The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Basketball Takes On Northern Arizona
12/15/2000 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2000
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Ole Miss (8-0) closes out a three-game home-stand with Northern Arizona (3-6) Sunday, Dec. 17. Game time is 2:00 p.m. in Tad Smith Coliseum.
OLE MISS (8-0) vs. Northern Arizona (3-6)
DATE: Dec. 17, 2000
TIME: 2:00 p.m.
SITE: Oxford, Miss.
RADIO: WTNM 105.5 FM
ALDY BEGINS FOURTH YEAR
Ron Aldy is in his fourth year as the person in charge of rebuilding Ole Miss women's basketball back to where it once was. Aldy has dedicated himself to making Ole Miss a winner on and off the court. After a difficult first season, Aldy guided the team to its 23rd winning season in 199 and a return trip to postseason play. Following a return to postseason play two years ago, the ship appeared to be headed in the right direction for Ole Miss women's basketball. The 1999-2000 season was sailing along with a 10-2 start in non-conference action. Then the Lady Rebels hit SEC play, where they lost seven games by 10 points or less. Injuries began to mount, and the Lady Rebels were unable to get the ship back on course. With more determination and motivation, the Lady Rebels look ahead to the 2000-01 season. Off the court, the Lady Rebels have made tremendous strides academically and in the community. In 1999, Ole Miss led the league with six players named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and in 2000 were second with six. Since Aldy got here, five players have received their bachelor's degrees.
LADY REBELS ON SUPERTALK MISSISSIPPI 105.5 FM
For the past 15 years, all Lady Rebel home games have been broadcast on WQLJ Q93.7 FM. This year the Lady Rebel games will be broadcast on WTNM Supertalk Mississippi (105.5 FM), with each broadcast beginning 15 minutes prior to the scheduled tip-off. Gary Darby returns for his ninth season as the ?Voice of the Lady Rebels?.
LADY REBELS GO TO 8-0 WITH WIN OVER ARKANSAS STATE
Senior guard Becky Myatt recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Ole Miss to a 69-54 win over Arkansas State Thursday night. Please see page 2 for boxscore and recap.
WHO'S UNDEFEATED
Ole Miss is one of only four schools to have both its men's and women's basketball teams undefeated on the season. Tennessee, Alabama and Baylor are the other three schools to have both programs without a loss.
HOME SWEET HOME
Tad Smith Coliseum has been a good home for the Lady Rebels. Over the last 25 seasons. The Lady Rebels have compiled an impressive 286-55 record for an incredible winning percentage of .839. In their 25 seasons in Tad Smith Coliseum, the Lady Rebels have had four undefeated home seasons in 1978-79 (11-0), 1981-82 (17-0), 1983-84 (13-0) and 1991-92 (14-0).
SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA
Northern Arizona enters the game with a 3-6 record. They are coming off a 77-55 win over Wyoming. Their other two wins came against Idaho (61-48) and Fresno State (57-52). The Lumberjacks are led by junior guard Kara Kleinhenz, who is averaging 11.9 points per game. Junior forward Bridgette Wickham is second on the team at 10.8 points and leads the team in rebounding with 7.0 rebounds per game. The Lumberjacks are only averaging 59.3 points per game and are shooting 37.1 percent. They are netting 34.7 rebounds per game, while giving up 41.4.
SERIES RECORD
Northern Arizona leads the series 1-0. The Lumberjacks handed Ole Miss a 78-65 loss last year in the finale of the Hilton Garden Inn Classic in Flagstaff. Please see page 5 for a recap of that game.
THE LAST TIME ...
The last time Ole Miss started a season 8-0 was the 1994-95 season. They won 10 straight that year before falling to Vanderbilt 91-54.
MYATT DOUBLES UP ...
Becky Myatt recorded her second career double-double in the win over Arkansas State. She scored 15 points, and grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds. Myatt also tallied four assists and two steals in the win. She had a double-double in her freshman campaign with 14 points and 10 assists in the win over Arkansas State.
MYATT HITS CAREER MARK ...
Becky Myatt grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in the win over Arkansas State. She had eight defensive rebounds. Her previous high was eight against Auburn in 1998.
MOTON ON THE GLASS ...
Junior TaShondrea Moton has been a force on the boards for the Lady Rebels this year as she leads the team in rebounding at 5.8 per game. In four of the first eight games, Moton has grabbed at least seven rebounds. She pulled down eight against Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State. Her career-high is nine against Montana State last year.
TOUGH AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE FOES AT THE TAD PAD ...
Ole Miss has won 13 consecutive non-conference games at Tad Smith Coliseum dating back to Nov. 22, 1998. Their last home non-conference loss was against Clemson on Nov. 16, 1998.
TRIPLE DOUBLE ...
The Lady Rebels have had three players score in double digits in seven of the first eight games.
