.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
11-2, 0-1
Vanderbilt
12-2, 1-0
Lady Rebels Drop SEC Opener to Vanderbilt, 79-64.
1/7/2001 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2001
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - After trailing by 13 points at halftime, the Ole Miss Lady Rebels pulled to within four points with 3:48 remaining in the second half before allowing Vanderbilt to go on an 11-0 run to close out the game and defeat Ole Miss 79-64 on Sunday afternoon.
The Lady Rebels trailed the Lady Commodores 44-31 at the close of the first half despite junior Von Kirk's hot shooting from the three-point line. Kirk, who led Ole Miss with 15 points and four rebounds, made three three-pointers in the first half to keep the Lady Rebels within striking distance.
Junior Sherika Wright and sophomore Kayla Madewell led the Ole Miss second half comeback. Wright scored eight of her 10 points in the second period, while Madewell came off the bench to spark the Lady Rebels with nine of her 14 points in the final half.
Despite letting a 15-point lead dwindle to four, Vanderbilt scored the final 11 points of the game behind Ashley McElhiney's stellar free-throw shooting. McElhiney was 6-of-6 from the line in the last four minutes, and was 8-of-8 from the line for the game. Chantelle Anderson also added three of her 19 points for the Lady Commodores during the closing minutes. The loss drops Ole Miss to 11-2 overall and 0-1 in SEC play, while Vanderbilt improves to 12-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
"It is a shame to play so hard and tough and still come out of this with a loss," said Ole Miss head coach Ron Aldy. "We never quit and displayed a lot of heart and character."
The Lady Rebels shot 37.3 percent from the field, including 45 percent from the three-point line. They made 11-of-17 free throws and had nine assists and seven turnovers.
Kirk finished the game with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. Madewell scored 12 of her 14 points from the three-point line as she made 4-of-6 from behind the arc. Wright had five assists to go with her 10 points and Becky Myatt added 11 points and four rebounds for Ole Miss.
Vanderbilt shot 54 percent from the field. They made 21-of-27 free throws and held a 38-26 advantage over Ole Miss on the boards, including 30 defensive rebounds.
The Lady Commodores have won seven straight against Ole Miss, and were led by Zuzana Klimesova with 20 points and nine rebounds. McElhiney added 15 points and six assists and Jenni Benningfield posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.
"I was really proud of our effort today," said Aldy. "If we play like that every time out, we will win some games in this league."
Ole Miss will return to action Thursday, January 11, when they host Mississippi State at 7 p.m. at Tad Smith Coliseum.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
