Ole Miss Women's Basketball Game Notes

Nov. 30, 2001

GAME DAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Dec. 1, 2001
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Site: Murphy Center, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Radio: WTNM 105.5 FM

PROBABLE STARTING LINE-UPS

OLE MISS PROBABLE STARTERS

No.	Player	Ht.	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown	PPG	RPG	APG
10	Sherika Wright	5-6	Sr.	G	Augusta, Ga.	9.0	2.4	6.2
13	Ally Kelly	5-6	Fr.	G	Austin, Texas	12.4	2.2	1.2
32	Von Kirk	5-10	Sr.	F	Huntsville, Ala.	9.2	4.4	1.0
33	Amber Watts	6-3	Fr.	C	Utica, Miss.	3.2	5.8	3.0 (B)
34	Tywanna Inmon	6-1	So.	F	West Memphis, Ark.	9.6	6.2	1.2

MIDDLE TENNESSEE PROBABLE STARTERS

No.	Player	Ht.	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown	PPG	RPG	APG
5	Keisha McClinic	5-10	So.	G	Stockbrige, Ga.	6.8	5.5	2.0
10	Paula Penttila	5-9	Jr.	G	Lahti, Finland	6.3	2.5	3.8
23	Patrice Holmes	5-9	Fr.	G	Bishopville, S.C.	11.3	5.5	0.4
35	Jamie Thomatis	5-11	Sr.	F	Destrehan, La.	17.8	3.5	1.8
52	Joanne Aluka	5-11	Sr.	F	Augusta, Ga.	8.8	6.3	1.3

STATISTICAL COMPARISON

Ole Miss	Category	MTSU
74.8	Points Per Game	72.5
61.6	Opp. Points Per Game	67.0
40.8	Field Goal Pct.	42.7
39.4	Opp. Field Goal Pct.	38.3
68.2	Free Throw Pct.	75.3
69.4	Opp. Free Throw Pct.	70.2
38.3	3-Point Field Goals	25.0
36.0	Opp. 3-Point Field Goals	15.5
40.4	Rebounds	41.2
39.6	Opp. Rebounds	41.2
14.6	Assists	15.3
17.6	Turnovers	21.5
5.0	Blocked Shots	4.3
14.6	Steals	12.0

LADY REBEL GAME NOTES

LADY REBELS TRAVEL TO MIDDLE TENNESSEE: The Lady Rebels (4-1) travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., this weekend to take on Middle Tennessee (2-2) at the Murphy Center. Game time is set for 2 p.m. Saturday.

ALDY IS IN FIFTH YEAR: Ron Aldy is in his fifth year (60-61 at Ole Miss, 139-102 all-time) at the helm of the Lady Rebel basketball program. After having achieved success on every level as either a head coach or an assistant coach, Aldy has used his knowledge and love of the game to bring the storied Ole Miss basketball program back to national prominence. He has dedicated himself to making Ole Miss a winner on and off the court. Aldy has guided the Lady Rebels to postseason play in two of his four seasons in Oxford. He led Ole Miss to a 17-13 overall record and a trip to the WNIT in 2000-01. Off the court, the Lady Rebels have made tremendous strides academically and in the community, as well. Ole Miss has placed six players on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in each of the last three seasons. Since Aldy came to Oxford, all of his outgoing seniors have received their bachelor's degrees with the exception of one, who will graduate in December. Aldy and his staff have seen to it that the Lady Rebels get involved in the Oxford community. The Ole Miss players have helped build a community playground, visited the elderly and participated in many other activities in the area.

LADY REBELS ON SUPERTALK MISSISSIPPI 105.5 FM: This season 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. Brad Daniels and Gary Darby are sharing the play-by-play duties this season. Darby is in his 10th year as the "Voice of the Lady Rebels". Daniels, in his first year with Ole Miss, currently serves as news and sports director at WQLJ-FM 93.7 in Oxford.

