The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
(12-7, 2-4SEC)
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Mississippi State
(6-14, 1-6SEC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ole Miss | 32 | 44 | 76 |
| Mississippi State | 35 | 36 | 71 |
Lady Rebels Defeat Mississippi State 76-71 In Starkville
1/26/2006 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2006
Final Stats
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's basketball team returned the favor on Thursday night, going on the road and defeating in-state rival Mississippi State 76-71 at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Lady Rebels (12-6, 2-4 SEC) snapped a two-game skid in conference play and had revenge on the Lady Bulldogs (6-14, 1-6 SEC), who snagged a 70-59 decision on Jan. 8 in Oxford.
An 11-2 run by Ole Miss late in the second half was the difference in the game, as Mississippi State led for most of the second half.
"It's good to get a win on the road against your in-state rival," said Carol Ross, who is now two wins shy of 50 as the Lady Rebel head coach and five shy of 300 career victories. "I was pleased with how we played tonight. It looked like we got a little bit of our confidence and swagger back. It's nice to be able to go back to the locker room and celebrate a win, and hopefully that excitement will carry over into practice this week as we prepare for Vanderbilt."
Junior guard Armintie Price had a monster night for Ole Miss. Along with a second straight 22-point effort, Price tied a career high for the fifth time with 17 rebounds and tied a career high with seven assists, while playing all 40 minutes in the third straight contest. She now has a league-leading 12 double-doubles on the season.
Senior guard Ashley Johnson came off the bench to knock down five three-pointers, which tied a career high, on her way to 19 points. The effort marked her best game in Southeastern Conference play and her best total since putting up 22 in the win over No. 7 Rutgers on Dec. 14.
Danetra Forrest chipped in nine points, but saw limited action in the second half with foul trouble. Freshman Shawn Goff scored a career-high eight points as Forrest's replacement.
"Dee is a tough player for us to have to sit out," Ross said, "but we had great play off the bench tonight. I got in Shawn's face on the bench and she responded well with some big buckets during a key stretch in the second half."
The Lady Rebels went into the locker room 35-32 at halftime after an opening period that saw eight lead changes and four ties.
Mississippi State maintained a multiple-possession lead through much of the second half, building it to as much as nine points at 48-39 at the 15-minute mark. But each time the Lady Bulldogs made a run, Ole Miss answered, thanks in large part to 7-of-14 shooting from the arc.
With State leading 64-63 at the 5:26 mark, Ole Miss went on an 11-2 run keyed by six points from Price and a dramatic Ashley Awkward three-pointer to break a 66-66 tie. From there, the Lady Rebels shut down the Lady Dogs and claimed the road win.
For the game, Ole Miss out-rebounded State 46-40 and had a 34-15 advantage in points off the bench. The Lady Rebels, who came into the game ranked 13th in the nation with 12.3 steals per game, snagged a season-low three pilfers on the evening.
Next up for Ole Miss is a trip to Nashville, Tenn., to face No. 19 Vanderbilt on Sunday at 2 p.m.
