The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels At UMass On Saturday
11/23/2011 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2011
Ole Miss (3-1) at UMass (1-3)
Date: November 26, 2011
Time: Noon CT
Location: Amherst, Mass.
Arena: William D. Mullins Memorial Center
Radio: 105.5 FM (Graham Doty)
Gametracker: OleMissSports.com
Live Streaming: OleMissSports.com
Series: First Meeting
QUICK HITS
- Ole Miss travels to Massachusetts on Saturday for the team's second consecutive road game.
- The Rebels improved to 3-1 on the year with a 51-43 win on the road over SEMO on Monday night.
- This will be the first meeting between Ole Miss and UMass.
- Sophomore Valencia McFarland (12.8 ppg) and senior Nikki Byrd (11.8 ppg) lead Ole Miss in scoring.
- Byrd recorded her seventh career double-double against SEMO with 14 points and 13 rebounds. It was her second consecutive double-double.
- Byrd (10.8 rpg) and sophomore Pa'Sonna Hope (6.0 rpg) lead the team in rebounding.
- Sophomore Valencia McFarland has earned two preseason honors being named to the All-SEC Second Team by the league's media and to the All-SEC Second Team by the league's coaches.
- Head coach Renee Ladner is in her fifth season at the helm. She has a career record of 61-66 overall and 21-39 in SEC play.
OLE MISS TRAVELS TO UMASS
The Rebels will travel to UMass on Saturday for its second consecutive road game at Noon CT. Ole Miss (3-1 overall) is now 1-1 on the road after beating SEMO on Monday night.
ABOUT OLE MISS
Ole Miss is 3-1 this season after beating Southeast Missouri State Monday night. The Rebels are led by Valencia McFarland (12.8 ppg, 17 assists) and Nikki Byrd (11.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg). Pa'Sonna Hope is second on the team in rebounding averaging 6.0 rebounds per game. Head coach Renee Ladner is in her fifth season at the helm.
OLE MISS VS. UMASS
This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
A LOOK AT UMASS
UMass is 1-3 this season falling at Holy Cross, 76-64, Tuesday night. The Minutewomen are led by Shakia Robinson (14.5 ppg) and Megan Zullo (10.8 ppg). Jasmine Watson leads the team in rebounding with 8.5 rebounds per game. As a team, UMass averages 57.5 points per game while its opponents average 66.0 points per game.
A WIN SATURDAY WOULD .....
- Give Ole Miss its third 4-1 start over the last three seasons.
- Push the Rebels' winning streak to three games, the longest since the 2009-10 season when Ole Miss won five straight from January 6 - January 24.
- Give the Rebels back-to-back wins on the road since Ole Miss won three straight from November 27 - December 2, 2009.
A LOSS SATURDAY WOULD .....
- Snap Ole Miss' two game-winning streak.
- Give Ole Miss its fifth loss on the road in its last six road games dating back to last season.
NEWS AND NOTES
Ole Miss has had two players score in double figures in each of the first four games this season ... Valencia McFarland has scored a team-high 18 points this year while Nikki Byrd has recorded a team-high 16 rebounds this season ... All of Ole Miss' games this season have been decided by nine points or less ... Courtney Marbra led the team in assists at SEMO with three ... Valencia McFarland, Nikki Byrd and LaTosha Laws have started each game for Ole Miss ... Nikki Byrd has averaged a double-double for two consecutive weeks ... Valencia McFarland's six steals at SEMO are the most by an Ole Miss player since Courtney Marbra recorded five against Sam Houston State in November of 2010 ... Ole Miss held South Alabama without a player scoring in double figures marking the first time since November 19, 2006 that the Rebels did not allow a player on an opposing team to score in double figures.
BYRD RECORDS SEVENTH CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Senior Nikki Byrd recorded her seventh career double-double in a win over SEMO with 14 points and 13 rebounds. It is her second double-double of the season and she was the first Ole Miss player to record a double-double this season. Byrd is the first player to record back-to-back double-doubles since Bianca Thomas in November of 2009.
Byrd, along with junior Courtney Marbra and sophomore Pa'Sonna Hope, are the three active players with double-doubles.
Active Players With Double-Doubles
Season Career
Nikki Byrd 2 7
Courtney Marbra 0 2
Pa'Sonna Hope 0 2
HOLDING OPPONENTS UNDER 50 POINTS
In the team's four games this season, Ole Miss has held two of its opponents under 50 points. The Rebels beat South Alabama 54-45 and beat SEMO, 51-43. This marks the first time since the 2008-09 season that Ole Miss held opponents to fewer than 50 points at least two times during the season. The 2008-09 team held opponents to fewer than 50 points six times.
51 POINTS GETS OLE MISS THE WIN
Ole Miss recorded 51 points in its 51-43 win at SEMO on November 21. Ole Miss scored its 50th point of the game with 18 seconds left on a free throw from Amber Singletary. Had Ole Miss scored just 50 points, it would have been the first time in nearly 28 years that the Rebels would have scored 50 points but posted a win. Ole Miss scored fewer than 50 points in a 46-45 win over Auburn on January 25, 1984 which marked the last time Ole Miss scored fewer than 50 points but won the game.