SPREADING IT AROUND ...
The Lady Rebels are more balanced this year and have more depth. Just look at the minutes per game. Of the 14 players that are currently playing, 10 of them are averaging double-digit minutes, including freshman Tywanna Inmon, who is averaging 18.7 minutes per game.
TAKIN' IT TO THE HOLE ...
The Lady Rebels are taking the ball to the hole more often this year than they have in the past. In the first eight games, the Lady Rebels have attempted 215 free throws, almost half of the 459 they attempted during the 1999-2000 season.
DISHING IT OUT ...
Junior guard Sherika Wright has proven she can score, but she can dish it out as well. Wright tied her career-best with seven assists in the win over Arkansas State. She had seven against Murray State, five against Southeastern Louisiana and six versus Middle Tennessee. Wright has five games with at least five assists.
OOPS ...
In their first eight games, the Lady Rebels have forced their opponents into an average of 23.3 turnovers per game. Last year, their opponents averaged 18.4 turnovers per game.
TAKE IT AWAY ...
In their first eight games, the Lady Rebels are averaging 12.5 steals per game. They only averaged 7.5 last year. Against Southeastern Louisiana, the Lady Rebels recorded a season-best 23 steals.
DEFENSE GETS THE JOB DONE ...
Lady Rebel head coach Ron Aldy said that he wanted his team to be more agressive defensively this year, and they are doing something right. The Lady Rebels are outscoring their opponents by a margin of 24.6 points per game. Ole Miss is averaging 80.4 points per game, while its opponents are netting 55.5.
LOOKING FOR THREES ...
Last year the Lady Rebels averaged a league-leading 7.25 three-pointers per game. Through the first eight games of this season, the Lady Rebels are only averaging 5.0 threes per game. Senior guard Becky Myatt has half of the Lady Rebels' three-pointers as she is averaging 2.4 treys per game.
COULD IT BE ANOTHER GRAND PLAYER?
Senior guard Becky Myatt needs 56 points to become the 19th Lady Rebel to score 1,000 points in a career. She had 15 points in the win over Arkansas State and currently has 944 career points.
STARTING AT GUARD
Senior guard Becky Myatt has started 95 consecutive games since her freshman year. In addition, Myatt has led the team in minutes played averaging nearly 33 minutes per game.
MYATT FROM DOWNTOWN
Becky Myatt has scored at least one three-pointer in 37 of the last 42 games dating back to the Mississippi State game on Feb. 11 of 1999. She has at least one three-pointer in every game this year except Southeastern Louisiana. She had four three-pointers in the win over Murray State.
THREE-POINT RECORD IN JEOPARDY
Regan Seybert is the all-time leader in three-pointers with 194, a record she set in 1997. But, that record is about to fall as senior Becky Myatt needs only seven threes to become the career three-point leader. Myatt now has 188 career threes.
STREAK STILL ALIVE
Ole Miss hit eight three-pointers in the win over Arkansas State. They have now hit at least one three-pointer in 184 consecutive games. The NCAA record for consecutive games with at least one three-pointer is 275 held by Louisville, who has hit a three-pointer in 275 straight games since 1991.
POINTS PER GAME
Through eight games, Ole Miss is averaging 15.5 points per game more than last year. The Lady Rebels averaged 64.9 points per game last year and are averaging 80.4 this year.
BETTER PERCENTAGE = MORE POINTS
The Lady Rebels are shooting 43.9 percent from the floor through the first eight games of the season. Last year they shot just 36.5 percent.
LADY REBELS LIKE CHARITY
The Lady Rebels have been taking advantage of charity this season through the first eight games. They are third in the SEC in free throw percentage. The Lady Rebels are averaging 72.1, up 11.5 points from last year's percentage of 60.6.
OLE MISS IN THE SEC
The Lady Rebels rank sixth in the SEC in scoring at 80.4 points per game. Tennessee leads the conference in scoring with 86.6 points per game. Ole Miss is fourth in scoring margin at +24.6 points per game. They rank third in scoring defense at 55.5 points per game and first in three-point field goal percentage defense at 24.5 percent. The Lady Rebels also rank third in free-throw percentage at 72.1 and fifth in rebounding at 42.1 per game. Ole Miss is second in steals with 12.5 per game.
LADY REBELS AMONG SEC LEADERS
Senior Becky Myatt is among the SEC leaders in three-point field goals, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. She is tied for third in three-pointers made per game, sixth in 3-pt field goal percentage and fourth in free throw percentage.
LADY REBELS RECEIVING VOTES IN BOTH POLLS
Ole Miss received six votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll released Monday. They are receiving 44 votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. Seven SEC teams are ranked in both polls.
