Women's Hoops Hosts Vanderbilt Sunday To Open SEC Play

Dec. 31, 2010

Ole Miss Rebels (7-5, 0-0 SEC)
This Week ...
vs. Vanderbilt
Sunday, January 2, 2011: vs. Vanderbilt (9-4, 0-0 SEC)

Date: Sunday, January 2, 2011
Tip-off: 2 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)
WQLJ (Q93.7)
Web: Gametracker www.olemisssports.com
RebelVision www.olemisssports.com

Up Next:
Jan. 9 at Tennessee, 11 a.m. CT (CSS)

REBELS HOST VANDERBILT SUNDAY TO OPEN SEC PLAY
After having its final two non-conference games cancelled due to snow on the East Coast, Ole Miss will open SEC play on Sunday hosting Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. The Rebels are 1-2 in SEC openers under Renee Ladner.

ABOUT OLE MISS
The Rebels are 7-5 this year and will look to break its two-game losing streak when they host Vanderbilt on Sunday. Ole Miss is led by Kayla Melson who is averaging 14.3 points per game. Valencia McFarland is second, averaging 11.5 points per game while Pa'Sonna Hope is third averaging 9.8 points per game. Pa'Sonna Hope leads the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg) while Nikki Byrd is second, averaging 6.5 rpg. As a team, the Rebels are averaging 64.8 points per game while holding its opponents to 64.5 points per game.

NEWS AND NOTES
The Rebels are second in the SEC in rebounds per game (44.1) and are first in offensive rebounds (18.1) ... Ole Miss gave up a season-high 82 points in back-to-back losses at Central Michigan and versus Miami ... Ole Miss has recorded at least 40 rebounds in 10 games this year including 10 of its last 11 games ... four players scored in double figures against Central Michigan marking the fifth time this year the Rebels have had four players in double figures in a game ... senior Tori Slusher tied her career-high with six points versus SELA ... Pa'Sonna Hope became the fourth player to record a double-double this year (Kayla Melson, Courtney Marbra and Nikki Byrd are the others) ... LaTosha Laws tied her career-high with six assists versus SELA ... Ole Miss' double overtime game against Hawai`i marked the team's first double overtime game since a February 2007 game at Arkansas ... Melson is the only player to have started all 12 games this year ... Melson is averaging nearly 40 minutes a game for Ole Miss (37.7 mpg) ... Ole Miss came from 14 points down in two games this year to win, versus Gonzaga and versus Illinois ... Melson tied her career-high with 12 boards against Nicholls State ... McFarland matched her career high in assists with seven versus Arizona ... 11 of the 13 Rebels who have seen action for Ole Miss this year have scored and all 13 players on the roster have played in at least one game this season.

OLE MISS VS. VANDERBILT
Vanderbilt leads the all-time series, 24-14. Last season, Vanderbilt won both meetings between the two schools; an 86-72 win in Nashville on January 3 and a 68-59 win in Oxford in February 21.

A LOOK AT VANDERBILT
Vanderbilt is 9-4 this year and is coming off a 1-1 record at the Hilton Garden Classic in Virginia. The Commodores beat Delaware, 72-51, before falling to Virginia Tech, 74-68. Vanderbilt is led by Hannah Tuomi who leads the team in both points per game (14.1) and rebounds per game (7.1). As a team the Commodores average 75.5 points per game while holding its opponents to 62.6 points per game.

WEATHER FORCES OLE MISS TO CANCEL TWO GAMES
Snow on the East Coast forced the Rebels to cancel their games at the St. Peter's Holiday Classic in Jersey City, N.J. The Rebels' flight was cancelled due to the snow and charter options did not work out forcing Ole Miss to cancel its trip. These games would have marked Ole Miss' last two non-conference games of the season.

LONG BREAK
Because of the two games cancelled in New Jersey, Ole Miss had 10 days between games. The Rebels last game was an 82-46 loss at home to Miami on Dec. 22.

LAST TIME OUT
Kayla Melson and Valencia McFarland each recorded 11 points as Ole Miss fell to Miami 82-46. The Hurricanes opened the game on a 19-0 run and the Rebels could never catch up. Melson, Nikki Byrd and Tori Slusher each recorded five boards for Ole Miss.

