The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels To Fifth-Ranked Georgia
1/24/2001 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 24, 2001
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OLE MISS (13-4, 1-3)
vs.
#5 Georgia (16-3, 4-1)
DATE: Jan. 25, 2001
TIME: 7:30 p.m. EST
SITE: Oxford, Miss.
RADIO: WTNM 105.5 FM
OLE MISS TRAVELS TO ATHENS FOR GAME AGAINST NO. 5 GEORGIA
Ole Miss (13-4, 1-3) will travel to Athens, Ga., this Thursday for a game against the No. 5 Georgia Lady Bulldogs. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. EST in Stegeman Coliseum.
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 1999 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".
RON ALDY COACHES SHOW
The third edition of the "Ron Aldy Coaches Show" kicks off this week. The show will air in Oxford Tuesday's at 6 p.m. on local cable channel 12. The weekly half-hour show will include player features, game analysis from coach and highlights from each game.
LADY REBELS FALL TO LSU 72-60
LSU's Marie Ferdinand scored 19 points to lead the No. 12 Lady Tigers to a 72-60 win over Ole Miss, Sunday. Please see page 2 for boxscore and recap.
SCOUTING GEORGIA
Georgia enters Thursday's game with a 16-3 overall record, 4-1 in the SEC. They are coming off a 77-60 win over Auburn on Saturday. Georgia's only loss in conference was a 85-69 defeat at Tennessee. The Lady Bulldogs are led by senior forward Coco Miller, who is averaging 17.5 points per game. Her twin sister, senior guard Kelly Miller, is averaging 14.9 points per game. Georgia boast three starters in double figures with Tawana McDonald netting 11.2 points per game and a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per game. The Lady Bulldogs rank second in the league in scoring at 83.5 points per game. They are shooting 45.9 percent from the field for fourth in the league.
SERIES RECORD
This will be the 24th meeting between Georgia and Ole Miss. Georgia leads the series 16-7. The Lady Bulldogs have won six of the last seven meetings. Ole Miss' last win in the series came in the first round of the SEC Tournament in 1999, as they took a 77-73 victory. Georgia defeated Ole Miss 75-51 last year in Oxford. Please see a recap and boxscore from the last meeting on page 5.
AT GEORGIA
Ole Miss will be looking for its first win in Stegeman Coliseum, when its meet No. 5 Georgia, Thursday. The Lady Rebels are 0-7 at Georgia. The closest they came to winning in Athens, was the 1994-95 season when Georgia won 80-77 in overtime.
OLE MISS VS. GEORGIA SCHOOLS
The Lady Rebels have played two other schools from the state of Georgia. Ole Miss is 1-0 versus Georgia Southern and 2-4 against Valdosta State.
LADY REBELS FROM GEORGIA
The Lady Rebels have two players on their roster from the state of Georgia. Sherika Wright hails from Augusta, and Kim Ufford comes from Roswell. Georgia has one player on its roster from Mississippi. Freshman Ebony Felder is from Jackson.
INJURY UPDATE
Senior Stephanie Murphy is out with a torn ACL in her left knee.
LADY REBELS ONE OF WINNINGEST TEAMS IN SEC
Since the Southeastern Conference began regular-season play in the 1981-82 season, the Lady Rebels have posted a winning record in conference play in 11 of 19 years. The Lady Rebels are one of five teams to have won 100 conference games. Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn and Vanderbilt, who joined the group this year, are the other four SEC schools which have won 100 conference games. LSU needs one and Alabama needs four SEC wins to join the group. The Lady Rebels have 103 conference wins.
THE LAST TIME
The last time Ole Miss defeated a ranked opponent was Feb. 22, 1999, when they handed then No. 22 ranked Auburn an 86-77 loss in Oxford.
RANKED OPPONENTS
The Lady Rebels have already faced three ranked opponents in their first four SEC games as they get to set to meet fifth-ranked Georgia.
INMON DOUBLES UP AGAIN
Freshman forward Tywanna Inmon recorded her second double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against LSU. She had 14 points and 11 rebounds against West Alabama. Inmon has seven double-digit games and has scored in double figures in three of the last four games. She has four straight games with at least seven rebounds. Inmon is averaging 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
LEADING SCORER GOES SCORELESS
Senior guard Becky Myatt was held scoreless in the LSU game going 0-for-6. It marked only the fourth time that Myatt has been held scoreless. The last time she was held scoreless was Feb. 13 of last year against Vanderbilt.
THE WIN OVER ALABAMA
Ole Miss notched its first win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 10 years. Prior to last Thursday night's win in Tuscaloosa, the Lady Rebels had not won there since Feb. 6, 1991.
SEC ROAD WINS HARD TO COME BY
The SEC is arguably the top conference in women's basketball and so a road win is nice anyway you can get it. The Lady Rebels' road win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa, was their first conference road win since they defeated Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1998-99.
FRESHMAN HAS CAREER NIGHT
Freshman forward Tywanna Inmon enjoyed her finest performance as a Lady Rebel in the Alabama game, scorching the Crimson Tide for a career-high 22 points on 7of-14 from the field and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe.
