The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
1-0
Rice
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 31 | 32 | 63 |
| Ole Miss Lady Rebels | 48 | 62 | 110 |
Lady Rebels Pound Rice 110-63 In Season Opener
11/18/2005 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2005
Final Stats
OXFORD, Miss. -
The Ole Miss women's basketball team got their season off to an explosive start, as five players scored in double figures and the Lady Rebels downed Rice, 110-63 at Tad Smith Coliseum Friday night. Led by junior guard Armintie Price's 23 points, Ole Miss turned a 21-all tie into a 48-31 halftime lead and never looked back.
"That was a good start to a long season," said Ole Miss head coach Carol Ross, who is entering her third season at the helm of the Lady Rebel program. "Anytime you can hang 110 points on a very good Rice team, it gives you something to build on.
"There are some things we need still need to work on, but anytime you can put up numbers like that to start to start the season, that's good. I hope we can continue to get better like we have been heading into January, because that is when we will need this type of performance."
Ole Miss' 110 points were just two shy of the school-record 112 set on Feb. 4, 1983 against Nevada-Reno and tied on Jan. 5, 2003 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The win also moved the Lady Rebels to 29-3 all-time in home openers.
The win was big in more ways than just the point total. The Lady Rebels, who lost three starters and four letterwinners from last year's 19-11 squad, trailed just once in the game and dominated a talented Rice squad that was the preseason pick to win the Conference USA title by the league coaches.
Price, a preseason All-SEC first team selection, started the season with a strong outing, notching her 28th career double-double with 12 rebounds to go along with her 23 points. She also tallied four assists and four steals in the win.
In her first action as a Lady Rebel, sophomore Carla Bartee scored 21 points, going 5-for-6 from the three-point line, including three treys late in the second period to push the Rebels over the century mark and spark the 1,214 fans gathered in the "Tad Pad."
The two teams got off to an even start, and were tied 21-21 with 8:39 remaining in the first half. That's when Price and junior guard Ashley Awkward went to work, collecting steals and turning them into easy baskets. The Lady Rebel defense forced 19 first half turnovers and 31 in the game. Sophomore guard Lindsay Roy capped the 25-4 run with a three-pointer that gave Ole Miss a 46-25 lead with two minutes left in the first frame.
The Lady Rebels continued rolling in the second period. The Ole Miss lead did not dip below 20 points in the half, and the offense did not stop scoring as Awkward chipped in a career-high 18 points, sophomore forward Danetra Forrest added 15 and senior guard Ashley Johnson tallied 11 points.
Ole Miss finished the game 40-for-81 in field goals for a 49 percent clip. They connected on 9-of-14 shots from beyond the arc and knocked down 21-of-27 from the charity stripe. Ole Miss out-rebounded the Owls 53-48.
In addition to Awkward's 18 points, she also notched a game-high seven assists to go along with five steals and five rebounds. Forrest collected nine rebounds and three steals, while sophomore forward Jada Mincy got in the action with eight points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Tasi Worsham recorded five points and four assists.
Leading the way for Rice was Krystal Frazier with 11 points and Lauren Neaves with 10. Both players also tallied six rebounds to lead the Owls.
Ole Miss will return to the court on Monday, Nov. 21, when they travel to Clemson, S.C., to take on the Clemson Tigers. The game will tip-off at 4:30 p.m. (CT), and will be the first game of a double-header with the Tiger men taking on Coppin State. The Lady Rebels will then return to the friendly confines of Tad Smith Coliseum, to host 13th-ranked Texas Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
