The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebels Host #14/22 Auburn On Thursday
2/10/2004 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. -
Game Notes
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Ole Miss will be looking for their fourth-straight win when they play host to #19/22Auburn on Thursday evening. Game time is slated for 7 p.m., at Tad Smith Coliseum.
The Lady Rebels are 15-8, 6-3 on the season under first year head coach Carol Ross. Ole Miss is undefeated at home on the season, posting a 7-0 record. The Lady Rebels have defeated conference foes Florida, Mississippi State, Georgia and Kentucky on the "Tad Pad" floor, entering Thursday's contest with the Tigers.
Auburn comes into Thursday's game with an 18-5 overal record, including a 6-3 mark in SEC play. AU defeated #14/16LSU by the score of 68-50 on Sunday in Auburn.
Joe Ciampi is the head coach of the Tigers and owns a 564-199 record at AU in his 25th season. Ciampi's overall coaching record is 603-209 in 27 seasons.
Auburn leads the series between the two schools 22-17 and won last year's meeting, 61-48.
LAST TIME OUT
Four Ole Miss players scored in double figures at the Lady Rebels ran out of Starkville with a 78-62 win over Mississippi State on Sunday. Ole Miss used a full-court press to force 20 MSU turnovers and outscore the Lady Bulldogs 15-6 in fast break points to steal the road win and improve to 15-8 on the season, including a 6-3 mark in SEC play.
Mississippi State (9-12, 3-5) got on the board first with baskets from Mamie McKinney and Tan White, before senior forward Tywanna Inmon connected on two free throws to get the scoring started for Ole Miss.
The two teams traded baskets until the scored was tied at 20 a piece with 11:17 remaining in the first half. Ole Miss then went on a 25-9 run, taking a 45-29 lead into the halftime break.
Ole Miss came out strong to start the second period, scoring the first four points of the second half, to open a 20-point lead in the opening minutes. Ole Miss forged their largest lead of 23 on junior center Amber Terrell's three-point play with 7:59 remaining in the game.
Ole Miss was able to handle full-court pressure from the Lady Bulldogs for conclusion of the game and took home the 78-62 win.
Freshman forward Armintie Price led the Lady Rebels with 21 points and 11 rebounds. It was the 12th double-double of the season for Price, which ranks second in the SEC. Junior guard Carletta Brown finished the game with 13 points and five assists. Amber Watts posted 12 points and four steals, while senior guard Genice Terry added 10 points and three steals.
Ole Miss got production from Inmon with six points, eight rebounds and three steals and Terrell with eight points and four boards.
OLE MISS UPDATE
Ole Miss is getting solid production from several different players and that production is translating into wins for the Lady Rebels. Freshman All-America candidate Armintie Price is leading the way with 14.9 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game. Price, who was named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 1, has tallied 12 double-doubles on the season. Senior guard Genice Terry is right behind Price as she records 13.5 points per game. Terry, who earned MVP honors at the Lehigh Christmas City Classic, has scored in double figures in 18-of-23 games on the season. Junior center Amber Watts has come on strong in SEC play. Watts is averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 caroms per contest on the season and posted 20 points and 13 boards in the Lady Rebels' double-overtime win over Georgia. Junior guard Carletta Brown is contributing 9.2 points and 4.6 assists per game.
AUBURN UPDATE
The #14/22-ranked Tigers enter Thursday's contest in Oxford with an 18-5 overall record and a 6-3 mark in SEC play. AU defeated Kentucky and #14/16LSU last week after falling to then No.1-ranked Tennessee, 68-61, in overtime on Feb. 1. Auburn is led by senior forward Le'Coe Willingham with 15.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Willingham is joined in double-figures by junior guard Natasha Brackett, who scores 11.7 points per game. Senior center Mandisa Stevenson pulls down 7.7 rebounds per game and junior guard Nicole Louden leads AU in assists per game as she dishes out 3.9 per contest. Louden also leads the Tigers in steals with 1.9 per game. Joe Ciampi is in his 25th season as the head coach of the Tigers. Ciampi has posted a 564-199 record at AU. Ciampi's overall coaching record is 603-209 in 27 seasons in the business.
Carol Ross UPDATE
Ole Miss head coach Carol Ross is in her first season guiding the Lady Rebels, with a 15-8 record at Ole Miss. Ross, who played at Ole Miss from 1979-82, was named the fifth head coach in Ole Miss history after taking a year off from coaching. Ross recently earned her 260th career win with the Lady Rebels, 90-88, win over Kentucky. She was 247-121 in 12 seasons as the head coach at Florida. While at UF, Ross led the Lady Gators to nine NCAA Tournament appearances and one WNIT appearance. Ross, a 1982 Ole Miss grad, became the fourth women's basketball player ever to be inducted into the University of Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame when she was honored on Sept. 1, 2001. Ross was named to the inaugural SEC All-Tournament team in 1980 and still holds the Ole Miss school record for steals in a career (333), season (135 in 1980) and game (11 vs. Southeastern Louisiana in 1980). Ross is one of only two players in Lady Rebel history to record 1,000 points, 500 assists and 250 steals in a career.
