The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Host Winston-Salem State Sunday
12/19/2009 | Women's Basketball
Ole Miss (7-4) vs. Winston-Salem State (2-7)
Sunday 12.20.09 | 1:00 p.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. | Oxford, Miss. (9,061)
MEDIA
Live Stats: OleMissSports.com
Live Video: RebelVision
Live Radio: RebelVision (Gary Darby, play-by-play; Alliesha Easley, analyst)
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's basketball team plays its final game before the Christmas holidays Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. when the Rebels welcome Winston-Salem State to Tad Smith Coliseum.
All fans who bring two canned goods to the coliseum will receive free admission to Sunday's game.
Ole Miss (7-4) will be looking for its second consecutive victory following a thrilling 73-72 win over Memphis Friday night. Senior forward Elizabeth Robertson hit the game-winning three-pointer with 2.3 seconds left on the clock to lift the Rebels to their fourth straight win over the Tigers.
Junior guard Kayla Melson registered a career-high 17 points and was one of five Rebels in double figures. Bianca Thomas finished with 13 points, while both Shantell Black and LaKendra Phillips scored 11 points apiece. Sophomore post Nikki Byrd rounded out the Rebels in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Thomas leads the team and ranks first in the SEC with 21.9 points per game to go along with a team-leading 5.9 rebounds per game. She also ranks first in the conference with 3.8 three-pointers made per game and is once pace to break her own record she set a season ago with 73 treys in a single season.
Melson stands second on the team with 12.6 points per game and ranks second in the conference with 6.1 assists per game. Black also scores in double figures for the Rebels and pours in 10.6 points per game and has scored at least 10 points in her last four games.
Black is also third in the SEC in assists with 5.3 per game and is just 11 shy of moving into fifth place on the school's all-time assist list.
Winston-Salem State (2-7) enters Sunday's game at Ole Miss having lost five straight games and has not won since downing Presbyterian College 66-65 in overtime on Nov. 21. Since that time, the Lady Rams have failed to score more than 60 points in any of their five straight losses. Most recently, Winston-Salem State lost 71-59 at home to Elon on Dec. 13.
Individually, the Lady Rams are led on the offensive end by the 12.7 points per game of junior guard Rene Rector. Junior post Vontisha Woods is second on the team with 11.9 points per game and a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per game.
Ole Miss will be facing a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponent for just the third time when the Rebels take on Winston-Salem State Sunday. It will be just the first meeting ever between Ole Miss and Winston-Salem State.
The Rebels are a perfect 2-0 against the MEAC with wins over Morgan State and North Carolina A&T. Last season, Ole Miss opened the year with an 80-64 victory over North Carolina A&T at the Winthrop Hilton Garden Inn Classic.
