The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women's Hoops Hosts Arizona Thursday
11/16/2010 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Ole Miss Rebels (2-0, 0-0 SEC)
This Week ... vs. Arizona (2-0), Thursday, 7 p.m.
vs. Nicholls State (1-0), Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Date: Thursday, November 18, 2010
Tip-off: 7 p.m. (CT)
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Arena: Tad Smith Coliseum (9,061)
TV: None
Radio: Gary Darby, play-by-play
WTNM Supertalk Mississippi (105.5 FM)
Web: Live stats and streaming video (RebelVision)
available at www.OleMissSports.com
Up Next:
Ole Miss vs. Nicholls State
Saturday, Nov. 20
12:30 p.m.
Rebels Host Arizona Thursday, Nicholls State on Saturday
Ole Miss will continue its four-game homestand to open the year as the Rebels host Arizona on Thursday and Nicholls State on Saturday. Ole Miss is 0-2 all-time against Arizona with the last meeting in 2009 and is 3-0 all-time against Nicholls State with the last meeting in 2008.
About Ole Miss
The Rebels are 2-0 this year and are in the middle of a four-game homestand to open the year. Ole Miss is led by freshman point guard Valencia McFarland who is averaging 12.5 points per game. LaTosha Laws is second averaging 12.0 points per game while Kayla Melson is third averaging 10.5. Laws leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 boards per game while Nikki Byrd is second averaging 7.0 rebounds per game.
News and Notes
Freshman Kenyotta Jenkins recorded a career-high five points in Ole Miss' win over Jackson State ... Ole Miss is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 4.0 rebounds per game ... eight of the nine Rebels who have seen action for Ole Miss this year have scored ... after opening the year with four-consecutive home games, Ole Miss will play four on the road starting with three games in the Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Hawaii followed by a road game at South Alabama.
Ole Miss vs. Arizona
Arizona leads the all-time series between the two schools, 2-0. The Rebels fell to the Wildcats, 65-59, last season in Tucson. The other meeting between the two schools took place in 1989 in Tucson with Arizona posting a 67-61 win.
A Look at Arizona
The Wildcats are 2-0 this season after posting home wins over Wichita State, 81-72, and Northern Arizona, 71-49. Arizona is led by Davellyn White who is averaging 12.5 points per game. Soana Lucet is second (12.0 ppg) while Erica Barnes is third (11.5 ppg). The Wildcats are outrebounding their opponents by an average of 22 boards per game.
Rebels Open Season 2-0
Ole Miss opened the season 2-0 for the third straight year and the fifth time in the last seven years. The Rebels won back-to-back games to open the year against Jackson State and Sam Houston State to win the Inn at Ole Miss Classic.
McFarland, Byrd Earn All-Tournament Honors
Freshman point guard Valencia McFarland was named the Inn at Ole Miss Classic MVP while junior forward Nikki Byrd was named to the All-Tournament team. McFarland ended the weekend averaging a team-leading 12.5 points per game and recorded 12 rebounds, 10 assists and eight steals. Byrd ended the weekend averaging nine points and seven rebounds per game.
Melson Records Double-Double Against SHSU
Senior guard Kayla Melson recorded her first double-double of the year against Sam Houston State with 15 points and a career-high 12 boards. The double-double was the first for Melson since her 20 points and 10 assists versus LSU on February 7, 2010.
McFarland Impressive in Debut For Rebels
Freshman point guard Valencia McFarland played 79 out of a possible 80 minutes in Ole Miss' two win this weekend. She recorded just one turnover in 40 minutes against Jackson State and ended the weekend with just three turnovers in 79 minutes. She scored a career-high 18 points against Sam Houston State and ended the weekend with 12 rebounds, 10 assists and eight steals.
Scoring in Double Figures
Through their first two games of the season, the Rebels have had a total of seven different players record a double-digit scoring game. Three players (Valencia McFarland, LaTosha Laws and Kayla Melson) have recorded games of 15 points or more.
