-5 overall record, 3-3 in the SEC this year. They have already won as many games as they did last year with nine regular season games left.
REVENGE IS SWEET: The Lady Rebels have had success in avenging several losses from last year. They have defeated five teams that they loss to last year in Florida Atlantic, Oklahoma, Tennessee Tech, UAB and LSU.
LADY REBELS CAPTURE 33RD REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENT TITLE: The Lady Rebels captured their 33rd regular season tournament title when they won the Dead River Company Classic. In their 24-year history, the Lady Rebels are 98-25 (.797 winning percentage) in regular season tournaments.
BETHLEY NAMED MVP OF TOURNAMENT: Senior forward Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) was named the Most Valuable Player of the Dead River Company Classic. Bethley averaged 23.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the tournament. She scored 22 of her 25 points in the title game, in the final four minutes and in overtime. Frankie Boyd (Ethel, Miss.) was also named to the All-Tournament Team. The junior finished with 21 points in the UNCC game and 10 points in the Maine game.
UNDEFEATED IN MAINE: Ole Miss remained undefeated in the state of Maine by capturing the Dead River Company Classic. The Lady Rebels also won the Maine Tipoff Classic during the 1992-93 season and now have a 4-0 record in the state.
MYATT SCORES CAREER-HIGH: Sophomore guard Becky Myatt scored a career-high 19 points against UNC Charlotte. She was 4-of-8 from the field including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
BOYD NETS CAREER-HIGH: Junior center Frankie Boyd (Ethel, Miss.) scored a career-high 21 points in the win over UNC Charlotte. She has scored in double digits in six games this year.
BETHLEY NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) was named the SEC Player of the Week Monday Nov. 23, for her outstanding performance in leading the Lady Rebels to a 2-1 record the first week. Bethley averaged 16 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists over three games. She became the eighth Lady Rebel to earn SEC Player of the Week honors and the first since Yolanda Moore earned the honor on Dec. 10, 1995.
LADY REBELS HIT THE CENTURY MARK: The Lady Rebels hit the century mark for the second time this season in the win over Florida Atlantic. They also scored 100 points in their first exhibition game against the Slovakian National team.
MORE ON 100 POINTS: Ole Miss 100 points in the win over Florida Atlantic was the most by a Lady Rebel team since the 1994-95 season when they scored 102 in a game against Northeast Louisiana. The Lady Rebels have scored a 100 points 22 times in the 24-year history of the program.
DISHING IT OUT: In addition to scoring her 1,000th career point in the win over Florida Atlantic, senior Tarsha Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) dished out a career-high eight assists.
CORBITT DOES HER BEST TO ASSIST IN WIN: Fresh-man point guard Takela Corbitt (Bruce, Miss.) dished out a career-best six assists in the win over Florida Atlantic. She is averaging 3.1 assists per game and has notched five or more assists on four occasions.
GET THAT OUTTA HERE!: Ole Miss tied a school record in blocked shots against Memphis with 11 blocked shots. Sinissia Wysinger (Many, La.) had four, Frankie Boyd (Ethel, Miss.) had two, and Jennie Gadd (Yorba Linda, Calif.) had two. Ole Miss also blocked 11 shots against Florida on March 8, 1983, and against Arizona State on Dec. 28, 1992.
OH NO YOU DONT: Junior forward Sinissia Wysinger (Many, La.) made sure the Lady Rebels got the win against Memphis, blocking Tiffany Collins shot with 1.4 seconds left to seal a 70-68 win for the Lady Rebels. Wysinger had a career-high four blocked shots in the game.
IMPRESSIVE OUTSIDE THE SEC: The Lady Rebels have compiled an impressive record outside the Southeastern Conference in regular-season play in the decade of the 90s. Ole Miss has a 111-25 record (.816 winning percentage) versus non-SEC teams since the 1990-91 season. The Lady Rebels best non-conference record came during the 1991-92 SEC Championship season, compiling a 15-1 mark versus non-conference foes. The Lady Rebels have an overall 71-25 record (.740 winning percentage) versus non-conference opponents on this years schedule.
WHEW! WHAT A SCHEDULE: As if the SEC schedule isnt tough enough, the Lady Rebels non-conference schedule is one of the toughest in the history of the program. The Lady Rebels have already faced Clemson, who is ranked 16th and Memphis, who spent some time in the AP Poll early in the year and is also receiving votes. Ole Miss traveled to Orono, Maine and won the Maine Black Bear Tournament and also visited Annapolis, Md., for the Navy Classic.
IT KEEPS GOING AND GOING: With eight three-pointers in the LSU game, the Lady Rebels have now hit at least a three-pointer in 137 consecutive games. The record dates back to the 1993-94 campaign. The last time that the Lady Rebels did not hit a three-pointer in a game was on Feb. 23, 1994, in a 73-64 win over Mississippi State in Starkville. In that game against the Lady Bulldogs, Ole Miss went 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. The current 137-game streak bested the previous record of 84 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer. The previous record of 84 consecutive games with a three-pointer began on Jan. 17, 1990, in a 62-44 win over Southern University (1-for-6) and was broken on Dec. 28, 1992, in a 72-71 victory over Arizona State (0-for-5) in the first round of the Rev. Joseph T. Cahill, C.M. Invitational. Ole Miss shot 33.2 percent (171-515) from beyond the arc.
DAVIDSON SPARKS OLE MISS TO VICTORY OVER LSU: Freshman Angela Davidson (Leesiville, La.) came off the bench to score seven points in the final five minutes to lead the Lady Rebels to a 66-59 victory over LSU last Sunday in Tad Smith Coliseum. Davidson, who only played in the final five minutes of the game, jumped started the Ole Miss offense, sinking 2-of-3 attempts from the floor and converting 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Ole Miss outscored LSU 16-to-7 during that span. The Lady Rebels opened up a 45-30 lead with 15:10 remaining in the second half, but the Lady Tigers would claw their way back into the game with a 22-5 run during the next 10 minutes. Freshman Takela Corbitt (Bruce, Miss.) posted a team-high 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, including a perfect 4-of-4 from behind the three-point arc. Senior Tarhsa Bethley (Hollandale, Miss.) recorded 15 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds in the win. LSU point guard Latasha Dorsey led the the Lady Tigers with 18 points, while Marie Ferdinand added 16 second-half points. Katrina Hibbert chipped in 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
REBEL RAMBLINGS: Ole Miss was picked to finish ninth in the SEC preseason poll voted on by the media. Tennessee was a unanimous pick to win their eighth overall SEC womens title this year, followed by Georgia, Alabama, Florida Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Kentucky. The Lady Rebels will play eight teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last year.