OLE MISS VS. ALABAMA SCHOOLS
Ole Miss is 55-41 (.572 winning percentage) versus schools in the state of Alabama. Ole Miss head coach Carol Ross is 9-11 (.450 winning percentage) versus schools from Alabama, including a 6-10 record against Auburn. The following is a list of schools from the Heart of Dixie whom Ole Miss has played and their record against those schools. Team Record
Alabama 23-15
UAB 4-3
Alabama-Huntsville 1-0
Auburn 17-22
Birmingham Southern 2-0
Jacksonville State 1-0
Montevallo 1-0
South Alabama 2-1
Talladega 1-0
Troy State 1-0
West Alabama 2-0
Total 55-41
OLE MISS-AUBURN CONNECTIONS
* Ole Miss has one player on the roster from the state of Alabama in junior center Amber Terrell (Winfield), while Auburn does not field any native Mississippians. * Ole Miss and Auburn did not share any common opponents before entering SEC play. * Lady Rebel assistant coach Jocelyn McGilberry came to Ole Miss this spring from Mississippi State. McGilberry is a 1990 graduate of Auburn, earned four letters under Joe Ciampi. McGilberry was a starting co-captain on AU's 1988-89 SEC Championships team that advanced to the NCAA finals. * Lady Rebel head coach Carol Ross began her collegiate coaching career on the Auburn staff under Joe Ciampi. Ross spent seven seasons at AU helping guide the Tigers to the NCAA Championship game in each of her last three seasons (1988-90). *Lady Rebel sophomore Ashley Johnson's cousin Conswella Sparrow played at Auburn, earning three letters (1998-00).
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday's game will mark the 40th meeting between Ole Miss and Auburn with the Tigers leadng the all time series 22-17. Ole Miss owns a 8-7 record versus the Tigers in Oxford and are 4-10 in games played in Auburn. The two teams have matched up seven times in the SEC Tournament with Auburn holding a 4-3 edge. Ole Miss leads, 2-1, in NCAA Tournament match-ups.
OLE MISS VS. SEC SCHOOLS
Ole Miss is 190-162 (.540 winning percentage) versus schools in the Southeastern Conference. The following is a list of the schools from the league and Ole Miss' record against them. Ole Miss head coach Carol Ross is 99-78 (.559 winning percentage) against teams from the SEC in her 13 seasons coaching.
Team Record
Alabama 23-16
Arkansas 12-7
Auburn 17-22
Florida 10-12
Georgia 8-20
Kentucky 18-5
LSU 18-16
Mississippi State 55-11
South Carolina 11-8
Tennessee 7-26
Vanderbilt 11-18
Total 190-161
MAKING STRIDES
The Ole Miss women's basketball team is experiencing a resurgence upon returning from the Holiday break. Since Christmas, the Lady Rebels have posted an 10-3 record, including wins over conference foes Florida, Mississippi Staten (2), Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina. The Lady Rebels also claimed the Lehigh Christmas City Classic title during the run.
BABY STEPS
By picking up their second-consecutive SEC road win of the season with a, 78-62, victory at Mississippi State on Sunday, Ole Miss improved to 6-3 in conference play. The win marks the first time the Lady Rebels have posted six conference wins since the 1998-99 season, when they posted a 6-8 SEC record. The win also marks the first time they have recorded a season sweep of Mississippi State since the 1995-96 season.
PRICE DOUBLES HER PLEASURE
Freshman forward Armintie Price has exploded on to the college basketball scene. Price posted her first double-double of her career in just her third collegiate game with 21 points and 13 rebounds against Belmont. She then posted double-doubles in both games of the Lady Tiger Thanksgiving Classic with 18 points and 16 rebounds against Nebraska and 22 points and 15 boards against Memphis. She was not done with the double-doubles there though, as she added a 18-point, 13-rebound performance against McNeese State on Dec.1. Price did all that work in just 23 minutes of action. Price recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Lady Rebels' win over Mississippi State. Her 12 double-doubles ranks second in the SEC behind senior Vanessa Hayden of Florida.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
In Ole Miss' 15 wins on the season, the Lady Rebels have been spreading the scoring responsibilities as four players are averaging double-figures in the wins. While Ole Miss is successful when getting the ball in the hands of several playrs, only two players are in double figures in the Lady Rebels' eight losses. Armintie Price (15.6), Genice Terry (13.9), Amber Watts (10.6) and Carletta Brown (10.0) are all averaging double digits in the Lady Rebels' victories.
