The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebels Begin SEC Schedule Against No. 23 Vanderbilt
1/5/2001 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2001
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OLE MISS (11-1) vs. #23/#22 Vanderbilt (11-2)
DATE: Jan. 7, 2000
TIME: 2:00 p.m.
SITE: Oxford, Miss.
RADIO: WTNM 105.5 FM
OLE MISS TO BEGIN SEC PLAY AT VANDERBILT
Ole Miss takes its 11-1 record to Nashville this Sunday to face the Vanderbilt Commodores (11-2), who are ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll and No. 22 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. This will mark the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Game time is 2:00 p.m. at Memorial Gym.
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".
LADY REBELS' WIN STREAK ENDS
The Lady Rebels saw their 11-game win streak come to an end, as Tennessee Tech handed them a 71-56 loss last Sunday in Tad Smith Coliseum. Please see page 2 for boxscore and recap.
SCOUTING VANDERBILT
Vanderbilt comes into the SEC opener with a 11-2 record. They are coming off a 103-67 win over Howard, Thursday night. The Commodores' two losses came against nationally-ranked Xavier and Penn State. Sophomore center Chantelle Anderson leads the Commodores with 20.7 points per game and ranks third in the SEC. Junior forward Zuzi Klimesova is averaging 16.5 points and a team-leading 8.8 rebounds per game. The Commodores have four players averaging double figures with Jillian Danker netting 13.9 and freshman Jenni Benningfield scoring 12.1 points per game respectively. Vanderbilt leads the conference in scoring at 86.5 points per game. They also lead the SEC in field goal percentage (58.4 percent) and in three-point field goal percentage (46.4 percent).
SERIES RECORD
This will be the 27th meeting between the two schools and the first of two meetings this year. With the league now playing 14 games, the Lady Rebels will play Vanderbilt and Alabama twice this year in addition to Mississippi State. Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 15-11 including winning both meetings last year. The Commodores defeated the Lady Rebels 60-38 in Oxford and then 59-51 in Nashville. Vanderbilt has won six in a row and seven of the last eight. Ole Miss' last win in the series came during the 1995-96 season as they beat the Commodores 72-53 in Oxford.
HAVE WE DONE THIS BEFORE?
Sunday will be the second consecutive year that Ole Miss and Vanderbilt have met in the SEC opener for both teams. The two teams met last year in the conference opener with Vanderbilt winning 60-38 in Oxford.
OLE MISS VS. TENNESSEE SCHOOLS
Ole Miss owns a 75-55 record (.576 winning percentage) versus schools from the Volunteer state. The following is a list of the schools from Tennessee that Ole Miss has played and their records against those schools.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Ole Miss and Vanderbilt have two common opponents outside the SEC, on their schedule. The Commodores and the Lady Rebels both defeated Murray State and Vermont. The Lady Rebels downed Murray State 85-45 and defeated Vermont 85-75 in the championship game of the Howard Bank Classic. Vanderbilt downed Murray State 99-52 in November and handed Vermont an 84-66 loss on New Year's Eve.
LADY REBELS FROM TENNESSEE
The Lady Rebels have two players on their roster from the state of Tennessee. Senior Becky Myatt hails from Bon Aqua, and freshman Tenisha Gist comes from Athens. Vanderbilt has only one player on its roster from the Volunteer state. Sophomore point guard Ashley McElhiney hails from Gleason, Tenn.
SEC OPENERS
Ole Miss is 14-5 all-time in SEC openers but have lost the last three conference openers. They lost last season's SEC opener a 60-38 defeat to Vanderbilt.
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 four teams to have won 100 conference games. Tennessee (159), Georgia (134) and Auburn (117) are the other three SEC schools which have won 100 conference games. The Lady Rebels have 102 conference wins.
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 three threes in the game and now has 198.
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 1,004 points and needs 11 to pass Carol Ross for 18th place.
MYATT FROM DOWNTOWN
Becky Myatt has scored at least one three-pointer in 41 of the last 46 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 against Indiana and four versus Tennessee Tech.
MYATT NEARS ANOTHER MILESTONE
Becky Myatt needs five assists to record her 300th career assist. She has 295 career assists.
MORE MILESTONES FOR MYATT
Becky Myatt needs 25 rebounds to reach 400 for her career. She has 375 rebounds and is averaging 4.7 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 has notched double digits in sevenstraight games and eight of the last nine. She has 51 career double-digit games.
