The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Close Year Tuesday Against Centenary
12/27/2009 | Women's Basketball
Ole Miss (8-4) vs. Centenary (1-11)
Tuesday 12.29.09 | 4:30 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 puts the finishing touches on its non-conference schedule when the Rebels host Centenary Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. from Tad Smith Coliseum in a doubleheader with the men's team.
Ole Miss is offering free admission and free parking in all lots to the men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Tuesday.
Ole Miss (8-4) enters the week having won its last two games, which included a 101-46 rout of Winston-Salem State in its last outing. In that game, seven Rebels scored in double figures to help Ole Miss reach 100 points for the first time since 2006.
Senior guard Shantell Black scored 14 points and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, which included a 4-for-4 performance from three-point range. Black currently ranks first in the SEC with a .485 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Whitney Hameth also scored 14 points against the Lady Rams and hit three treys.
Kayla Melson finished with 12 points and a game-high six assists, while All-SEC guard Bianca Thomas also tallied 12 points and hit a pair of three-pointers. Katorra Lewis, Nikki Byrd and LaTosha Laws each scored 10 points.
The Rebels are led on the offensive end of the floor by the 21.1 points per game of Thomas, ranking her first in the SEC and 12th in the nation. Thomas is also first in the league and fifth in the country with 3.7 three-pointers per game. The Henderson, Tenn., native also leads Ole Miss with 5.6 rebounds per game.
Melson ranks second on the team with 12.5 points per game and is second in the conference with 6.1 assists per game, while Black pours in 10.9 points per game and is third in the SEC with 5.2 assists per game.
Centenary enters Tuesday's game with a 1-11 overall record after falling 77-50 at Louisiana-Lafayette in its last game. Prior to the Louisiana-Lafayette game, the Ladies picked up their first win of the season on Dec. 19 with a 68-66 win at McNeese State.
Tuesday's game will also be the second game of the season for Centenary against an SEC team. Earlier this year, the Ladies were limited to just 19 points in a 92-19 setback at LSU.
Individually, senior guard Bethany Joseph leads the team with 10.9 points per game and is the only player that scores in double figures. Junior center Anne Farrell pulls down a team-high 7.8 rebounds for the Ladies.
Ole Miss and Centenary will be meeting for the first time ever when the two teams tipoff Tuesday afternoon at Tad Smith Coliseum. The Ladies are one of three first-time opponents for Ole Miss this season. Prior to this season, the Rebels had also never faced Winston-Salem State and Sam Houston State.
Ole Miss will be facing a Summit League opponent for the first time since 2002 when the Rebels take on Centenary Tuesday afternoon. The Rebels are 7-1 all-time against the league and won the first seven games against the conference. In the last meeting with a Summit League foe, however, Ole Miss lost to Oakland 54-52 on Dec. 21, 2002 in the Sun Splash Shootout in Nassau, Bahamas.
