Women's Hoops Travels To LSU Thursday

Jan. 18, 2011

Ole Miss Rebels (8-8, 1-3 SEC)
This Week ...
at LSU 12-7 overall (2-3 SEC)
Thursday, January 20, 2011

Date: Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tip-off: 7:07 p.m. (CT)
Location: Baton Rogue, La.
Arena: Pete Maravich Assembly Center (14,150)
TV: Cox Sports Television
Lyn Rollins (play-by-play), Jordy Hultberg (color)
Radio: 93.7 FM
Gary Darby, play-by-play
Web: Live Stats - click here
Up Next:
Sunday, January 23 at No. 23/24 Arkansas, 2 p.m. CT
Thursday, January 27 vs. No. 19/19 Kentucky, 8 p.m. CT (FSN)

REBELS AT LSU THURSDAY
After falling in its third SEC game at home to South Carolina, Ole Miss will open a two-game road trip at LSU Thursday. The game will tip at 7:07 p.m. and will be televised by Cox Sports Television. The Tigers lead the overall series 25-21 but Ole Miss won both meetings last year over nationally-ranked LSU.

ABOUT OLE MISS
The Rebels are 8-8 (1-3 SEC) this year and will try and snap its season-long three game losing streak at LSU on Thursday. Ole Miss is led by Kayla Melson who is averaging 16.4 points per game. Valencia McFarland is second, averaging 11.9 points per game while Pa'Sonna Hope is third averaging 8.6 points per game. Pa'Sonna Hope leads the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg) while Nikki Byrd is second, averaging 5.8 rpg. As a team, the Rebels are averaging 64.1 points per game while its opponents average 67.1 points per game.

NEWS AND NOTES
After falling to South Carolina in OT on January 16, the Rebels are now 0-2 in overtime games this year ... Ole Miss' 73 points the team scored in its loss at Auburn marks the most points the Rebels have scored in a loss this year ... The Rebels have been outrebounded in three straight games marking the first time this year that's happened and the first time since February of 2010 when the team was outrebounded in four consecutive games ... Ole Miss shot a season-high 52.9 percent at Auburn ... Tennessee and Auburn each shot 50 percent from the floor as Ole Miss allowed a team to shoot 50 percent in back-to-back games ... Ole Miss' game against Tennessee on Jan. 9 was the Rebels' first game this year against a ranked team (No. 5/6) and also the team's first TV game of the year ... Tennessee was the first team this year to shoot 50 percent or better against Ole Miss as they shot 50 percent for the game ... Valencia McFarland tied her career-high in free throws with six at Tennessee ... Ole Miss recorded a season-low seven turnovers against South Carolina, its fewest turnovers since the team recorded six against Murray State on March 22, 2009 ... Kayla Melson recorded the first 30-point performance by an Ole Miss player since Feb. of 2010 ... the Rebels outscored Vanderbilt by 21 an the second-half marking Ole Miss' biggest margin Ole Miss has outscored an opponent by in the second half ... Ole Miss has recorded at least 40 rebounds in 10 games ... 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 16 games this year ... Melson is averaging nearly 40 minutes a game for Ole Miss (38.5 mpg) ... Ole Miss came from 18 points down to beat Vanderbilt and 14 points down in two games this year to win, versus Gonzaga and versus Illinois.

OLE MISS VS. LSU
LSU leads the overall series, 25-21. Ole Miss won both meeting last year over the nationally-ranked Tigers including a 102-101 triple overtime win in Baton Rogue on February 7, 2010. LSU has won seven of the last 10 games between the two schools and won 11 straight meetings from 2000-2006.

A LOOK AT LSU
LSU is 12-7 overall and 2-3 in SEC play. The Tigers went 1-1 last week in a pair of road games beating Mississippi State, 72-55, before falling at Auburn, 65-53. LSU is led by Adrienne Webb (13.4 ppg) and LaSondra Barrett (12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg). Taylor Turnbow leads the team in rebounding with 6.5 boards per game. The Tigers shoot 40.6 percent from the floor, 34.7 percent from three-point range and 64.5 percent from the free throw line. LSU averages 65.2 points per game while holding its opponents to a league-low 54.4 points per game.

A WIN THURSDAY WOULD .....
- Snap Ole Miss' three-game losing streak.
- Give the Rebels its third consecutive win over LSU - which would be the longest winning streak over LSU since Ole Miss won six straight from 1991-95.

A LOSS THURSDAY WOULD .....
- Give the Rebels its fifth loss in its last six games.
- Put Ole Miss' overall record at 8-9 and below .500 for the first time this year.
- Tie for the fewest SEC wins through five games since the 2005-06 season where the team opened SEC play 1-5.

MELSON TOPS 1,000 POINTS
Senior Kayla Melson became the 24th player in Ole Miss history to record at least 1,000 career points. Melson, who entered the game against South Carolina on January 16 with 995 career points, finished the game with a team-high 21. This season, Melson is averaging a team-leading and career-best 16.4 points per game. Melson has given Ole Miss back-to-back-to-back seasons with a 1,000 point scorer on the roster as Bianca Thomas accomplished the feat in 2009-10 and Shawn Goff scored 1,000 points during the 2008-09 season.

MELSON LEADS LEAGUE IN SCORING SEC GAMES
Ole Miss senior Kayla Melson is leading the league in scoring in SEC games with 22.8 points per game. Melson, who is third in scoring in all games with 16.4 points per game, is one of just two players to average at least 20 ppg in SEC games and is one of four to average at least 15 ppg in all games this season.

