The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Basketball Game #27 Game Notes
3/1/2003 | Women's Basketball
March 1, 2003
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss (12-14, 1-12) hosts South Carolina (20-6, 8-5) in the season finale for both schools. Lady Rebel senior Leah Henley will be honored before the game in Senior Day festivities. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Tad Smith Coliseum.
LAST TIME OUT
Amber Watts matched a career-high with 25 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as cold shooting and turnovers in the first half let Florida build up a 16-point halftime lead on the way to a 78-64 win over Ole Miss. Florida played perhaps its best game of the season, shooting better than 55 percent from the floor for most of the second half while Ole Miss struggled to find the basket. The Lady Rebels struggled from the floor, hitting only one basket in the second half until back-to-back baskets by Genice Terry at the 10:43 mark. The Lady Rebels went to work from there, using a flurry of baskets to cut the Florida lead to 10 at the seven minute mark with a furious 18-point run. It wouldn't be enough as Ole Miss could not cut the lead to any closer than seven the rest of the way out. Ole Miss got out to a quick lead in the first half behind the solid play of Watts, who hit the first four baskets and score the first nine points for the Lady Rebels. Watts hit 5-of-6 from the floor and notched 11 points in the first half, but the Lady Rebels got little offensive production from anywhere else on the floor. The Lady Gators outrebounded Ole Miss 23-17 on the way to the halftime lead.
ALDY IS IN SIXTH YEAR
Ron Aldy is in his sixth year (79-91) 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 is using 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 five 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 three of the last four seasons. Since Aldy came to Oxford, all of his outgoing seniors have received their bachelor's degrees with the exception of three, one of whom will graduate in December and the other two in May. 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.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina enters Sunday's contest with Ole Miss with a 20-6 overall record, including a 8-5 mark in conference play. All-American and All-SEC candidation senior Jocelyn Penn leads the Gamecocks in scoring with her 24.9 points per game. Penn is also second on the team in rebounding (8.0) behind fellow senior Petra Ujhelyi's 9.4 rebounds per game. Ujhelyi also scores in double digits with 11.5 points per contest. Junior Cristina Ciocan adds 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game.
OLE MISS-SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORY
Sunday's game will be the 17th in the series between the two schools with Ole Miss leading 10-6. Ole Miss owns a 5-1 record against USC in Oxford. The Lady Rebels are 2-5 in games played in Columbia. Ole Miss also owns a 3-0 record versus the Gamecocks on neutral courts.
COMMON OPPONENTS
Outside of Southeastern Conference opponents, Ole Miss and South Carolina do not share any common opponents.
LADY REBEL-GAMECOCK CONNECTIONS
Ole Miss does not field and South Carolina natives on their roster and likewise, South Carolina does not have any natives of the Magnolia state on their roster.
OLE MISS VS. SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOLS
Ole Miss owns a 10-8 record (.625 winning percentage) versus schools from the Palmetto state. The following is a list of schools from South Carolina that Ole Miss has played and their record against those schools. Team Record Clemson 0-2 South Carolina 10-6 Total 10-8
INJURY REPORT
Junior guard/forward Tenisha Gist is currently sidelined for four to six weeks with a stress fracture in her right lower leg. Gist started all 12 games prior to her injury. The USC game will mark the 15th-straight game Gist has missed.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Freshmen and sophomores are dominating for Ole Miss in the 2002-03 season. Three of the top four scorers for the Lady Rebels are in either their first or second collegiate season with sophomore center Amber Watts leading the way with 12.8 points per game. During conference play, the under classmen are scoring 38.4 of the 59.8 Ole Miss points per game. Combine the young players with junior college transfers Genice Terry (11.7) and Tia Watson (2.7) and the new players are scoring 52.9 of the teams points in SEC play.
THREES ARE THE KEY
Ole Miss has made more three-pointers than their opponents in 19-of-26 games this season. The Lady Rebels are 10-9 when connecting on more trifectas than their opponent. Of the 12 players on the Ole Miss roster, all but one, Amber Watts, has attempted and made a three. UM has made 166 threes on the season compared to 113 threes for their opponents.
DEPARROIS POUR TROIS
Freshman center Marie Deparrois has sparked Ole Miss the past few games. Deparrois, who stands 6-4, has not only played well in the post, but she has added a new dimension to her game. The Bourges, France native has made four three-pointers in the last few games. Deparrois hit her first career three-point basket against Alabama and then made two three-pointers in the loss to Auburn. She also knocked one down against LSU in Oxford.
AMBER FROM THE BLOCK
Lady Rebel sophomore center Amber Watts got out of the blocks quickly and is leading Ole Miss in both scoring and rebounding. The Utica, Miss., native averages 12.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest. Watts has led Ole Miss in scoring in 10 games, including posting a career-high 25 against both Tennessee Tech and Florida. Watts has also led the Lady Rebels in rebounding in 17 games.
AMBER FROM THE BLOCK PART II
Not only is Amber Watts leading the Lady Rebels in both scoring and rebounding, but the 6-3 center is also leading the team in blocks with 34 on the season. Watts swatted a season-high five blocks in the Ole Miss win over Tennessee Tech. She has a career-high of six blocks against Arkansas State in 2001. Watts already ranks fifth on the Lady Rebel career chart for blocked shots with her two-year total of 89. The school record is held by Eugenia Conner, who swatted 194 shots in her career.