LADY REBELS POUND UALR: Ole Miss defeated Arkansas-Little Rock, 101-57, on Tuesday night at Tad Smith Coliseum. It was the fourth-straight victory for Ole Miss and improved their record vs. UALR to 3-0. In the win, senior center Saundra Jackson erupted for a career-high 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Freshman guard Ally Kelly also added 18 points and seven steals and senior guard Sherika Wright had a career-high nine assists. Please see page two for a boxscore and recap of the game.

OLE MISS VS. UALR PART II: In Ole Miss' win over Arkansas-Little Rock, 11 of 13 players scored for the Lady Rebels. Ole Miss forced the Trojans into 44 turnovers, while collecting 28 steals, the second highest steal total in school history. It was the highest scoring game during the Ron Aldy era and the most points scored by an Ole Miss team since the 1994-95 season when the Lady Rebels defeated Middle Tennessee, 103-56. It was also the first time Ole Miss had gone over the 100-point mark since the 1998-99 season, when Ole Miss defeated Florida Atlantic, 100-77.

SCOUTING MIDDLE TENNESSEE: The Lady Raiders (2-2) enter Saturday's contest with Ole Miss fresh off a 78-69 win over Austin Peay on the road. MTSU is led in scoring by senior forward Jamie Thomatis. Thomatis is averaging 17.3 points per game and is also pulling down 3.5 rebounds per contest. She is shooting 61.9 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. Senior forward Joanne Aluka leads the Lady Raiders in rebounding with 6.3 boards per game. Freshman guard Patrice Holmes is chipping in 11.3 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game.

SERIES RECORD: This will be the 16th meeting between the two schools. Ole Miss holds a 13-2 advantage in the series. The Lady Rebels defeated Middle Tennessee 72-53 last year in Oxford. Ole Miss head coach Ron Aldy is 3-0 vs. MTSU and the Lady Rebels have won the last four in the series and six of the last seven. Please see page three for a recap of last meeting between the two schools.

OLE MISS VS. TENNESSEE SCHOOLS: Ole Miss owns a 77-59 record (.566 winning percentage) versus schools from the Volunteer state. The following is a list of schools from Tennessee that Ole Miss has played and their record against those schools.

Team                 RecordBelmont                 2-0Chattanooga             2-0Lambuth                 1-0Memphis               28-11Middle Tennessee       13-2Tennessee              7-24Tennessee-Martin        0-1Tennessee State         1-0Tennessee Tech         12-4Vanderbilt            11-17Total                 77-59

OLE MISS VS. THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE: The Lady Rebels own a 36-8 all-time record (.818 winning percentage) against the Sun Belt Conference. The following are the Sun Belt schools Ole Miss has faced and their records against those schools.

Team                      RecordArkansas-Little Rock         3-0Arkansas State               6-2Florida International        2-0Louisiana-Lafayette          1-0Middle Tennessee            13-2New Mexico State             0-1New Orleans                  6-0North Texas                  1-0South Alabama                2-0Western Kentucky             2-3Total                       36-8

OLE MISS-MTSU TIES: The Lady Rebels only have one player on the roster from the state of Tennessee. Sophomore guard/forward Tenisha Gist hails from Athens. Graduate administrative aide Becky Myatt also calls Tennessee home. Myatt is a native of Bon Aqua. Middle Tennessee senior forward Joanne Aluka is a native of Augusta, Ga., along with Ole Miss senior guard Sherika Wright. Aluka attended Hephzibah High School, while Wright graduated from Josey High School.

COMMON OPPONENTS: Ole Miss and Middle Tennessee share five common opponents this season. Both teams will be playing Sun Belt conference members Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas State, South Alabama and Tennessee Tech and Southeastern Conference member Georgia. Ole Miss lost to Tennessee Tech 77-55 in the season-opener for both teams. The Lady Rebels also recently defeated Arkansas-Little Rock, 101-57. Middle Tennessee lost in overtime at Georgia, 77-72. Ole Miss will travel to Jonesboro, Ark., to play Arkansas State on Friday, Dec. 7, and will face South Alabama on Dec. 21, at the Central Florida Holiday Classic in Orlando, Fla. Ole Miss will host Georgia on Jan. 24, at Tad Smith Coliseum. MTSU will play Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State two times during the SBC season and will tip-off against South Alabama and Tennessee Tech just once.