JACKSON RECORDS FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Junior Saundra Jackson recorded her first career double-double in the win over Belmont, with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
JACKSON GRABS CAREER-HIGH
Saundra Jackson had a career night on the boards against Belmont, grabbing a career-best 14 re-bounds including nine offensive rebounds.
DISHING IT OUT
Junior Sherika Wright dished out a career-high eight assists in the win over Belmont to go along with 14 points. Her previous best was seven three times. Wright is averaging 4.4 assists per game.
EXTRA TIME
In the win over Belmont, the Lady Rebels improved to 9-10 overall in overtime games and 5-1 in overtime games at home. Tuesday's overtime game was the first since a 62-61 overtime win against Missouri-Kansas City on Dec. 19, 1998. The Lady Rebel's last home overtime game was a 1991-92 win (80-78) against Tennessee.
MYATT SETS THREE-POINT RECORD
With 15:48 to go in the first half of the Tennessee Tech game, Becky Myatt hit her 195th career three-pointer, becoming the all-time leader. She passed Regan Seybert who had 194 from 1994-97. Myatt hit her 200th career three-pointer in the Vanderbilt game and has 205.
WHAT'S THIS? A NEW LINEUP
With three consecutive losses, head coach Ron Aldy decided to shake up the starting lineup a bit. For 12 of the first 14 games, he had started Sherika Wright, Becky Myatt, Saundra Jackson, TaShondrea Moton and Von Kirk. In the last three games, he has started Wright, Myatt, Inmon, Kirk and Moton.
ANOTHER GRAND PLAYER?
Becky Myatt accomplished two milestones against Tennessee Tech. She scored 17 points to become the 19th Lady Rebel to score 1,000 points in a career. She currently has 1,044 points and ranks 18th on the all-time list. She needs 59 points to pass Kristen Goehring for 17th place.
MYATT FROM DOWNTOWN
Becky Myatt has scored at least one three-pointer in 45 of the last 51 games dating back to the Mississippi State game on Feb. 11 of 1999. She has hit a three-pointer in 11 out of 12 games. She had four three-pointers in the win over Murray State three against Indiana and four versus Tennessee Tech.
MYATT DISHES OUT 300TH ASSIST
Becky Myatt tallied three assists in the win over Belmont to record her 300th career assist. She has 306 career assists.
MORE MILESTONES FOR MYATT
Becky Myatt needs eight rebounds to reach 400 for her career. She has 392 rebounds and is averaging 4.3 per game this year. She notched a career-best 10 rebounds against Arkansas State and has five games with at least seven rebounds.
MYATT AND DOUBLE DIGITS
Becky Myatt's string of eight straight games with double digits ended in the loss to Mississippi State as she only had seven points. She has scored in double digits in 10 of the last 12 games. She has 54 career double-digit games.
STARTING AT GUARD
Becky Myatt marked another accomplishment in her outstanding career in the Vanderbilt game. In front of her home state, and family and friends, Myatt started her 100th consecutive career game and has now started 104 career games. In addition, Myatt has led the team in minutes played averaging nearly 33 minutes per game.
WHOA, THE SHOOTING
The Lady Rebels had their worst shooting performance of the season against LSU. The Lady Rebels shot 32.8 percent on 21-of-64 from the field. The Lady Rebels are still shooting 41.7 percent for the year, better than the 36.5 percent from last year.
HOW DID THE START RANK?
The Lady Rebels 11-0 start to the season, was the best start since the 1988-89 season, when Ole Miss started the season 13-0 before losing at Tennessee, 68-61. The Lady Rebels went on to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight that year.
CONSECUTIVE VICTORIES
Where does the 11-game winning streak rank in Ole Miss history. The Lady Rebels' 11-game winning streak to start the season, ties for the third best in the history of the program. The 1991-92 team won 25 consecutive games and the 1984-85 team won 24 straight. This year's streak tied the 1975-76 and 1982-83 teams.
STREAK COMES TO AN END
With their loss to Tennessee Tech, Ole Miss ended a streak that saw them win 14 consecutive non-conference games at Tad Smith Coliseum dating back to Nov. 22, 1998. Their last home non-conference loss prior to Tennessee Tech, was against Clemson on Nov. 16, 1998.
LADY REBELS MAKE THE GRADE
Several Lady Rebels were impressive in the classroom last fall, making one of the three University Honor Rolls. Kim Ufford made the Chancellor's Honor. Becky Myatt made the Dean's Honor Roll. Takela Corbitt, Tenisha Gist, Leah Henley, Tywanna Inmon and TaShondrea Moton made the UMAA Honor Roll. All four of the managers made one of the honor rolls as well. Emily Brawner and Tiffany Gray made the Chancellor's Honor Roll, Amanda Walker made the Dean's Honor Roll and Brittany Aldy made the UMAA Honor Roll.