TURNOVERS PLAGUE REBELS IN LAST TWO LOSSES
Ole Miss committed a season-high 30 turnovers at Central Michigan which led to 21 points for the Chippewas while the Rebels turned the ball over 29 points against Miami which led to 33 points for the Hurricanes.

JENKINS REMAINS PERFECT AT THE FREE THROW LINE
Freshman Kenyotta Jenkins stayed perfect at the free throw line and is 8-for-8 this season. She has made all two of her attempts in four games during the year.

BYRD RECORDS 16 POINTS IN TWO OF THE LAST THREE GAMES
Junior Nikki Byrd recorded a season-high 16 points in two of Ole Miss' last three games. Byrd scored 16 against MVSU and added 16 a game later at Central Michigan.

MARBRA RECORDS CAREER HIGH AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Sophomore Courtney Marbra recorded a career-high 11 points at Central Michigan. Marbra passed her previous career-high of 10 points.

HOPE RECORDS CAREER HIGH AGAINST SELA
Against SELA and MVSU, freshman Pa'Sonna Hope averaged 15.5 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. She scored a career-high 20 points to lead Ole Miss past SELA. In a win against MVSU, Hope recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. The 15 boards are the most by an Ole Miss player this year and the most by an Ole Miss player since 2008.

MELSON DISHING OUT ASSISTS
Senior guard Kayla Melson, who led the league in assists last season, recorded her fifth game with at least five assists against MVSU. She recorded eight assists versus the Devilettes and has two games this year with nine assists. Melson leads the team this year with 62 assists.

SCORING IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Through their first 12 games of the season, the Rebels have had a total of nine different players record a total of 33 double-digit scoring games. Five players (Valencia McFarland, LaTosha Laws, Kayla Melson, Pa'Sonna Hope and Nikki Byrd) have recorded a total of 15 games of 15 points or more while McFarland, Melson and Hope have accounted for a combined six 20-point games.

MELSON FIFTH IN THE SEC IN SCORING
As of Dec. 30, senior Kayla Melson is fifth in the SEC in scoring averaging 14.3 points per game. She has scored at least 20 points in three games this year including a career-high 29 points in a loss at South Alabama. This season she has scored in double figures in eight of the team's 12 games.

HOPE TENTH IN THE SEC IN REBOUNDING
As of Dec. 30, freshman Pa'Sonna Hope is tenth in the SEC on rebounding with 7.0 boards per game. Hope leads Ole Miss in reboudning and grabbed a career-high 15 boards against MVSU. As a team Ole Miss is second in the SEC in rebounding (44.1 rpg).

OLE MISS IN THE NATIONAL STATS
In the national stats through Dec. 19, Ole Miss is ranked 48th (out of 333 teams) in the nation in rebounding margin with +6.5 rebounds per game. Kayla Melson is ranked 32nd (out of 250) in assists per game (5.4).

MELSON LOOKS TO BREAK INTO TOP FIVE IN CAREER ASSISTS
Senior Kayla Melson has recorded 420 assists during her career. She needs to record 36 assists this season to claim the fifth spot on the career list (456). This year she leads the team with 62.

CAREER ASSISTS
1. 566, Glenda Springfield, 1975-79 (134 games)
2. 559, Kim Bullard, 1984-88 (118 games)
3. 552, Dana Fortenberry, 1979-83 (123 games)
4. 531, Carol Ross, 1977-81 (135 games)
5. 455, Jackie Martin, 1987-92 (130 games)

MELSON ON TRACK FOR 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Senior Kayla Melson has recorded a total of 925 career points and needs 75 points to reach 1,000 for her career. This season, Melson is averaging a team-leading 14.3 points per game.

HOPE NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Freshman forward Pa'Sonna Hope was named SEC Freshman of the Week the SEC announced December 12. This is the first career honor for Hope and it's the first time this season an Ole Miss player has won a weekly honor from the SEC. Last week she led Ole Miss with a career-high 20 points in an 85-51 win over SE Louisiana. Hope also grabbed eight rebounds to tie her career high. For the week she went 10-for-23 scoring 20 points with eight rebounds, four steals and two assists.

BYRD RECORDS HER FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF THE YEAR
Junior Nikki Byrd recorded her first double-double of the year, and fourth of her career, with a season-high 15 points and 10 rebounds versus SELA. The 10 boards marks the second time this year she has recorded double-digit rebounds. Byrd is the third player this year to record a double-double along with Kayla Melson and Courtney Marbra.