INMON ALL OVER THE BOOKS
Senior forward Tywanna Inmon has been impressive on the court, battling through chronic knee injuries to become the leader of the 2003-04 Lady Rebel squad. While Inmon's on-the-court- efforts should not go unnoticed, her work in the classroom is even more impressive. Inmon has posted three-straight semesters of 4.0 work, earning her a place on the Chancellor's Honor Roll the last three semesters. For her efforts she was also named to the 2003 SEC Academic Honor Roll.
TERRIFIC TERRY
Ole Miss senior Genice Terry is having a senior year to remember. Terry, who earned MVP honors at the Lehigh Christmas City Classic, is second on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. She is also averaging a career-high 3.5 rebounds per game and 2.7 steals per game, which ranks fourth in the SEC. Terry, who has scored in double figures in 18-of-23 games this season, posted career-highs in scoring (26) and three-point baskets (5) in the Lady Rebels' win over Florida. Terry also posted career highs in assists (5) against Mount St. Mary's and steals (7) in the season-opener against Jackson State. Terry earned All-Tournament honors at the Memphis Thanksgiving Classic in November.
MILESTONES
* Ole Miss failed to make a three-point basket against Mississippi State on Jan. 18, marking the first time in 280 games they had failed to make a triple. They have since started a new streak of games with at least one three-point basket and are currently at five. * With one block against Mississippi State, junior center Amber Watts has posted 119 blocks in her career, which ranks in third place on the Lady Rebel career blocks chart. Watts has a way to go to catch up with Susan Byrd in second place with 184 blocks. Eugenia Conner is the career leader with 194 blocks. * Senior guard Genice Terry needs nine three-point baskets to crack to the Lady Rebel top five in season three-point field goals. Terry currently has 48 threes on the season. * Senior guard Genice Terry needs 19 three-point baskets to enter the top five on the Lady Rebel chart for career three-point baskets. Terry has currently made 83 three-point baskets in just her second season in Oxford. Kim Gilchrist is in fifth place on the chart with 102 career three pointers. * Junior center Amber Watts needs six rebounds to reach the 500 mark in career boards. * With 11 rebounds against Kentucky, freshman forward Armintie Price eclipsed the 200 rebound mark in her young career. Price currently has grabbed 227 rebounds in her first season at Ole Miss. *With five assists against Mississippi State, junior guard Carletta Brown went over the 100 mark in assists on the season. The five assists allowed Brown to reach triple digits in the season assist column for the first time in her career. Brown has 232 career assists. * Junior center Amber Terrell blocked four shots against South Carolina. The four blocks tied a career-high for Terrell. She also blocked four shots in the Lady Rebels' win over Marshall. * Freshman forward Armintie Price has scored in double figures in 19-of-23 games this season, including 8-of-9 SEC games. Price recorded a career-high 23 points against South Carolina.
WATTS FEELING CHARITABLE
Junior center Amber Watts is second on the team in free throw shooting for the season, having made 68-of-88 foul shots, good for 77.3 percent. She has been even more impressive during SEC play as she has connected on 29-of-33 from the charity stripe, good for 87.9 percent, which ranks third in the SEC in conference games only. Watts connected in 19-straight free throws over the course of four games (Arkansas(2), Alabama (4), Mississippi State (2) Georgia (11)), before missing one free throw against Georgia.
SCORING EXPLOSION
The Lady Rebel offense exploded in their final non-conference game of the 2003-04 season when they defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 112-43. The 112 points tied the school record for most points in a game a fete matched only on Feb. 2, 1983, when Ole Miss defeated Nevada-Reno, 112-52. The 69 -point margin of victory was also a new Ole Miss record. The old standard was 63 points.
MINCY ON THE MEND
Freshman forward Jada Mincy will likely spend her freshman season as a redshirt. Mincy, a 6-1 Memphis, Tenn., native, had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in October. Mincy, who rehabs daily with athletic trainer Heather Landry, was the 2003 Tennessee Division 2 Miss Basketball, while at Briarcrest Christian.
HOME SWEET HOME
The home of Ole Miss basketball is C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum, and the Coliseum, affectionately known as the "Tad Pad," has become one of the toughest arenas in the country for opponents to play. While standing at 7-0 on the season in the "Tad Pad," the Lady Rebels have compiled an impressive 295-66 record for an incredible winning percentage of 81.7. The "Tad Pad" ranks as the 13th most intimidating active arena to play in its 29 years of hosting women's basketball games. The following is a list of the top active arenas in women's college hoops with their records entering the 2003-04 season.
