The University of Mississippi Athletics
REBELOG: Women's Basketball In Canada 8.7.11
8/2/2011 | Women's Basketball
Aug. 7, 2011
8.7.11
Blog #6
Hi Rebel Fans,
Although I was a bit tired when I woke up this morning and I'm pretty sure everyone was, it was ok waking up because we have really been enjoying ourselves and our days have been filled with fun. Last night after our game we attended a fireworks show and it was awesome with a capital A. It was my first time ever going to a big, live firework show and it was amazing. Today started off great also. We went to the Capilano suspension bridge and man do we have some "big babies" on our team, starting with Nikki Byrd. It was a great experience. This was my first time experiencing walking across a suspension bridge, but it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.
We got back to the hotel that evening and my teammates and I went window shopping at the mall and had lunch at Red Robin. This whole trip has been a great experience for us because we know that we're blessed because most people do not get this type of opportunity. I've enjoyed spending time with my teammates and coaches on and off the court; they are amazing people to be around. This is kind of a bittersweet moment for me because I'm grateful for this trip but I'm so ready to get home to my family. All in all I can truly say I have enjoyed every moment of it and I'm glad they gave us this opportunity.
- Valencia McFarland #3
8.6.11
Game Recap
VANCOUVER, Canada - Ole Miss closed out its four-game Canadian tour with an 89-45 win over Thompson River Saturday night in Vancouver. The Rebels finished their tour with a 3-1 record.
On Saturday's win, Whitney Hameth and Valencia McFarland each scored 14 points while Nikki Byrd added 11.
After leading 7-0 to start the game, Ole Miss led 23-15 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Rebels extended their lead to 22, 41-19, on a shot from McFarland. Ole Miss led 54-23 at the half.
The Rebels pushed their lead to 32, 64-32, in the third and went on to post the 89-45 win.
"This was a really, really great effort by this team. We had 10 great practices and four solid games where we grew as a team and individually," head coach Renee Ladner said. "I really believe we made improvements everyday on the offensive and defensive end of floor. It was a little preview of the season ahead and gave the team an opportunity to see how we coach. If we can come together as a team, we can be pretty exciting."
The Rebels will travel back to Mississippi on Monday.
Blog #5
Hi Rebel Fans,
Progress. Progress. Progress. We came out today ready to play from the jump. In these four games we learned to communicate, play together, play for forty minutes, and don't show negative body language. This opportunity has showed everyone's ability and potential. We learned that once we put together all the pieces, we can be a great team. Now after a great experience finishing 3-1, we will continue to progress as a team and move forward. We will finish the day off with a Canadian firework shows tonight.
Valencia McFarland #3
8.5.11
Game Recap
VANCOUVER, Canada - Ole Miss posted its second win of its four-game tour in Canada Friday night with a 85-69 win over the University of Fraser Valley at the Envision Athletic Centre.
Whitney Hameth ended the game with a game-high 21 points, including five threes, while Danielle McCray added 16.
"I saw some good things tonight and we took a step forward as a team," head coach Renee Ladner said. "We had some freshmen step up in terms of growth. Our freshmen played big for us. In terms of upperclassmen, we had two shooters, Whitney Hameth and Shae Nelson, open up the game hitting threes."
Ole Miss had a four-point lead, 15-11, after a jumper from McCary with 1:54 left in the first quarter. The Rebels led by four, 20-16 at the end of the quarter.
The University of Fraser Valley took its first lead of the game, 24-22, with 6:45 left in the second quarter but the Rebels' Tia Faleru pushed the lead to four, 31-27, with 3:16 to play. Ole Miss led 37-33 at the half.
After Ole Miss led by seven early in the quarter, the Cascades went on a 10-3 run to take a 43-42 lead with 6:32 left in the quarter. The Rebels took a 10-point lead on a fast break layup from Amber Singletary as Ole Miss went up 10 with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Ole Miss pushed its lead to 17 on a three from Amber Singletary with 6:06 to play.
"We gave up too many points but we had a better understanding of our defense tonight," Ladner said. "We played as a unit and we supported each other. It will really make this trip worthwhile if this team understands what we want from them. I'm happy for the win."
Ole Miss will play its final game of its four-game tomorrow against Thompson River tomorrow at 6 p.m. CT.
Blog #4
Hi Rebel Fans,
Today we played Fraser Valley University again. It was a battle but we had a better outcome than we did yesterday. After a team discussion we took what we learned from yesterday and put it into affect today. We communicated better, attacked first, and made defense more of a priority. We played for forty minutes, kept our intensity and played the whole game as a team. Body language was better and everybody came out with positive attitudes.
The main key to the game was our team focus, we played together on the defensive and offensive end and it showed by the outcome of the game. I really love the way our post players have been battling inside. Our freshman are stepping up and playing great games for us along with upperclassman benefiting as well. We're starting to become more committed to each other and our team chemistry is getting better.
Valencia McFarland #3
Also, check out Brenda VanLengen's blog by clicking here. She is Ole Miss' Basketball Travelers guide for the trip.
8.4.11
Game Recap
VANCOUVER, Canada - The Ole Miss women's basketball team fell to the Canadian Development Women's National Team, 74-54, Thursday night at the Envision Athletics Centre in Vancouver, Canada.