JENKINS MAKES THE MOST OF HER FIRST CAREER START
Freshman Kenyotta Jenkins made her first career start in her third career appearance against SELA. Jenkins made the most of her first career start recording career highs in points (13) and rebounds (7).

OLE MISS OFFENSIVE COMES ALIVE VS. SELA
Ole Miss scored a season-high 85 points in a win over SELA, marking the most points the Rebels have scored since February 7, 2010 when Ole Miss scored 102 points in a triple-overtime win over a ranked LSU team. The Rebels recorded season-highs in points (85), field goals (33), field goal attempts (73) and assists (20).

MCFERRIN SCORES IN DOUBLE FIGURES IN SECOND CAREER GAME
Sophomore walk-on Maggie McFerrin scored a career-high 11 points and added career highs in rebounds (2) and assists (2) against SELA. McFerrin, who logged 29 minutes in the win over SELA, made her first career appearance against South Alabama.

THREE PLAYERS MAKE COLLEGIATE DEBUTS AGAINST SELA
Jasmine Trotter and walk-ons Kelsey Nutt and Jasmine Curtis each made their collegiate debuts for the Rebels against SELA. Trotter recorded two rebounds and one steal in seven minutes while Nutt recorded one rebound in eight minutes and Curtis went 2-for-2 from the free throw line in four minutes.

MELSON RECORDS CAREER-HIGH 29 POINTS AT USA
Senior Kayla Melson recorded a career-high 29 points in Ole Miss' 67-60 loss at South Alabama. Melson's 29 points passed her previous career-high of 21 points set on Nov. 28 in a win over Illinois. Melson has scored at least 20 points in three of her last four games. Melson's 29 points are the most by a Rebel this season.

MCFARLAND NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM IN HAWAII
Freshman Valencia McFarland was named to the All-Tournament team at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Showdown. McFarland averaged 14.7 points per game including a career-high 24 versus Illinois. McFarland also scored the game-winning layup versus Gonzaga with four seconds left on the clock. McFarland was also named to the Inn at Ole Miss Classic All-Tournament team earlier this month.

MCFARLAND SETS CAREER HIGH VS. ILLINOIS
Freshman Valencia McFarland set a career high in Ole Miss' win over Illinois. McFarland scored 24 points which is the second-most point by an Ole Miss player this season behind Kayla Melson's 29 at South Alabama.

MARBRA RECORDS FIRST CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Sophomore Courtney Marbra recorded her first career double-double against Hawai`i with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. The 10 points also ties her career high.

FRESHMAN NELSON RECORDS FIRST CAREER START
Freshman Shae Nelson made her first career start for the Rebels against Illinois. Nelson has played in seven games this year and is averaging 6.3 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game.

REBELS TAKE THIRD AT RAINBOW WAHINE SHOWDOWN
Ole Miss took third in the Waikiki Beach Marriott Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ole Miss beat Illinois in the third-place game. The Rebels finished the eight-team tournament with a 2-1 record recording wins over Gonzaga and Illinois while falling to Hawai`i.

IRON WOMAN
In her first seven games, freshman point guard Valencia McFarland played 279 out of a possible 290 minutes for Ole Miss through the Rebels first seven games. She is averaging 39.9 minutes per game and has tallied 105 points (including 21 three pointers), 31 rebounds, 33 assists, 14 steals while committing 14 turnovers.

CLOSE GAMES
Eight of Ole Miss' first 12 games were decided by nine points or less while four of those games were decided by five points or less. The Rebels have gone 3-1 in games decided by five points or less in those games with their narrowest margin of defeat coming versus Arizona (72-70) and their narrowest margin of victory coming versus Gonzaga (53-52).

BECOME A FAN OF OLE MISS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ON FACEBOOK
The Ole Miss women's basketball team launched its Facebook page this week at facebook.com/OleMissWBB. The site also has links to the team's YouTube, Twitter and Picasa sites. "Like" the page today and become a fan to get updates on games, pictures from games and road trips, videos and more.
MELSON RECORDS SECOND DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF THE YEAR
Senior guard Kayla Melson recorded second double-double of the season against Nicholls State with 12 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. She recorded her first double-double of the year against Sam Houston State with 15 points and a career-high 12 boards.