STARTING AT GUARD
Becky Myatt will mark another significant accomplishment when the Lady Rebels meet Vanderbilt on Sunday. In front of her home state, and family and friends, Myatt will start her 100th consecutive career game. 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 Sunday, finishing at 33.3 percent on 21-of-63 from the floor. It was only the second time all year that the Lady Rebels have shot under 40 percent. Last year they averaged 35.6 percent for the 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.
FINAL TWO
Until Sunday, Ole Miss was one of only two teams to have both its men's and women's teams undefeated. Baylor was the other. In addition, the Lady Rebels were the last undefeated team in the SEC until Tennessee Tech defeated them.
STREAK COMES TO AN END
With their loss to Tennessee Tech, Ole Miss ends 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.
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.
ALL OVER THE GLASS
Junior forward Von Kirk scored seven points in the to help the Lady Rebels defeat Indiana, but she made her presence known on the glass even more, grabbing a career-best nine rebounds, all on defense. Her previous high was seven, achieved three times last year.
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 5.6 per game. In five of the first 12 games, Moton has grabbed at least seven rebounds. She tied her career-high with nine rebounds in the win over Northern Arizona. She had nine against Montana State last year. She pulled down eight against Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State this year.
TRIPLE DOUBLE
The Lady Rebels have had three players score in double digits in nine of the first 12 games. They are 9-0 when at least three players score in double digits and 2-1 when less 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 12 games, 10 players are averaging double-digit minutes, including freshman Tywanna Inmon, who is averaging 18.5 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 12 games, the Lady Rebels have attempted 281 free throws, more than 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 against Tennessee Tech. She had seven against Murray State, five against Southeastern Louisiana and six versus Middle Tennessee. Wright has six games with at least five assists and is among the league leaders with 4.4 per game.
OOPS
In their first 12 games, the Lady Rebels have forced their opponents into an average of 21.1 turnovers per game. Last year, their opponents averaged 18.4 turnovers per game.
TAKE IT AWAY
In their first 12 games, the Lady Rebels are averaging 10.8 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 fifth 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 16.6 points per game. Ole Miss is averaging 74.2 points per game, while its opponents are netting 57.6.
LOOKING FOR THREES
Last year the Lady Rebels averaged a league-leading 7.25 three-pointers per game. Through the first 12 games of this season, the Lady Rebels are only averaging 5.0 threes per game. Senior guard Becky Myatt has nearly half of the Lady Rebels' three-pointers as she is averaging 2.4 treys per game.
STREAK STILL ALIVE
Ole Miss hit seven three-pointers in against Tennessee Tech. They have now hit at least one three-pointer in 186 consecutive games. The NCAA record for consecutive games with at least one three-pointer is 277 held by Louisville, who has hit a three-pointer in 277 straight games since 1991.
POINTS PER GAME
Through 12 games, Ole Miss is averaging 9.3 points per game more than last year. The Lady Rebels averaged 64.9 points per game last year and are averaging 74.2 this year.
BETTER PERCENTAGE = MORE POINTS
The Lady Rebels are shooting 42.9 percent from the floor through the first 12 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 12 games. They are third in the SEC in free throw percentage. The Lady Rebels are averaging 70.8, up 10.2 points from last year's percentage of 60.6.
OLE MISS IN THE SEC
As of Jan. 5, the Lady Rebels ranked seventh in the SEC in scoring at 74.2 points per game. Vanderbilt leads the conference in scoring with 86.5 points per game. Ole Miss is sixth in scoring margin at +16.5 points per game. They rank third in scoring defense at 57.6 points per game and fourth in three-point field goal percentage defense at 28.7 percent. The Lady Rebels also rank third in free-throw percentage at 70.8 and fourth in steals with 10.8 per game.
LADY REBELS AMONG SEC LEADERS
Senior Becky Myatt is among the SEC leaders in scoring, three-point field goals, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. She is second in three-pointers made per game, fourth in 3-pt field goal percentage and ninth in free throw percentage. Junior Sherika Wright ranks ninth in assists.
LADY REBELS RECEIVING VOTES IN COACHES POLL
Ole Miss received 39 votes in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll released Monday, which places them 27th. Utah is ahead of the Lady Rebels with 61 votes. 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 40 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.
MORE IMPRESSIVE IN DECEMBER GAMES
December is supposed to be a time of giving, but the Lady Rebels were not in the giving mood very often in the month of December. They are 163-40 all-time (.802 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 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.