Rebounding Advantage
Ole Miss outrebounded Sam Houston State by a margin of 16 boards, 50-34. The Rebels had five players record at least five boards in the game including Kayla Melson who recorded a game and career high 12 boards.
Laws Records Career-High
Junior LaTosha Laws recorded a career-high 17 points against Jackson State. Laws went 7-of-16 from the field and passed her previous career-high of 10 points versus Winston-Salem State on December 20, 2009.
Melson on Track for 1,000 Career Points
Senior Kayla Melson enters her final year with the Rebels with 774 career points and needs 226 points to reach 1,000 for her career. This season, Melson is averaging 10.5 points per game and is third on the team.
Melson Looks to Break into Top Five in Career Assists
Senior Kayla Melson has recorded 364 assists during her career. She needs to record 92 assists this season to claim the fifth spot on the career list. Last season, Melson recorded a league-leading 178 assists. This year she has recorded six.
Melson, Slusher Named Team Captains
Senior guard Kayla Melson and senior forward Tori Slusher were named team captains this season.
Hope Shines in Exhibition Game
Freshman Pa'Sonna Hope recorded a double-double for the Rebels in the team's exhibition win over the University of West Georgia on November 4. Hope scored 20 points and added 10 boards in Ole Miss' 86-36 win. Hope made her first eight shots from the floor and ended the game shooting 8-of-9 from the floor.
Laws Drops 19 in Exhibition Game
Junior LaTosha Laws scored 19 points in Ole Miss' exhibition win over the University of West Georgia. She ended the game shooting 8-of-14 from the floor and added six boards in the win.
McFarland Impresses in Exhibition Win
Freshman point guard Valencia McFarland recorded eight points, nine assists and five steals in 35 minutes of action for the Rebels. McFarland, a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Mississippi, played a team-leading 35 minutes in Ole Miss' win over the University of West Georgia.
Hope Leads Four Players in Double Figures in Exhibition Game Win
Pa'Sonna Hope (20 points) led four Ole Miss players in double figures in the Rebels November 4 exhibition win. LaTosha Laws scored 19 while junior Nikki Byrd added 12 and freshman Shae Nelson scored 11.
Head Coach Renee Ladner
Head coach Renee Ladner enters her fourth season at the helm of the Rebels. Last season, Ladner led the team to its 30th winning season in program history and to its sixth postseason appearance in seven years. Ladner was an assistant coach at Ole Miss from 2003-08.
New Faces
Ole Miss fans will see several new faces this year for the Rebels. This year's team features eight newcomers. Three of the newcomers are non-scholarship athletes while five of the newcomers are scholarship athletes.
Slusher Returns for Ole Miss
Senior Tori Slusher will return to the Rebels this season after missing the previous season with an injury. Slusher, who transferred to Ole Miss as a junior, has played in 18 games for the Rebels.
Home Court advantage
Including the exhibition game, Ole Miss will play its first five games on the year at home. Overall, the Rebels are 360-86 at the Tad Smith Coliseum.
Follow Head Coach Renee Ladner on Twitter
Head coach Renee Ladner is on Twitter. Follow her at @Renee_Ladner.
Ticket Information
Ticket prices for the regular season are $5 per game or $61 for season tickets. For more information call the Ole Miss ticket office at 662-915-7167.
Follow the Rebels
Ole Miss' regular-season games can be heard on WTNM Supertalk Mississippi (105.5 FM) with the pregame show starting 15 minutes before tipoff. Eli Savoie will be calling all of the games in November while Gary Darby will pickup the rest of the game this season.
Ole Miss in the SEC Preseason Polls
Ole Miss was picked to finish 10th in the SEC media poll and 9th in the SEC coaches poll.
Upcoming Schedule
Ole Miss will play its first road games of the season starting with a game versus Gonzaga in the Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu, Hawaii on November 26. The Rebels will play two more games in Hawaii with its second round game being played against either host Hawaii or North Carolina on Nov. 27 followed by a third game on Nov. 28.