Active Players With Double-Doubles
Season Career
Kayla Melson 2 5
Nikki Byrd 1 4
Courtney Marbra 1 1
Pa'Sonna Hope 1 1

REBELS IN NOVEMBER
Ole Miss finished the month of November with a 5-2 record marking the third time in the past five years that the Rebels recorded five wins during the month of November.

LADNER GETS 50TH CAREER WIN AT OLE MISS
Fourth-year head coach Renee Ladner recorded her 50th career win at Ole Miss with the Rebels 69-60 win over Sam Houston State in the championship game of the Inn at Ole Miss Classic. Ladner, who got career win number 54 versus SELA, is now the fourth all-time winningest coach in Ole Miss history with 55 wins. Currently she trails Ron Aldy (1997-2003, 79 wins); Carol Ross (2003-07, 77 wins) and Van Chancellor (1978-1997, 439 wins).

MCFARLAND, MELSON LEAD TEAM IN 20-POINT GAMES THIS YEAR
Senior Kayla Melson has recorded three 20-point games this year while freshman Valencia McFarland has recorded two. McFarland scored a career 24 agaisnt Illinois and added 20 versus Arizona while Melson scored a career-high 29 at South Alabama and added 21 against Illinois and 20 versus Gonzaga. Pa'Sonna Hope has recorded one 20-point game this year scoring a career-high 20 versus SELA.

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.

MCFARLAND IMPRESSIVE IN DEBUT FOR REBELS
Freshman point guard Valencia McFarland played 79 out of a possible 80 minutes in Ole Miss' two wins 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.

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.

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. The Rebels turned in their biggest rebounding margin of the year versus Nicholls State with a 53-25 advantage on the boards. The Rebels also outrebounded Gonzaga by 19, 48-to-29.

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.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Including the exhibition game, Ole Miss will play its first five games on the year at home. Overall, the Rebels are 363-88 at the Tad Smith Coliseum and 5-2 this year.

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.

WOMEN'S HOOPS SIGNS FOUR
Head coach Renne Lander announced the signing of Danielle McCray, Gracie Frizzell, Monique Jackson and Tia Faleru to National Letters of Intent for the 2011-12 year. McCray Daneille McCray is a 6-1 forward from West Palm Beach, Fla. She is the 85th best player and 25th best forward in the country as ranked by ESPNU HoopGurlz. Frizzell Gracie Frizzell is a 5-10 guard from Little Rock, Ark. Frizzell averaged 16 points and seven rebounds per game at Central Arkansas Christian High School. Jackson Monique Jackson is a 6-1 forward from, Phenix City, Ala. She averaged 20 points and 16 rebounds per game at Central High School and was named the Ledger-Enquirer Girls Basketball Player of the Year and First Team All Bi-City. Faleru Faleru is a 6-0 wing from Carroll, Ala. Faleru averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and six assists per game at Ozark High School.

2011-12 RECRUITING CLASS RANKED 39TH IN THE NATION BY ESPNU HOOPGURLZ
ESPNU HoopGurlz ranked Ole Miss' 2011-12 signing class as the 39th best class in the nation. The publication ranked the top 60 2011-12 signing classes in the nation and have Ole Miss ahead of fellow SEC schools, Mississippi State (44th), Auburn (60th) and Arkansas who was listed as "on the cusp."

OLE MISS ON TV
Ole Miss is schedule to be on TV at least eight times during the season. All times are Central.

Jan. 9 at Tennessee, 11 a.m., CSS

Jan 22 vs. Kentucky, 8 p.m., FSN

Jan. 30 at Vanderbilt, 2 p.m., FSN

Feb. 6 vs. LSU, 1 p.m., SEC Network

Feb. 13 vs. Georgia, 2 p.m., CSS

Feb. 17 vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m., COX

Feb. 24, vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m., FSN

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.

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.

FOLLOW HEAD COACH Renee Ladner ON TWITTER
Head coach Renee Ladner is on Twitter. Follow her at @Renee_Ladner.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
Jan. 2 vs. Vanderbilt "Holiday Hoopla" - kids up to age 14 can enter to win a portable hoop.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Ole Miss will travel to Tennessee Jan. 9 at 11 a.m. CT. The Tennessee game will be televised by CSS. The Rebels will then play at Auburn on Jan. 13 at 6 p.m.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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