LADY REBELS CAPTURE GRAN TREE THANKSGIVING CLASSIC TITLE: Ole Miss defeated Montana State, 66-59, and UW-Milwuakee, 74-57, to claim the 2001 Gran Tree Thanksgiving Classic title. The Lady Rebels used a balanced scoring attack in the tournament as five different players scored in double figures over the weekend. Senior Von Kirk was named MVP of the tournament and freshman Ally Kelly joined Kirk on the All-Tournament team. In addition to playing in the tournament, the Ole Miss team also took in the sights of the beautiful state of Montana. The Lady Rebels spent Thanksgiving Day at Big Sky ski resort. See boxscores on page six.

OLE MISS SUCCESSFUL IN REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENTS: Ole Miss owns a 109-26 record in regular season tournaments. The Lady Rebels have won 37 tournament titles, including the 2001 Gran Tree Thanksgiving Classic. The Lady Rebels defeated Montana State and UW-Milwaukee to claim the title last weekend.

KIRK FOR MVP: Senior Von Kirk was named Most Valuable Player of the Gran Tree Thanksgiving Classic last weekend. Kirk averaged 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals a game during the two-day tournament. The honor was Kirk's first MVP award of a regular-season tournament. It was her second time to earn All-Tournament honors, though as she was named to the Howard Bank Classic All-Tournament team last season.

KIRK MOVING UP THE CHARTS: Lady Rebel senior Von Kirk is moving up the Ole Miss charts in three-point shooting. Kirk, in just over two years, has made 93 three pointers, good for fifth-place on the career Lady Rebel chart. The 5-10 senior needs just seven more three point baskets to catch Kim Gilchrist for fourth place. Becky Myatt is on top of the chart with 232 three point baskets.

OLE MISS WINS HOME OPENER: The Lady Rebels got on the board in the win column with Monday night's 78-58 victory over Murray State. Senior Sherika Wright led the charge with 17 points and five assists. Also in double figures for Ole Miss was sophomore Tywanna Inmon with 13 points and five steals. See boxscore on page six.

LADY REBELS DROP OPENER TO TENNESSEE TECH: Ole Miss came up short in their first game of the season as they fell to Tennessee Tech, 77-55, on Friday, Nov. 16. The Lady Rebels were tied with the Golden Eaglettes, 30-30, at halftime behind freshman Ally Kelly's 11 first-half points. Senior All-American candidate Janet Holt led Tennessee Tech to the victory by scoring 25 of her 41 points in the second half. Kelly finished the game with 15 points and three steals. Senior Sherika Wright added nine points and four steals for Ole Miss and sophomore Tywanna Inmon chipped in nine points. See Boxscore on page five.

STREAK STILL ALIVE: Ole Miss hit four three-pointers in their win over Arkansas-Little Rock They have now hit at least one three-pointer in 209 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 294 straight games, dating back to 1991.

DISHING IT OUT: Senior point guard Sherika Wright is averaging 6.2 assists per game so far this season. Wright currently ranks fourth in the SEC with her 31 assists in five games. The 5-8 Augusta, Ga., native led Ole Miss in assists last season with 113.

TAKE IT AWAY: The Lady Rebels recorded 28 steals against UALR in their last outing, led by freshman guard Ally Kelly's seven thefts. Five players recorded three or more steals in the contest and 12 of 13 players that played recorded at least one steal. The 28 steals ranks as the second best in a single game in Ole Miss history. The Lady Rebels have recorded 73 steals on the season, good for 14.6 per game which ranks second in the SEC.

MACHINE GUN KELLY: Ole Miss freshman Ally Kelly has been impressive in her first season of college basketball. Kelly is currently leading Ole Miss in scoring with an 12.4 points per game average. She was recently named to the All-Tournament team at the Gran Tree Thanksgiving Classic. She has led Ole Miss in scoring three times this season with 15 points in the opening loss to Tennesse Tech, 19 points in the win against UW-Milwaukee and 18 points against Arkansas-Little Rock. Kelly has been exceptionally strong from the free throw line making 9-of-11 shots from the stripe.

