The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Basketball Game Notes
1/30/2002 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2002
Ole Miss Game Notes in PDF Format
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Auburn Game Notes
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: January 31, 2002
Time: 7:00 p.m. (CT)
Site: Beard-Eaves Coliseum, Auburn, Ala.
Radio: WTNM Supertalk Mississippi 105.5 FM
PROBABALE STARTING LINE-UPS
OLE MISS
| No. | Player | Ht. | Yr. | Pos. | Hometown | PPG | RPG | APG |
| 10 | Sherika Wright | 5-6 | Sr. | G | Augusta, Ga. | 11.0 | 2.9 | 5.7 |
| 11 | Carletta Brown | 5-4 | Fr. | G | Roxie, Miss. | 6.2 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 20 | TaShondrea Moton | 5-10 | Sr. | F | Prattville, Ala. | 5.5 | 6.0 | 1.3 |
| 22 | Leah Henley | 5-9 | Jr. | F | Warren, Ark. | 1.6 | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| 33 | Amber Watts | 6-3 | Fr. | C | Utica, Miss. | 5.9 | 5.3 | 2.3 (B) |
| No. | Player | Ht. | Yr. | Pos. | Hometown | PPG | RPG | APG |
| 2 | Carol Smith | 5-5 | Sr. | G | Fairfield, Ala. | 11.3 | 1.8 | 2.8 |
| 31 | LaKeisha Johnson | 5-10 | Jr. | F | Baton Rouge, La. | 8.7 | 5.8 | 0.9 |
| 33 | Natasha Brackett | 5-9 | Fr. | G | Charlotte, N.C. | 8.8 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
| 43 | La'Coe Willingham | 6-0 | So. | F | Augusta, Ga. | 11.1 | 8.3 | 1.1 |
| 55 | Crispina Correia | 6-4 | Jr. | C | Praia, West Africa | 5.2 | 3.1 | 0.1 |
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
| Ole Miss | Category | Auburn |
| 71.1 | Points Per Game | 70.8 |
| 67.3 | Opp. Points Per Game | 62.0 |
| 40.7 | Field Goal Pct. | 42.3 |
| 41.3 | Opp. Field Goal Pct. | 36.5 |
| 66.4 | Free Throw Pct. | 68.5 |
| 68.6 | Opp. Free Throw Pct. | 66.7 |
| 35.1 | 3-Point Field Goals | 29.7 |
| 34.1 | Opp. 3-Point Field Goals | 23.9 |
| 40.5 | Rebounds | 41.9 |
| 39.0 | Opp. Rebounds | 39.0 |
| 14.6 | Assists | 13.0 |
| 18.8 | Turnovers | 16.5 |
| 3.7 | Blocked Shots | 1.9 |
| 10.7 | Steals | 10.4 |
LADY REBEL GAME NOTES
LADY REBELS HIT THE ROAD TO PLAY #23 AUBURN: The Lady Rebels (9-11, 1-6) will be looking to hault a six-game losing streak with a win over No. 23-ranked Auburn (14-6, 2-5) on Thursday. Ole Miss will play back-to-back road games for the second time in SEC play with games at Auburn and LSU this week. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at Beard-Eaves Coliseum.
ALDY IN FIFTH YEAR: Ron Aldy is in his fifth year (65-72 at Ole Miss, 144-112 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 is in his first season as the "Voice of the Lady Rebels". Daniels currently serves as news and sports director at WQLJ-FM 93.7 in Oxford.
OLE MISS FALLS TO MSU: Mississippi State jumped out to a 17-1 lead in the opening four minutes and the game was essentially over from there. Ole Miss cut the lead to single digits with two minutes remaining in the first half, but the Lady Bulldogs closed the half with yet another run to take a 13-point halftime lead. MSU opened the second half with a 13-6 run to push their lead to 24. The Lady Rebels responded with a mini-run of their own to cut the deficit to 11, but that was as close as they would get. MSU closed the game with the final run of the day and took the 87-66 victory back to Starkville with them. All-American LaToya Thomas scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and freshman guard Tan White added 21 points, 11 boards and seven assists for MSU. Ole Miss was led by Saundra Jackson with 15 points and five rebounds. Ally Kelly and Von Kirk each chipped in 11 points and Amber Watts had 10.
SCOUTING AUBURN: The Tigers enter the game after suffering consecutive losses to Alabama and Tennessee and having lost five of their last seven games. Auburn is led by senior guard Carol Smith who averages 11.3 points per game. Sophomore Le'Coe Willingham, who was the on SEC All-Freshman team during the 1999-2000 season, returns after taking a year away from basketball to lead AU in rebounds with 8.3 per contest. Auburns two SEC wins have come over Kentucky and Mississippi State. And their five losses have been to Tennessee (2), Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
SERIES RECORD: This will be the 38th meeting between the two schools. Auburn leads the series 21-16, and defeated the Lady Rebels 59-48 in Oxford last season. Ole Miss head coach Ron Aldy is 1-4 vs. the Tigers. His 1998-99 Lady Rebel team defeated Auburn, 86-77, in Oxford.