The Canadian team jumped out to a quick lead, starting 3-for-3 from the field and five of their first six. The Rebels cut the lead to two, 8-6, on a pair of free throws from Nikki Byrd. Canada led 24-12 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, a jumper from Tia Faleru cut Canada's lead to three, 26-23 with 5:05 left in the quarter. Canada led Ole Miss 35-28 at the half.
The Rebels cut the lead to four late in the third on a jumper from Shae Nelson. After Ole Miss trailed by five in the fourth, Canada used a 17-2 run to go ahead 70-50 with two minutes to play.
For the second straight game, Byrd led Ole Miss in double figures, tonight with 15 points while Valencia McFarland finished with eight.
"I thought we played well until the last four minutes when we let the game get away from us," head coach Renee Ladner said. "We can take a lot from this game. Our young players learned to play possession-to-possession. We are building a foundation and trying to do it from the inside out. We kept them at bay the entire game and but their maturity and ability to take advantage of us on the defensive end was the difference."
Ole Miss will play its third game in as many days tomorrow night against the University of Fraser Valley at 8 p.m. CT.
Blog #3
Hi Rebel Fans,
Today we started off at viewing Grouse Mountain. We rode the gondola to the top of the mountain. We had a few teammates that had a fear of heights (Courtney Marbra) but we made it through as a team. When we reached the top, we saw Bambi and her family and we also saw the Bernstein bears (a grizzly bear habitat). We rode the ski lift up to the highest point of the mountain where we took lots of pictures.
Today we played the Canadian National team, they were really good. They taught us a lot of lessons: keep pushing hard to the end; play for a complete forty minutes; every possession is critical and never let up on the defensive end. As a team, we learned a very important lesson that our body language speaks volumes and we should always stay positive on and off the court.
P.S. Everybody go see Final Destination 5. The bridge that crumbles in the movie is one of the bridges we crossed on the way to Grouse Mountain.
Valencia McFarland #3
8.3.11
Game Recap
VANCOUVER, Canada - In the first of four games Ole Miss will play in Canada, the Rebels overcame a slow start and an early 12-point deficit to take a 77-59 win over the University of Fraser Valley Tuesday night at the Envision Athletic Centre on the campus of the UFV.
Nikki Bird led Ole Miss with 18 points while Shae Nelson and Valencia McFarland each added nine. Twelve of the 13 players playing for Ole Miss, scored at least one point.
"That was probably the most physical game we've ever played," head coach Renee Ladner said. "The difference in the game was our defensive intensity. I saw lots of good things and the young players really stepped up. This was a good opportunity to see the team and we played through adversity. We got behind, came back and it was a good thing for our young Rebels."
McFarland started the scoring putting Ole Miss up 2-0 on a pair of free throws less than 10 seconds into the first quarter, but the UFV held a 21-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Nelson's three with 3:09 to play in the second quarter cut the Cascades' lead to four, 27-23. A pair of free throws from Byrd put Ole Miss up 29-27 late in the second quarter, giving the Rebels its first lead since it led 2-0.
At the half, the Rebels led the Cascades, 35-28. Nelson led the Rebels at the half with nine points followed by Byrd with eight and McFarland with seven.
Ole Miss used a 13-4 run to open the third quarter to go ahead 48-33 on a three pointer from Whitney Hameth with 4:27 left in the quarter. At the end of the third, the Rebels led, 53-39.
Byrd and freshman Danielle McCray combined for six points in less than 30 seconds as Ole Miss went up 62-41 with 7:34 left in the fourth quarter. The Rebels led by as many as 26 in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss will play Canadian World University Games tomorrow night at 8 p.m. CT at the Envision Athletics Centere.
Blog #2
Hi Rebel Fans,
We just finished our game against The University of Fraser Valley. It was a very interesting game. We started off a bit slow in the beginning but we finally picked it up and found our rhythm. We got down 12 at one point but made a comeback and took the lead and we rolled on to the finish line from there. The team was very physical from the jump but we had to adjust because we didn't expect them to come out and be that physical against us.
We stepped up our intensity on the defensive end and ran the floor and got stops and transition buckets. We had everyone to step up and get minutes. Kenyotta, Danielle, Tosha, and Nikki really had a great rebounding game and everyone stepped up and did their part defensively. We were 13 strong this game and everyone played their game and we were able to come out with the victory.
Valencia McFarland #3
8.2.11
Blog #1
Hi Rebel Fans,
Today has been a very long and tiring day, but enjoyable at the same time. We had to get up at 4:10 a.m. to catch a flight to Houston and from there we had a five hour flight to Vancouver, which was short and sweet because I was able to watch cable television the entire flight.
The fun began once we landed in Vancouver. The tour guide took us on a tour of the city. I ate some delicious Chinese food from one of the restaurants and was able to enjoy my lunch outside by the birds. After I ate, we stopped at some more interesting sites and enjoyed the scenery.
After a long and exhausting flight and day, we finally made it to the hotel. Some teammates and I departed from the hotel and walked around the city just to sightsee and shop. I didn't buy anything because everything here is out of my price range. After walking for some time, we finally stopped and ate at Red Robin and enjoyed a great meal together.
Valencia McFarland #3
