The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
11-7, 2-2SEC
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Mississippi St
5-10, 0-3SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State | 22 | 38 | 60 |
| Ole Miss | 34 | 35 | 69 |
Lady Rebels Go Inside To Defeat Mississippi State, 69-60
1/18/2004 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2004
Box Score
OXFORD, Miss. -
The Ole Miss women's basketball team dominated the paint with junior centers Amber Watts and Amber Terrell combining for 25 points and nine rebounds in a 69-60 win over Mississippi State on Sunday.
Watts and Terrell connected on 11-of-18 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line to help turn back the Lady Bulldogs in front of 3,342 people, the fourth largest crowd in program history. The win ended a four-game winning for MSU in the series between the two schools and improved Ole Miss to 5-0 at home on the season.
"This is a great SEC win for us," said Ole Miss head coach Carol Ross. "A rivalry is only as good as its competition and Mississippi State has been setting the standard for our state the past few years. This win will be great to build on for our program.
The game went back and forth early with MSU (5-10, 0-3) pulling out to a 16-13 lead with 11:19 remaining in the first half. Ole Miss (11-7, 2-2) then tightened up the defense, going on a 13-0 run over the next seven minutes to a forge a 26-16 lead on a lay-up by freshman forward Armintie Price. Terrell scored the last six points of the half for Ole Miss as the Lady Rebels took a 34-22 lead into the break.
"Our bench was really great today," said Ross. "Amber Terrell, Ellen Buchanan and Ashley Johnson really brought some intensity for us. We needed their lift."
Watts came out on fire to start the second half, scoring 12 of the first 16 points of the half for Ole Miss. Watts used a variety of post moves to keep Mississippi State at bay.
"With Amber Terrell and I rotating in the game it makes it difficult for the other team to defend us," said Watts. She uses power to go the glass and I am more of a quick player. She set the tone in the first half and I was able to come in the second half and us my quickness to my advantage."
Ole Miss controlled much of the second half by continuing to dominate the glass and by sinking clutch free throws down the stretch. Junior guard Carletta Brown sank 6-of-6 free throws and senior guard Genice Terry made 3-of-4 free throws to keep MSU from within striking distance.
Watts led the Lady Rebels in scoring with 16 points. Brown and Price also scored in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Price notched her eighth double-double of the season as she grabbed 11 rebounds.
Senior forward Tywanna Inmon also controlled 11 rebounds. Terrell finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Brown and Terry led Ole Miss with three assists a piece and Watts led the team with three steals. J
unior All-American candidate Tan White scored 22 points to lead MSU. White also grabbed seven steals and five rebounds and dished five assists. She was also credited with seven turnovers. Junior guard Tiania Burns finished with 10 points and four steals and sophomore forward Mamie McKinney scored six points and grabbed six rebounds.
Ole Miss made 26-of-58 shots from the field, good for 44.8 percent. The Lady Rebels made 17-of-25 from the free throw line. Ole Miss saw another streak come to an end as they did not make a three-point basket for the first time in 280 games.
MSU made 22-of-58 shots from the field, good for 37.9 percent. The made just 9-of-20 from the charity stripe, but hit 7-of-23 three-point baskets to stay in the game.
Ole Miss will return to action on Thursday, Jan. 22, when they host Georgia. Game time is set for 7 p.m., at Tad Smith Coliseum.