OLE MISS VS. ALABAMA SCHOOLS: Ole Miss owns a 51-38 record (.573 winning percentage) versus schools from the state of Alabama. The following is a list of schools from Alabama that Ole Miss has played and their record against those schools.
Team RecordAlabama 23-13UAB 4-3Alabama-Huntsville 1-0Auburn 16-21Jacksonville State 1-0Montevallo 1-0South Alabama 2-0Talladega 1-0Troy State 1-0West Alabama 1-0Total 51-38
OLE MISS-AUBURN TIES: Ole Miss fields two natives of Alabama on their roster in seniors Von Kirk (Huntsville) and TaShondrea Moton (Prattville). Auburn does not have any native Mississippians. Seniors Sherika Wright and Saundra Jackson were junior college teammates with Auburn's Carol Smith. All three starred at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla., before joining the SEC. Wright and AU sophomore Le'Coe Willingham both hail from Augusta, Ga. Wright attended Josey High School, while Willingham went to Hephzibah High School.
COMMON OPPONENTS: Outside of the SEC schedule, Ole Miss and Mississippi State do not share any common opponents during the 2000-01 season.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Ole Miss had the pleasure of spending a week in beautiful Oxford, Miss., last week as they played their first back-to-back home games of the 2000-01 season. The joys of being in familiar surroundings have once again vanished for the Lady Rebels, though, as they now embark on their second round of back-to-back SEC road games. Ole Miss has played 12-of-20 games on the road this season.
LADY REBELS DOING IT IN THE CLASSROOM: Ole Miss is making good marks in the classroom as well as the basketball court as seven Lady Rebels earned honor roll status. Freshman Ally Kelly made a perfect 4.0 grade point average in her first semester at Ole Miss, earning a spot on the Chancellor's Honor Roll (3.75-4.0). Sophomore Kim Ufford made the Dean's Honor Roll (3.50-3.74). Freshman Carletta Brown, sophomores Tenisha Gist and Tywanna Inmon and seniors Von Kirk and TaShondrea Moton each earned a place on the U.M.A.A. Honor Roll (3.00-3.49). In addition to the players making good grades, managers Brittany Aldy and Tiffany Gray each made the Chancellor's Honor Roll and medical redshirt Shayla Day earned U.M.A.A. honors.
DOWNTOWN CARLETTA BROWN: Ole Miss freshman guard Carletta Brown has been making opponents pay for backing off her. Brown has nailed 11 three-point shots over the last six games for Ole Miss and has 17 three-pointers on the season. Brown averages 6.2 points per game in just over 15 minutes of action on the season, but has upped her average to 8.1 poinst per game in SEC play. The 5-4 Roxie, Miss., native has scored in double figures in five games this season with a career-high 17 points versus Georgia last week. Brown's offensive fire power has led her into Ole Miss' starting line-up the last three games.
CHARITABLE LADY REBELS: The Ole Miss guards are making the most of their opportunities at the free-throw line. Carletta Brown Leah Henley, Ally Kelly, Von Kirk and Sherika Wright are all making over 70 percent of their free throws. Brown has hit 20-of-27 from the line for 74.1 percent and Henley has made 6-of-8 from the line for 75.0 percent. Kelly has hit 32-of-42 from the stripe for 76.2 percent and Kirk has made 40-of-49 from the charity stripe for 81.6 percent. Wright rounds out the group of good-shooting guards as she has made 47-of-67 from the free-throw line for 70.1 percent.
MOTON ON A MISSION: Senior forward TaShondrea Moton has been on a mission as of late. Moton, who started the first game of the season, regained her starting position 12 games ago and has made a huge impact for the Lady Rebels. The 5-10 Prattville, Ala., native, is averaging 7.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in SEC action.
IF IT'S NOT WRIGHT, IT'S WRONG: Senior guard Sherika Wright has played stellar basketball this season. The 5-6 Augusta, Ga., native is leading the team in scoring with 11.0 points per game, assists with 113 and steals with 50. She is also averaging 2.9 rebounds per game from her point guard position. She notched career-highs in points with 21 against Florida on Jan. 24, and in assists with 10 against Georgia on Jan. 27.
