The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Test No. 9 Buckeyes Sunday; Offer Free Admission
12/11/2009 | Women's Basketball
Ole Miss (6-2) vs. #9/#9 Ohio State (9-1)
Sunday 12.13.09 | 1:00 p.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. | Tad Smith Coliseum Coliseum (9,061)
MEDIA
Live Stats: OleMissSports.com
Live Radio: RebelVision (Gary Darby, play-by-play; Alliesha Easley, analyst)
Live Video: RebelVision
OXFORD, Miss. - After a week off for final exams, the Ole Miss women's basketball team returns to action to face its toughest competition of the season when the Rebels welcome ninth-ranked Ohio State to Tad Smith Coliseum Sunday at 1 p.m.
Ole Miss has joined forces with the Lafayette County Literacy Council in the fight against illiteracy, and Rebel fans can do their part by donating books to help the thousands of people in and around the Oxford area suffering from illiteracy. Anyone who donates a new or used book will receive free admission to Sunday's game.
Ole Miss (6-2) enters the weekend having won three of its last four games and is a perfect 2-0 at home this season. The Rebels are averaging 89.0 points per game at home this season and are winning by an average of 40.0 points per game in those contests. Overall, Ole Miss puts up 78.2 points per game and ranks second in the SEC and 18th in the nation in points per game.
The Rebels will be looking to return to their winning ways Sunday against No. 9 Ohio State after falling at Old Dominion in their last game. Ole Miss All-SEC senior guard Bianca Thomas scored a game-high 25 points and hit five three-pointers against the Lady Monarchs to lead the Rebels on the offensive end. Thomas has connected on at least three treys in seven of Ole Miss' eight game this season and is second in the nation with 4.3 three-pointers per game.
Senior forward Katorra Lewis pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Old Dominion, while junior guard Kayla Melson dished out a game-high seven assists and now ranks first in the SEC and 12th in the nation with 6.7 helpers per game. Shantell Black stands third in the SEC and 33rd in the NCAA with 5.6 assists per game.
Individually, Thomas paces the SEC and ranks fifth in the nation with 23.8 points per game. She has scored at least 20 points in six games this season and is the SEC's active leader with 16 career games of at least 20 points. Thomas also leads the team with 6.0 rebounds per game. Melson also scores in double figures for the Rebels, pouring in 11.8 points per game to go along with 4.5 rebounds per game.
Ohio State enters the weekend with a 9-1 overall record and a 1-0 mark in the Big Ten after defeating Wisconsin 70-55 in its most recent game. The Buckeyes opened the season on an eight-game winning streak and rose to as high as No. 3 in both national polls, but fell to No. 11 Duke 83-67 on Dec. 3 to suffer their first and only loss of the season. Despite the loss to Duke, Ohio State is still posting an average margin of victory of 21.8 points per game and has won by at least 12 points in all of its nine victories.
Ohio State is led by junior post Jantel Lavender, who ranks first in the Big Ten and sixth in the nation with 23.7 points per game. Lavender is also pulling down 10.3 rebounds per game to lead the team and rank 30th in the country. Sophomore guard Samantha Prahalis averages 13.3 points per game and is second in the country with 9.4 assists per game. Both Brittany Johnson and Sarah Schulze also score in double figures for the Buckeyes, as the duo chips in with 11.0 and 10.3 points per game, respectively.
Ole Miss and Ohio State will be meeting for the fourth time when the two teams tipoff Sunday afternoon. The Rebels own a 2-1 lead in the all-time series that dates back to the 1978-79 season. Ole Miss won the first two meetings between the two, which included a 77-55 win in the first round of the 1984 NCAA Tournament. In the most recent meeting, Ohio State defeated Ole Miss 69-55 in Columbus on Dec. 2, 2007, in Renee Ladner's first season as head coach of the Rebels. Sunday will also be the first time the schools have played each other in Oxford.
Ole Miss has enjoyed a great deal of success when facing teams from the Big Ten. The Rebels are 11-5 all-time against teams from the Big Ten and are a perfect 5-0 all-time at home versus the league. Recently, however, the Big Ten has proved to be one of the toughest opponents for Ole Miss. In fact, Big Ten teams have won three straight games against Ole Miss. The Rebels' last win over a Big Ten team came when Ole Miss downed Penn State 65-48 in Oxford during the 2006-07 season.