SCORING ALL AROUND
Of the 12 players on the Ole Miss roster, 11 have scored in double-figures. The lone player to not score in double figures is junior forward Tia Watson. Watson, however, scored in double figures in both of the Lady Rebels' exhibition games and finished the Mississippi State game with nine points.
TERRIFIC TERRY
Genice Terry has stepped up her game for Ole Miss during conference play. In Southeastern Conference play, Terry has averaged 11.7 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game. She has dished out 17 assists and grabbed 97 steals in SEC games, while playing 30.4 minutes per game. After coming off the bench during non-conference play, Terry has started all 13 SEC games.
DOWNTOWN CARLETTA BROWN
Sophomore guard Carletta Brown had a career day in the loss to Alabama. Brown, a native of Roxie, Miss., scored a career-high 23 points off of 9-of-21 shooting from the field, including makeing 4-of-9 three pointers. Brown also recorded three steals versus the Crimson Tide. The Alabama game marked the second time this season Brown has made four threes. She also connected on four trifectas against LSU.
TERRY EARNS ALL-TOURNAMENT HONOR
Junior guard Genice Terry scored a season-high 20 points to lead Ole Miss in the championship game of the Sun & Fun Classic in Miami. Terry also tallied team highs in steals (4) and assists (3) in the Lady Rebel loss to FIU. Terry collected five points, two steals and two assists in the Ole Miss opening round win over Georgia State. She was the fifth Lady Rebel to earn All-Tournament honors this season.
JOHNSON GETS HER SHINE ON
Ole Miss freshman Ashley Johnson turned her game up a notch in the Bahamas as the 5-9 guard recorded a game-high 23 points in the consolation win over Marshall. Johnson entered the game with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half of play and went on to score 20 points in the first period. Johnson connected on 8-of-12 shots from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Johnson scored another three points in the second half and earned All-Tournament honors for her efforts.
OLE MISS CLAIMS TOURNAMENT TITLE
The Lady Rebels defeated host Illinois-Chicago, 65-64, to capture the title of the UIC Thanksgiving Tournament. Sophomore Elizabeth Cansdale made one-of-two free throws with 23.2 seconds left in the game for the difference in the game. Cansdale led Ole Miss in scoring with 16 points, while junior Genice Terry chipped in 10. Freshman Ellen Buchanan led the Lady Rebels in rebounding with nine, followed by sophomore Amber Watts with eight boards. Sophomore Carletta Brown dished out a team high four assists.
WATTS EARNS MVP HONORS
Ole Miss sophomore center Amber Watts was named tournament MVP at the UIC Thanksgiving Classic. Watts recorded 28 points and 17 rebounds in the two-game tournament. It is her first MVP honor of her career.
BUCHANAN AND CANSDALE EARN ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Freshman forward Ellen Buchanan and sophomore guard Elizabeth Cansdale joined Amber Watts on the All-Tournament team at the UIC Thanksgiving Tournament. Buchanan racked up 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Candale scored 28 points and grabbed five boards during the two-game stint. It was the first All-Tournament honor for both.
CANSDALE IN THE CLUTCH
Sophomore Elizabeth Cansdale led Ole Miss in scoring in the championship game of the UIC Thankgiving Tournament with 16 points. She scored 11-straight points during a stretch in the first half for the Lady Rebels, however her most important point of the game was her last. With the game knotted at 64-all, Cansdale stepped to the free throw line and hit one-of-two charity shots for the final difference in the game as Ole Miss went on to win the game and the tournament with the 65-64 margin.
CANSDALE IN THE CLUTCH PART II
Elizabeth Cansdale is leading the Ole Miss in free throw shooting percentage after the first half of the season. Cansdale has made 21-of-25 from the charity stripe, good for 80.8 percent. Cansdale's success at the line should come as no surprise as she has her name in the Basketball Hall of Fame after winning the National Elk's Free Throw Shooting Contest in 1996. Cansdale made 23-of-25 free throws to win the national title at age 13.
CROSSING OVER
Junior forward Erin Newsom joined the Ole Miss women's basketball team after completing her four-year Lady Rebel career in volleyball and scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in just her second game. Newsom, a 6-2 Argyle, Texas native, was a standout basketball player at Northwest High School before deciding to play volleyball in college. She was the starting middle blocker on the Lady Rebel volleyball team and was a team captain in 2002. She has two seasons of basketball eligibility.
600 ON THE HORIZON
With 596 all time wins in the history of the Lady Rebel program, Ole Miss will be searching for its 600th victory during the 2002-03 season. The Lady Rebels have put together 595 wins to just 285 losses in the 29 seasons in Oxford.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
Ole Miss will appear on television two times this year. FoxSportsNetSouth televised the Lady Rebels', 61-48, loss to Auburn on Feb. 2 in Tad Smith Coliseum. Comcast Sports Southeast televised the Lady Rebels' game at Tennessee on Feb. 6.
TIP-INS
Senior Leah Henley got engaged this fall to Rebel football player Rick Razzano. Razzano popped the question during the Rebel Walk through the Grove prior to the Sept. 14 Memphis game. Henley joins fellow Lady Rebel Tywanna Inmon as future brides. Inmon is engaged to Ben Virges.
IMPRESSIVE OUTSIDE THE SEC
The Lady Rebels have compiled an impressive record outside the Southeastern Conference in regular-season play. Ole Miss owns a 152-35 record (.813 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.
