The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Takes On Arkansas
2/23/2001 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2001
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GAME #27 OLE MISS (16-10, 4-9) vs. Arkansas (16-11, 5-8)
DATE: Feb. 24, 2001
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
SITE: Fayetteville, Ark.
RADIO: Supertalk 105.5 FM
OLE MISS WRAPS UP REGULAR SEASON AT ARKANSAS
Ole Miss (16-10, 4-9) will conclude the regular season Saturday at Arkansas. The Lady Rebels will look to win their fourth in a row over the Lady Razorbacks, when the two teams square off in Bud Walton Arena at 7:00 p.m.
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? is on the air each week. The show airs 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.
OLE MISS DOWNS KENTUCKY ON THE ROAD
Ole Miss, led by four players in double figures, downed Kentucky, 75-54, Thursday night in Lexington. Please see page 2 for boxscore and recap.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Arkansas comes into the game with a 16-11 overall record, 5-8 in the SEC. They are coming off a 68-60 loss at Auburn, Thursday. The Lady Razorbacks have posted conference wins over Kentucky (twice), Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Auburn (at home). Senior guard Wendi Willits leads Arkansas with 13.5 points per game. She is one of the top three-point shooters in the conference averaging 2.7 treys per game. Arkansas' senior post player, Lonniya Bragg, averages 11.2 points and a team-leading 6.7 rebounds per game. Arkansas is averaging 72.7 points per game and allowing opponents 65.3. The Lady Razorbacks are shooting 43.2 percent from the field, while their opponents are shooting 41.8 percent.
SERIES RECORD
This will be the 15th meeting between Arkansas and Ole Miss. Ole Miss leads the series 11-3 and has won three in a row including last year's 78-63 win in Oxford. This also marks the second year in a row that these two teams have met on the last day of the regular season. The last time the two teams met in Fayetteville (Feb. 14, 1999), the Lady Rebels won 80-73. The Lady Rebels hold a 3-2 advantage in games played in Fayetteville. Ole Miss' last loss in Fayetteville, came in 1997 as the Lady Razorbacks won 71-62. Please see a recap and boxscore from the last meeting on page 5.
LADY REBELS FROM ARKANSAS
The Lady Rebels have three players on their roster from the state of Arkansas. Sophomore Kayla Madewell's hometown of Farmington is just up the road from Fayetteville. Leah Henley, also a sophomore, comes from Warren, and freshman Tywanna Inmon calls West Memphis home. Arkansas does not have any players on its roster from Mississippi.
INJURY UPDATE
Senior Stephanie Murphy tore her ACL but is playing with a brace.
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 six teams to have won 100 conference games. Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn, Vanderbilt and LSU are the other five SEC schools which have won 100 conference games. Alabama needs one SEC win to join the group. The Lady Rebels have 106 conference wins.
GIVE HER THE ASSIST
Junior guard Sherika Wright dished out four assists in the Florida game to reach 100 for the season. She is averaging 3.92 per game, which ranks eighth in the SEC.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA
Senior Becky Myatt and juniors Takela Corbitt and TaShondrea Moton have been nominated for the Verizon Academic All-America District VI team. Five players from area states including New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi will be selected to go on the national ballot.
HOT SHOOTING
Hot shooting propelled the Lady Rebels to a 75-54 win over Kentucky Thursday night. Ole Miss shot a season-best 51.2 percent from the field against Kentucky.
MORE HOT SHOOTING
The Lady Rebels also shot a season-high 60.0 percent from behind the arc in the win over Kentucky. They made 6-of-10 three-pointers. Junior Von Kirk went 3-of-4 from three-point line.
DID YOU SEE THAT?
Senior Becky Myatt thought time had run out in the first half of the Kentucky game, but she kept hearing the coaches yell at her to shoot the ball. So, she threw it up from halfcourt, and it went in to give the Lady Rebels a 13-point lead. It was Myatt's first time to sink a halfcourt shot as a Lady Rebel. She did it twice before coming to Ole Miss.
REGULAR SEASON FINALES
The Lady Rebels are 16-9 in regular season finales. They have won three straight regular season finales. Two years ago, the Lady Rebels defeated Auburn, 86-77, and last year, they beat Arkansas, 78-63.
DID WE DO THIS LAST YEAR?
Doesn't this seem familiar. Ole Miss and Arkansas closed out the regular season last year against each other. The Lady Rebels defeated the Lady Razorbacks, 78-63, in Oxford.
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. With their win at Mississippi State, the Lady Rebels have now won two SEC road games in a season for the first time since the 1995-96 season. That year they won at Kentucky, 68-60, and then at Mississippi State, 71-68.
