The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Rout Sam Houston State 95-61
11/17/2009 | Women's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - All-SEC guard Bianca Thomas finished with a game-high 25 points and tallied 10 rebounds to record her second consecutive double-double to lead Ole Miss to a lopsided 95-61 victory over Sam Houston State Tuesday afternoon from Johnson Coliseum.
Thomas was one of three Rebels to post a double-double and was one of five starters to finish in double figures. Ole Miss hadn't had all five of its starters score in double figures since downing Vanderbilt 76-66 Jan. 7, 2007.
Senior forward Katorra Lewis finished with 14 points and a career-high 10 rebounds to collect her first career double-double in helping the Rebels hold a 42-26 advantage in points in the paint and a 28-6 edge in second chance points. Fellow senior forward Elizabeth Robertson picked up her second career double-double after recording 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Shantell Black scored 14 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists, while junior guard Kayla Melson tallied 13 points and nine assists, upping her season total to 20 helpers over the first two games.
Sam Houston State forward Whitney Smith led the Bearkats with 21 points and eight rebounds, while Brittany Brooks finished with 13 points and three assists.
Ole Miss (2-0) jumped out to an early 22-10 lead in the first four minutes of the game as the Rebels hit four of their first five shots, which included a pair of three-pointers from Robertson. The Rebels built their lead to 19 points midway through the half and would go on to lead by as many as 22 points in the stanza.
The Rebels shot a 45.0 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from the field in the first half and limited Sam Houston State to just 12 made field goals.
In the second half, Ole Miss continued to pull away and lead by as many as 42 points. In their two games thus far this season, the Rebels are winning by an average margin of victory of 36 points and have now won 24 straight games when scoring at least 80 points.
Ole Miss returns to action Friday at 11 a.m. when the Rebels welcome Arkansas-Pine Bluff to Tad Smith Coliseum for the team's annual School Day Game.