Arena (School) Record (Pct.)
1. Thompson-Boling Arena (Tennessee) 227-11 (95.4)
2. Thomas Assembly Center (Louisiana Tech) 319-19 (94.4)
3. Gampel Arena (Connecticut) 195-15 (92.9)
4. United Spirit Arena (Texas Tech) 68-6 (91.9)
5. Dahlberg Arena (Montana) 338-32 (91.4)
6. Jon M. Huntsman Arena (Utah) 310-39 (88.8)
7. Frank Erwin Center (Texas) 340-52 (86.7)
8. Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum (Auburn) 289-47 (86.0)
9. Golden Panther Arena (Florida International) 230-45 (83.6)
10. Carver Hawkeye Arena (Iowa) 226-48 (82.5)
11. E.A. Diddle Arena (Western Kentucky) 331-70 (82.5)
12. Yanitelli Center (St. Peter's College) 315-70 (81.8)
13. C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum (Ole Miss) 295-66 (81.7)
ARMINTIE FRESH
Lady Rebel freshman Armintie Price has already earned three honors during her short career. First, Price was named to the five-member All-Tournament team at the Lady Tiger Classic after posting double-doubles in games against Nebraska and Memphis. She was then named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday, Dec. 1. Price was the 10th Lady Rebel to earn SEC Player of the Week honors and the first since Becky Myatt was earned the honor on Nov. 20, 2000. Price was most recently honored at the Lehigh Christmas City Classic where she was again named to the All-Tournament team.
DROPPING DIMES
Ole Miss junior point guard Carletta Brown is well on her way to having her most productive season to date in the assists category. Brown, who has started 58-of-78 career games, has tallied 103 assists in 23 games this season, and ranks fifth in the SEC in assists per game. Brown recorded a team-high 80 assists as a sophomore. She recently recorded a career-high nine assists in the Lady Rebel win over Mount St. Mary's.
BLOWING UP
As the Lady Rebel team put up 112 points in the win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, five Ole Miss players notched double-figures led by sophomore Ashley Johnson's career-high 26 points. Johnson made 5-of-7 seven threes on the night and also posted a career-high seven assists. Junior center Amber Terrell also had a career game with her first double-double of the season. Terrell had 21 points and 13 rebounds against UAPB. Other Lady Rebels with career highs were senior forward Tia Watson with 18 points and nine rebounds and freshman guard Ashley Awkward with 11 points and eight assists. Rounding out the double figure scoring was junior center Amber Watts with 10 points.
BEST FOOT FORWARD
Lady Rebel head coach Carol Ross will be looking to get out of the gates with a good record in her first season at the helm of the Ole Miss program. Ross, who was 17-11 in her first season as Florida women's basketball head coach, will be looking to join the good company of former Lady Rebel coaches with solid first-year records Pam Davidson, Lin Dunn, Van Chancellor and Ron Aldy, posted a combined first-year record of 82-41 (66.7 winning percentage). The following is a list of previous Ole Miss women's basketball head coaches and their first year records:
Coach (Year) Record (Pct.)
Pam Davidson (1974-75) 14-8 (63.6)
Lin Dunn (1977-78) 25-15 (62.5)
Van Chancellor (1978-79) 31-9 (77.5)
Ron Aldy (1997-98) 12-19 (38.7)
Carol Ross (2003-04) 15-8 (65.2)
LADY REBELS CLAIM TOURNEY TITLE
Ole Miss won their first tournament of the 2003-04 season by defeating Marshall, 54-53, to win the Lehigh Christmas City Classic. The Lady Rebels beat Mount St. Mary's, 81-64, in the opening round, before closing out 2003 with the win over the Thundering Herd. Senior guard Genice Terry was named the tourney MVP and freshman forward Armintie Price and junior guard Carletta Brown joined Terry on the All-Tournament team. It was the second All-Tournament honor of the season for both Terry and Price and the first of the season for Brown. It was also the second All-Tournament honor for both Terry and Price in their Lady Rebel careers at Ole Miss and the first for Brown.
OLE MISS FINISHES SECOND AT LADY TIGER CLASSIC
Ole Miss defeated Nebraska, 69-66, and then came up short in the championship game against the host Memphis as they fell, 69-63, in the title game. Freshman forward Armintie Price was named to the Lady Tiger Classic All-Tournament team with her tournament averages of 20.0 points and 15.5 rebounds. Senior guard Genice Terry also came up big for Ole Miss as she posted tournament averages of 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game.