BLOCK PARTY: Lady Rebel freshman forward/center Amber Watts is quickly becoming a defensive force in the paint. Watts, who stands 6-3, has collected an impressive 15 blocks in her first four collegiate games. With Watts and senior Saundra Jackson manning the middle Ole Miss has recoreded 25 blocks in their first five games after only getting 38 blocks all of last season.

YOUNG GUNS: Ole Miss is getting strong play from its freshman class so far in this young season. Ally Kelly (12), Carletta Brown (6) , Elizabeth Cansdale (3) and Amber Watts (3) are averaging 24 points per game, good for 33% of the team's total points average. Kelly's 12 points per game average is currently the best on the team.

MOST WINS UNDER ALDY: Four starters and nine letterwinners return from the 2000-01 team that recorded 17 wins. The 17 victories are the most wins by a Lady Rebel team under Coach Ron Aldy. The 1998-99 team finished 15-13 and made the WNIT. The 17 wins in a season are also the most wins since the 1995-96 season, when Ole Miss went 18-11 and made the NCAA Tournament.

NOVEMBER NUMBERS: The Lady Rebels are 60-17 all-time (779 winning percentage) in the month of November, including a 4-1 record during the 2001-02 season.

DECEMBER DIGITS: Ole Miss is 163-40 all-time (.803 winning percentage) during the month of December, inlcuduing a 7-1 record during the 2000-01 season.

IMPRESSIVE OUTSIDE THE SEC: The Lady Rebels have compiled an impressive record outside the Southeastern Conference in regular-season play. Ole Miss owns a 137-30 record (.820 winning percentage) versus non-conference opponents since 1990. The Lady Rebels' best non-conference record during that time came during the 1991-92 SEC Championship season, as they compiled a 15-1 mark versus non-conference foes. The Lady Rebels' were nearly as good last season as they went 12-1 against non-SEC challengers. The Lady Rebels have an overall 50-8 record (.862 winning percentage) versus the non-conference opponents on this year's slate.

OLE MISS MAKING THE GRADE: The Lady Rebels placed six players on the 2001 SEC Academic Honor Roll. Tennessee led the conference with seven players on the honor roll. In each of Ron Aldy's four years, Ole Miss has ranked in the top three in the SEC with the number of players on the honor roll. Takela Corbitt, Shayla Day, Von Kirk, TaShondrea Moton, Stephanie Murphy and Becky Myatt were all named to the 2001 SEC Academic Honor Roll. Myatt received the honor for the third-straight year.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Ole Miss will appear on television twice this year. The Sunshine Network will air Ole Miss' game at Florida on Jan. 20, 2002. FoxSportsNetSouth will televise the Lady Rebels' game against Mississippi State on Jan. 27 in Tad Smith Coliseum and Comcast Sports Southeast will televise the Lady Rebels' final home game of the season versus Tennessee on Feb. 21.

TRAVELING WITH THE LADY REBELS: Ole Miss will log plenty of miles during the 2001-02 season. The Lady Rebels will travel as far west as Bozeman, Mont., and as far east as Philadelphia, Pa. In between those two trips will be a trip south to Orlando, Fla. All of these trips come on the heels of Ole Miss' tour of Canada last May.

DOWELL, MYATT JOIN LADY REBEL STAFF: During the offseason, Aldy added two people to the Lady Rebel staff. Kim Dowell joined the program as an assistant coach and Becky Myatt turned in her playing shoes for a clipboard as she is now a graduate administrative aide for Ole Miss. Dowell comes to Oxford from her alma mater, UT-Arlington, where she served as an assistant coach for the past five seasons. She replaces Carol Sensley, a member of the staff for the past two seasons, who left to take the head coaching position with the McNeese State University women's basketball program. Myatt, who earned four letters under Aldy, is the Lady Rebel career leader in three-point field goals made and attemtped. She joined the 1,000 point club as a senior as she tallied 1,193 points during her Ole Miss career. Myatt's primary duties will be coordinating film exchange and maintaining correspondence with Alumni and Lady Rebel supporters.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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