REBELS RECORD SECOND LOW IN TURNOVERS
Ole Miss recorded a season-low seven turnovers against South Carolina. The seven is the fewest turnovers the Rebels committed as a team since the team turned the ball over just six times against Murray State on March 22, 2009.

THREE FRESHMEN START VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
For the first time this season, Ole Miss' starting lineup featured three freshmen, Valencia McFarland, Shae Nelson and Pa'Sonna Hope. McFarland, Nelson and Hope have combined for 30 starts this year while freshman Kenyotta Jenkins is the other freshman on the roster to start this year. Jenkins has started two games.

LSU CONNECTIONS
LSU head coach Van Chancellor served as Ole Miss' head coach from 1978-97 and recorded a 439-154 record. He led the Rebels to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances including four Elite Eight appearances. Tiger junior Swayze Black is from Brookhaven, Miss. and attended the same high school as Rebel junior Nikki Byrd.

NELSON TIES SCHOOL RECORD
Freshman Shae Nelson tied the school record for three pointers in a game with seven against Auburn. Nelson, who finished the game with a career-high 21 points, was 7-for-9 from three point range. She tied four players who accomplished the feat a total of six times. Nelson recorded the fewest attempts (9) of any player that recorded seven threes in a game.

MELSON LOOKS TO BREAK INTO TOP FIVE IN CAREER ASSISTS
Senior Kayla Melson has recorded 433 assists during her career. She needs to record 23 assists this season to claim the fifth spot on the career list (456). This year Melson, who has played in 107 career games, leads the team with 75 and has recorded at least five assists in six games this year.

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)

MCFARLAND SETS CAREER HIGH IN ASSISTS
Freshman Valencia McFarland recorded a career-high 10 assists in Ole Miss' loss at Auburn on Jan. 13. The 10 assists is the most by a Rebel this season and the most by a Rebel since Kayla Melson recorded 10 assists versus LSU on Feb. 7, 2010.

ROAD WOES
The Rebels are still searching for their first road win of the season. Ole Miss is 0-5 on the road this year and is 2-5 in games away from the Tad Smith Coliseum with wins coming against Gonzaga and Illinois in Hawaii.

FRESHMEN STEP UP AT NO. 5/6 TENNESSEE
Three Ole Miss freshmen accounted for all of Ole Miss' points in the first half at No. 5/6 Tennessee. Valencia McFarland, who ended the game with a team-high 16 points, had 13 points at the half while Shae Nelson had seven and Pa'Sonna Hope scored two. Nelson ended the game with 11 points as freshmen accounted for 30 of Ole Miss' 46 points in the game.
MELSON ON FIRE IN WIN OVER VANDERBILT
Senior Kayla Melson recorded a career-high 30 points to go along with a career-high 12 free throws as she led Ole Miss to a 72-67 come-from-behind win over Vanderbilt on January 2. Melson also added a team-high seven boards and five assists in 40 minutes.

COMEBACK KIDS
Three times this year Ole Miss has come back from at least 14 points down to win the game. The Rebels trailed Vanderbilt by 18 just before halftime to come back and win 72-67. Ole Miss also came back from 14 points down to beat Gonazga (53-52) and Illinois (70-61). Ole Miss trailed Vanderbilt by 16 points at halftime marking Ole Miss' biggest comeback after trailing at the half since the Rebels came back from 20 points down to beat Tennessee Tech in 1998.

MELSON, MCFARLAND DOING A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
Senior guard Kayla Melson and freshman point guard Valencia McFarland are 1,2 on the team in several categories including (listed as Melson, McFarland): points (16.4, 11.9); assists (75, 66); minutes (38.5, 35.9), double-digit scoring games (14, 9), free throws (69, 30) and field goal attempts (208, 183).

PHENOMENAL FRESHMAN
Freshman Valencia McFarland has played in four games this year where she played 40 or more minutes. Her four games with 40 or more minutes are the most by an Ole Miss freshman since Alliesha Easley played three games with 40+ minutes during the 2006-07 season.

SCORING IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Through their first 16 games of the season, the Rebels have had a total of nine different players record a total of 42 double-digit scoring games. Five players (Valencia McFarland, LaTosha Laws, Kayla Melson, Pa'Sonna Hope and Nikki Byrd) have recorded a total of 22 games of 15 points or more while McFarland, Melson, Hope and Nelson have accounted for a combined 10 20-point games.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
This season the Rebels are 6-3 at home this year. The Rebels have recorded at least 10 home wins in three of the last four years. Last season's team finished the year with nine home wins.

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.

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.

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, MCFARLAND LEAD TEAM IN 20-POINT GAMES THIS YEAR
Senior Kayla Melson has recorded six 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 30 vs. Vanderbilt. She also scored 29 at South Alabama , 29 at Auburn added 21 against Illinois, 21 versus South Carolina and 20 versus Gonzaga. Pa'Sonna Hope has recorded one 20-point game this year scoring a career-high 20 versus SELA while Shae Nelson scored 21 at Auburn.

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

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Ole Miss will play at No. 23/24 Arkansas on Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. The Rebels will host No. 19/19 Kentucky on Thursday, January 27 at 8 p.m. The Kentucky game will be televised by FSN.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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