The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sharp Shooting Lifts Rebels To 85-67 Win At UCF
12/20/2008 | Women's Basketball
ORLANDO, Fla. Ole Miss shot 64.7 percent from three-point range and featured five players in double figures as the Rebels used a strong second half en route to an 85-67 victory over UCF Saturday afternoon from the UCF Arena.
The Rebels finished the game 11-for-17 from three-point range, including 6-of-9 during the second half. It was the most three-pointers a by Rebel team since Ole Miss hit 10 treys against Mississippi State Jan. 27, 2005.
Junior Bianca Thomas led the way for the Rebels as she hit four triples and finished with a team-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Senior Shawn Goff scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and tallied two blocked shots.
Sophomore Kayla Melson also scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, while fellow sophomore Alliesha Easley added 12 points, including 10 in the second half. Elizabeth Robertson, who was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, also finished with 12 points to go along with six rebounds.
UCF guard Chelsie Wiley led all scorers as she finished with a career-high 32 points, including 8-for-9 from three-point range. Forward Emma Cannon added 15 points and four rebounds for the Knights.
After trailing for the entire first half, the Rebels grabbed their first lead of the game three minutes into the second half when Thomas hit a 3-pointer to put Ole Miss ahead 40-38. UCF scored the next three points to regain a 41-40 lead, but Melson answered with a three-pointer of her own from the wing to put the Rebels ahead for good.
The Knights cut the Ole Miss lead to seven points with just under eight minutes remaining in the game, but Easley swished a three-pointer with the shot clock approaching zero to put the Rebels back ahead by double digits. From that point on, Ole Miss used an 11-3 run over the next five minutes to open up a 19-point edge with just under three minutes left.
Ole Miss (8-3) finished the contest shooting 51.7 percent from the field and scored 22 points in the paint. The Rebels also forced UCF into 23 turnovers and turned those miscues into 20 Ole Miss points.
UCF scored its first 12 points of the game on three-point jumpers, including three from Wiley to jump out to an early 12-8 lead just over three minutes into the game. In fact, the Knights hit their first seven three-pointers of the game and finished the half 77.8 percent from beyond the arc. Seven of UCF's 10 first half field goals were from three-point range.
Wiley finished the first half with 19 points and 6-for-10 shooting from the field, including 5-for-6 from three-point range. She was the only play on the Knight roster to register more than four points in the first half.
Thomas led the way for Ole Miss in the first half as she registered nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from three-point range. The Rebels ended the first half shooting 62.5 percent down town and were 45.2 percent overall from the field.
Ole Miss puts the finishing touches on the UCF Holiday Classic when the Rebels take on Wake Forest Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. from the UCF Arena.