PUTTING UP THE POINTS: Ole Miss is averaging 71.1 points per game so far this season. The Lady Rebels managed 68.6 points per game last season. Ole Miss has gone over the century mark twice during the first 14 games of the season. They defeated Arkansas-Little Rock, 101-57, and recently beat Fairleigh Dickinson, 105-46. The 59-point victory over Fairleigh Dickinson was the third largest margin of victory in the history of the Lady Rebel program.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: The Lady Rebels are getting solid production from a number of players. Eight players are averaging more than five points per game. TaShondrea Moton (5.5), Amber Watts (5.9), Carletta Brown (6.2), Tywanna Inmon (6.6), Saundra Jackson (9.2), Von Kirk (9.6), Ally Kelly (10.8) and Sherika Wright (11.0) are all capable scorers, making it difficult for opposing defenses to know who to guard. Seven of the eight players have led the team in scoring.
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.
OLE MISS SUCCESSFUL IN REGULAR SEASON TOURNAMENTS: Ole Miss owns a 111-28 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 a short time in Oxford, has made 121 three pointers, good for fourth-place on the career Lady Rebel chart. She needs 18 more three-pointers to pass Jackie Martin on the chart for third place. Becky Myatt is on top of the chart with 232 three point baskets.
JACKSON TAKING IT TO THE BANK: Senior center Saundra Jackson is making good on most of her field goals this year. Jackson has made 76-of-138 shots from the field so far this season, good for 55.1 percent. The Lady Rebel record for field goal percentage for a season is 60.4 percent by Eugenia Conner during the 1982-83 season. Jackson's current field goal percentage would rank fourth on the Ole Miss chart for field goal percentage for a season.
STARTERS ALL AROUND: Through 20 games this season, Ole Miss has used five different starting lineups. Senior guard Sherika Wright is the lone mainstay, while freshman center Amber Watts has started 19-of-20 games. Freshman guard Ally Kelly and senior guard Von Kirk have both started 16-of-20 contests and senior forward TaShondrea Moton has started 13 games. Sophomore forward Tywanna Inmon (8), junior Leah Henley (4), freshman Carletta Brown (3) and senior Saundra Jackson (1) have all made their way their way into the lineup. The following are Ole Miss' starting lineups and the records they have produced.
Wright, Kirk, Moton, Inmon, Jackson 0-1Wright, Kelly, Henley, Inmon, Watts 1-0Wright, Kelly, Kirk, Inmon, Watts 4-2Wright, Kelly, Kirk, Moton, Watts 4-5Wright, Brown, Henley, Moton, Watts 0-3
STREAK STILL ALIVE: Ole Miss made six threes in the loss to Mississippi State. They have now hit at least one three-pointer in 224 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 302 straight games, dating back to 1991.
TAKE IT AWAY: The Lady Rebels recorded 28 steals against UALR on Nov. 27, 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 189 steals on the season, good for 10.5 per game which ranks fourth in the SEC. See page six for a boxscore from the game.
BLOCK PARTY: Lady Rebel freshman forward/center Amber Watts has quickly become a defensive force in the paint. Watts, who stands 6-3, has collected an impressive 45 blocks in her first 20 collegiate games. The Utica, Miss., native is ranked third in the SEC in blocked shots with 2.25 blocks per contest. With Watts and senior Saundra Jackson manning the middle Ole Miss has recorded 73 blocks in their first 20 games after only getting 38 blocks all of last season.
DEPTH A PLENTY: Ole Miss has developed some quality depth as 10 players are averaging double-digits in minutes. Sherika Wright leads the Lady Rebels with minutes per game, as she is on the floor 29.6 minutes per game. Ally Kelly and Von Kirk are close behind with 25.2 and 26.5 minutes per game respectively. Amber Watts (20.0), and TaShondrea Moton (22.0) are each getting over 20 minutes per game. Tywanna Inmon (17.5), Saundra Jackson (19.3), Carletta Brown (15.6) and Tenisha Gist (12.4) and Leah Henley (9.9)all average more than 10 minutes per game.
IMPRESSIVE OUTSIDE THE SEC: The Lady Rebels have compiled an impressive record outside the Southeastern Conference in regular-season play. Ole Miss owns a 141-34 record (.806 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.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Ole Miss will make four television appearances during the 2001-02 season. The Sunshine Network aired Ole Miss' 75-73 loss at Florida on Jan. 20. FoxSportsNetSouth televised the Lady Rebels', 87-66, loss Mississippi State on Jan. 27 and Comcast Sports Southeast will televise the Lady Rebels' final home game of the season versus Tennessee on Feb. 21. Ole Miss dropped a 62-42 decision to Vanderbilt, a game that was televised on Comcast Sports Southeast.
DOWELL, MYATT JOIN LADY REBEL STAFF: During the offseason, Head Coach Ron 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. 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.
TIP-INS: Three members of the Lady Rebel family celebrate their birthdays in January. Assistant coach Kim Dowell (1), sophomore Tenisha Gist (10) and graduate administrative aide Becky Myatt (29) all blow out candles this month.
