The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebels Host Auburn Sunday
2/11/2006 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. -
The Lady Rebels (13-10, 3-7) are looking for their first home win in SEC play when host Auburn (12-10, 3-6) on Sunday. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m., in Tad Smith Coliseum.
Ole Miss and Auburn are both searching for their fourth conference victory. The Lady Rebels and Tigers previously met on Jan. 15 with Ole Miss taking a 51-48 win in Auburn.
Ole Miss is led on the season by junior guard Armintie Price with 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Price is one of two players in the SEC averaging a double-double on the season, along with sophomore center Sylvia Fowles of LSU. Both players posted 20-20 plus performances in games played this season.
Sophomore forward Carla Bartee has been Ole Miss' top player off the bench with 8.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing, although she has started four games on the season. Bartee has led Ole Miss in scoring in each of the last three games and is averaging 16.7 points per game during that period.
Junior guard Ashley Awkward reclaimed her starting spot at the point in Ole Miss' last outing versus Alabama. Awkward responded by tying a career-high with 18 points. She made 6-of-8 free throws in the final minutes to seal the win for Ole Miss.
Freshman center Shawn Goff has been coming on strong as of late. Goff had a career game against Alabama pulling down 13 rebounds, eight on the offensive end, and scoring eight points to go along with three steals and three blocks.
Also turning in oustanding performances off the bench in the Alabama win were senior LaTanya Jones and sophomore Lindsay Roy. Jones turned in four points, two assists and two steals, while Roy made 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the second half on her way to nine points.
Under the direction of third-year head coach Carol Ross, the Lady Rebels are 49-35. Ross, who played at Ole Miss from 1979-82, earned SEC Co-Coach of the Year honors in 2004 after guiding Ole Miss back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight seasons. Ross' Lady Rebels returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2004-05, falling to George Washington in the first round of play.
Auburn enters Sunday's game with a 12-10 overall mark and an 3-6 record in SEC games. The Tigers dropped their first four SEC games before winning three of their last five.
Freshman DeWanna Bonner leads the Tigers in scoring with 13.3 points per game. Bonner also pulls down 5.8 rebounds and has 40 assists and 36 steals. Senior Nitasha Brown adds 11.7 points and leads AU with 94 assists on the season.
Senior Marita Payne is the leading shot blocker in the SEC with 92 on the season and also leads AU with 7.0 boards per game.
Auburn head coach Nell Fortner is 28-23 in her second season with the Tigers. Her overall coaching mark is 45-34 in three seasons.
