GAME 7: Ole Miss (6-0) vs. Southeastern Louisiana (4-2)
Thursday 12.4.08 | 11 a.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. | Tad Smith Coliseum (9,061) MEDIA
Live Radio: (Gary Darby, play-by-play) Listen Online through RebelVision
Live Video: Watch Online through RebelVision
Live Stats: OleMissSports.com
OXFORD, Miss. After finishing the month of November with a perfect 6-0 record, the Ole Miss women’s basketball team looks to continue its winning streak into December as the Rebels host Southeastern Louisiana Thursday at 11 a.m. from Tad Smith Coliseum.
Ole Miss enters Thursday’s game following an impressive 83-32 victory over Nicholls State in which the Rebels set a new school record for the fewest points allowed. Senior center Shawn Goff, a preseason All-SEC first team selection, scored a game-high 14 points to go along with four blocks and five steals to help Ole Miss improve to 113-0 all-time when holding opponents to 50 points or less.
Much of the reason for Ole Miss’ success this season has been the Rebels ability to control the boards. Ole Miss is averaging 49.5 rebounds per game and ranks second in the nation with a +16.7 rebounding margin. Defensively, the Rebels are also among the nation’s best as Ole Miss ranks third in the country in three-point field goal percentage defense. The Rebels allow their opponents to shot a mere 18.8 percent from beyond the arc. In addition, the Rebels are seventh in the country by holding opponents to just 49.5 points per game.
Goff continues to lead the Rebels on the offensive end as she averages 11.7 points per game. She also ranks third on the team in rebounds, while collecting a team-high 10 blocked shots. Goff is just 17 rejections shy of moving into third place on the school’s all-time blocked shots list. Junior guard Bianca Thomas is second on the team with 11.0 points per game and first in rebounding by pulling down 5.3 boards per game. Sophomore Alliesha Easley also averages in double figures as she pours in an even 10.0 points per game.
After opening the year with two straight losses, Southeastern Louisiana enters Thursday’s game with Ole Miss riding a four-game winning streak. In their most recent outing, the Lady Lions posted an impressive 94-58 victory over William Carey College. Senior forward Kristy Carlin leads the team in both scoring and rebounding as she averages nearly a double-double per game. Carlin scores 15.0 points per game and pulls down 9.5 rebounds per contest. Junior Quantae Thomas averages 10.2 points per game and is the only other Lady Lion to average in double figures.
Ole Miss and Southeastern Louisiana will be meeting for the 11th time when the two teams tip-off Thursday morning. The Rebels have had very little trouble with the Lady Lions as Ole Miss is a perfect 10-0 against Southeastern Louisiana in the all-time series that dates back to the 1978-79 season. The Rebels are also 6-0 all-time at home against the Lady Lions and have posted an average margin of victory of 28.2 points per game during those games. In the most recent meeting between the two, Ole Miss defeated the Lady Lions 92-46 Nov. 10, 2006. That 46-point victory was the largest margin of victory in the all-time series.
Southeastern Louisiana has lost 20 straight games against the SEC and is 17-52 all-time in games against the league. The Lady Lions last win against a team from the SEC came in the form of an 84-61 victory over Mississippi State during the 1994-95 season.