TRIPLE DOUBLE
The Lady Rebels have had three players score in double digits in 12 of the first 17 games. They are 10-2 when at least three players score in double digits and 3-2 when less than three players record double digits.
SPREADING IT AROUND
The Lady Rebels are more balanced this year and have more depth. Just look at the minutes per game. Through their first 17 games, 10 players are averaging double-digit minutes, including freshman Tywanna Inmon, who is averaging 20.9 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 17 games, the Lady Rebels have attempted 375 free throws, just over 100 shy of the 459 they attempted during last year.
DISHING IT OUT
Junior guard Sherika Wright has proven she can score, but she can dish it out as well. Wright notched a career-best eight assists against Belmont. She had seven against Murray State, Arkansas State and Tennessee Tech, five against Southeastern Louisiana and six versus Middle Tennessee. Wright has eight games with at least five assists and is among the league leaders with 4.4 per game.
OOPS
In their first 17 games, the Lady Rebels have forced their opponents into an average of 19.7 turnovers per game. Last year, their opponents averaged 18.4 turnovers per game.
TAKE IT AWAY
In their first 17 games, the Lady Rebels are averaging 9.4 steals per game. They only averaged 7.5 last year. Against Southeastern Louisiana, the Lady Rebels recorded a season-best 23 steals. Ole Miss ranks seventh in the SEC in steals per game.
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 11.0 points per game. Ole Miss is averaging 71.1 points per game, while its opponents are netting 60.1.
LOOKING FOR THREES
Last year the Lady Rebels averaged a league-leading 7.25 three-pointers per game. Through the first 17 games of this season, the Lady Rebels are only averaging 5.4 threes per game. Senior guard Becky Myatt has nearly half of the Lady Rebels' three-pointers as she is averaging 2.1 treys per game.
STREAK STILL ALIVE
Ole Miss hit nine three-pointers against LSU. They have now hit at least one three-pointer in 191 consecutive games. The NCAA record for consecutive games with at least one three-pointer is held by Louisville, who has hit a three-pointer in 280 straight games since 1991.
POINTS PER GAME
Through 17 games, Ole Miss is averaging 6.2 points per game more than last year. The Lady Rebels averaged 64.9 points per game last year and are averaging 71.1 this year.
BETTER PERCENTAGE = MORE POINTS
The Lady Rebels are shooting 41.7 percent from the floor through the first 17 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 17 games. The Lady Rebels are averaging 68.5, up 7.9 points from last year's percentage of 60.6.
OLE MISS IN THE SEC
In the latest SEC stats, Ole Miss is ranked eighth in the SEC in scoring at 71.1 points per game. Vanderbilt leads the conference in scoring with 84.3 points per game. Ole Miss is seventh in scoring margin at +11.0 points per game. They rank fourth in scoring defense at 60.1 points per game and second in three-point field goal percentage defense at 27.5 percent. The Lady Rebels also rank third in three-point field goals with 5.41.
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 third in three-pointers made per game, fifth in 3-pt field goal percentage and sixth in free throw percentage. Junior Sherika Wright ranks eighth in assists.
LADY REBELS RECEIVING VOTES IN AP POLL
Ole Miss received eight votes in the Associated Press poll released Monday, and no votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. Five SEC teams are ranked in the AP Poll and six are ranked in the coaches poll.
OLE MISS SUCCESSFUL IN REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENTS
With their Beach Classic title, the Lady Rebels have won 36 regular season tournament titles. Ole Miss now owns a 108-26 record in regular season tournaments. The Lady Rebels defeated Wichita State 68-62 in the first round of the Beach Classic and then rallied to beat Indiana 69-67 for the title. They Lady Rebels also won the Vermont Howard Bank Classic in November. They downed Radford University 91-62 in the first round and then defeated Vermont 85-75 in the championship game.
MVP AGAIN
Senior guard Becky Myatt scored 20 points including two key three-pointers in the final seconds against Indiana, to earn Most Valuable Player of the Beach Classic. This marked the second such honor for Myatt this season, as she also earned MVP status at the Vermont Howard Bank Classic.
MYATT ON ALL-TOURNEY TEAMS
Becky Myatt's selection to the All-Tournament team of the Beach Classic makes it four in a row. She was named to both the Montana State Gran Tree Inn Classic All-Tournament Team and the Northern Arizona Hilton Garden Inn Classic All-Tournament Team last year.
SHERIKA ENJOYED THE BEACH TOO
Junior college transfer Sherika Wright had a good time at the Beach Classic as well, scoring 27 points and eight assists in two games to make the All-Tournament team. She scored 12 of her 14 points against Indiana in the second half to help ignite the Lady Rebel comeback.
OLE MISS AMONG TOP 40 IN STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
In the latest WBCA/Summerville RPI for the 2000-01 season released Jan. 5, Ole Miss is ranked 36th. The Lady Rebels have had one of the toughest schedules in the nation the last three years.
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 and traveled to Long Beach Calif, 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 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.
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 132-48 record (.733 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 52-9 record (.852 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.
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.