ANOTHER TOUGH SCHEDULE
Two years ago, the Lady Rebels had the 10th toughest schedule in the nation and last year's ranked right up there in the top 25. This year's schedule features 14 teams that made postseason play, including eight NCAA tournament teams. Highlighting the schedule are trips to NCAA participant Vermont Nov. 17-18 and WNIT participant Long Beach State in December. Six SEC teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 and the USA Today/ESPN Top 25.
OLE MISS AMONG TOP 20 IN STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
In the latest WBCA/Summerville RPI for the 2000-01 season released Dec. 12, Ole Miss is ranked 36th. The Lady Rebels have had one of the toughest schedules in the nation the last three years.
CHICKEN ANYONE?
The Abner's Chicken promotion returns again this season. If the Lady Rebels hold an opponent to under 50 points or score 100 points in a game, fans receive half off the price of a five-piece chicken plate at Abner's, with their game-day program insert. The Lady Rebels have accomplished this feat twice this year, as they held West Alabama to 45 points and Southeastern Louisiana to only 38 points.
NOVEMBER GAMES ...
The Lady Rebels are 56-16 all-time (.777 winning percentage) in the month of November including a 4-0 record this year in November.
MORE IMPRESSIVE IN DECEMBER GAMES
December is supposed to be a time of giving, but the Lady Rebels have not been in the giving mood very often in the month of December. They are 160-39 all-time (.804 winning percentage) in the month of December.
TRAVELING WITH THE LADY REBELS
The Lady Rebels are one of the most well-traveled teams in the nation, having visited 33 states including Washington, D.C., and Aruba and Puerto Rico. This year, the Lady Rebels visited Vermont for the first time. Following the Northern Arizona game, they will travel to California for the Beach Classic.
LADY REBELS GOLDEN IN WIN OVER TIGERS
The Lady Rebels 50-point margin against West Alabama, tied for the ninth widest margin of victory in the history of the program. Ole Miss defeated Montevallo 100-50 on Dec. 3, 1977.
OLE MISS WINS VERMONT HOWARD BANK CLASSIC
The Lady Rebels, behind the stellar guard play of Becky Myatt Von Kirk, and Sherika Wright, captured the Vermont Howard Bank Classic this past weekend in Burlington, Vt. Myatt scored 23 points including two key three-pointers at the end of the game to lead the Lady Rebels to an 85-75 win over Vermont in the championship game. She also had seven rebounds to earn tournament MVP honors. Kirk, who tallied 17 points was also named to the All-Tournament team. Wright scored in double digits both nights with 20 and 16 points respectively. Ole Miss downed Radford University in the first round 91-62.
OLE MISS SUCCESSFUL IN REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENTS
With their Howard Bank Classic title, the Lady Rebels have won 35 regular season tournament titles. Ole Miss now owns a 105-26 record in regular season tournaments. The Lady Rebels downed Radford University 91-62 in the first round and then defeated Vermont 85-75 in the championship game.
MYATT GARNERS SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Senior guard Becky Myatt was rewarded again, for her outstanding play in the Vermont Howard Bank Classic by being named the SEC Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 20. Myatt averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. She sank two crucial three-pointers with just over four minutes remaining in the championship game to seal the title for the Lady Rebels. Myatt is the ninth Lady Rebel to be named SEC Player of the Week and the first since Tarsha Bethley earned the honor in November of 1998.
MYATT NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-SEC TEAM
Senior guard Becky Myatt was named to the 2000-01 preseason All-SEC second team. The team was voted on by the media members attending SEC Media Days Nov. 1-2 in Birmingham. Myatt is one of six guards on either the first or second team. Myatt averaged 9.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last year. She ranked among the top five in the SEC in three-pointers per game.
IMPRESSIVE OUTSIDE THE SEC
The Lady Rebels have compiled an impressive record outside the Southeastern Conference in regular-season play since 1990. Ole Miss owns a 129-48 record (.729 winning percentage) versus non-conference teams since 1990. The Lady Rebels' best non-conference record since came during the 1991-92 SEC Championship season, as they compiled a 15-1 mark versus non-conference foes. The Lady Rebels have an overall 49-9 record (.845 winning percentage) versus non-conference opponents on this year's schedule.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
Ole Miss will appear on television twice this year. FoxSportsNetSouth will televise the Lady Rebels' game against Auburn on Feb. 18 in Tad Smith Coliseum. College Sports Southeast will show the game at Mississippi State on Feb. 1 tape delayed.
INJURIES
Sophomore center Shayla Day is out with problems in her feet.
TIP-INS
Senior Stephanie Murphy graduated last year and is taking graduate courses...She is also serving as a minister at Providence Methodist Church...Murphy gave her first sermon on Oct. 15...Chandra Dorsey, a Criminal Justice major, interned this summer with the University Police Department ...Takela Corbitt attended the NCAA Leadership conference this summer.
