The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
10-2
Temple
4-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple | 23 | 30 | 53 |
| Ole Miss Lady Rebels | 19 | 35 | 54 |
Lady Rebels Steal 54-53 Win Over Temple
1/2/2003 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2003
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OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss' Tia Watson sank a short jumper with eight seconds remaining to hand the Lady Rebels a 54-53 come-from-behind victory over Temple Thursday night at Tad Smith Coliseum.
Trailing by 12, their largest deficit of the game, with 4:29 remaining, the Lady Rebels finished the game on a 13-2 run, highlighted by two steals and four points by Genice Terry. Following a pair of Terry free throws with 57 seconds left, UM guard Ashley Johnson stole the Owl inbound and laid it in to narrow the gap to 53-52. A Rebel defensive stop and Watson's game-winner improved Ole Miss to 10-2 on the season.
"This was just a tremendous win for our team," said Ole Miss head coach Ron Aldy. "We did not play well for the majority of the game, but we really dug down deep and played well enough down the stretch to pull it out. This gives us a huge boost in our confidence heading into SEC play."
The Lady Rebels led by six early in the first half, taking a 17-11 lead with 9:36 remaining in the first period. Temple then picked up their defense, holding Ole Miss to just one basket the rest of the half and took a 23-19 advantage into the break.
Owls maintained a six-point lead four minutes into the second frame before Terry dished to Leah Henley for a three-point basket and then scored a lay-up and a free throw herself to tie the game at 30-30. However, Temple's Stacey Smalls went on a 10-0 run of her own, notching two free throws, two three-pointers and a jump shot to give the Owls a 40-30 lead with 8:23 left in the affair.
The two teams battled back and forth over the next four minutes, before Ole Miss ripped off the final game-winning run.
Johnson led Ole Miss with 18 points and two steals off-the-bench, while Terry contributed 11 points, five assists and two steals also in a reserve role. Amber Watts tallied six points and a team-high eight rebounds and three steals, despite battling foul trouble throughout the game.
Temple was led by Smalls with 17 points. Ari Moore added 12 points and Chrissy Cruz, Candice Dupree and Khadija Bowens each chipped in six for the Owls. Dupree led all players with 13 rebounds.
Ole Miss connected on 21-of-58 shots (36.2 percent) from the field, including just 4-of-15 from the three-point line and 8-of-16 from the free throw line. The Lady Rebels grabbed 32 rebounds and collected a season-high 15 steals.
Temple made 21-of-51 from the field, good for 41.2 percent. The Owls made 4-of-7 three-point baskets and 7-of-11 free throws. TU controlled 43 rebounds and had 11 steals. The Lady Rebels forced 28 Temple turnovers.
Ole Miss will take a week off before opening SEC play at home, Thursday, Jan. 9 against Florida. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Tad Smith Coliseum.
