The University of Mississippi Athletics
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE: Rebels Wreak Havoc on MVSU
11/16/2014 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2014
"They came in here last year and played us to within 12 points," said Insell, referring to the Rebels' 72-60 win over MVSU last season. "Our girls knew that in the back of their minds. We came out there today and from the start, we played with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and took control of this basketball game, so I was really happy with that."
Defensively, Ole Miss finished with 23 steals, the most steals in a game since 2007, led by freshman guards A'Queen Hayes and Shandricka Sessom with five each. It was the first time since 2007, the Rebels forced 40 or more turnovers, and they turned them into 51 points off turnovers.
"I have coached teams that have forced that number of turnovers," Insell said. "That's a number we look at. We can gauge our hustle on how many turnovers we force and how many deflections we get. Sometimes you may not turn a team over a lot, but you get a lot of deflections. That's just as good as a turnover. We really gauge a lot of what we're doing on turnovers, deflections and steals. If those numbers are high, we played pretty darned good defensively."
Sessom was one rebound shy of a double-double, as she led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Senior forward Tia Faleru was second on the team with 19 points and eight rebounds and became the 26th member of the 1,000-point scoring club.
"You saw her settle in and you saw the type of player we see every day in practice," said Insell of Sessom. "Her and Erika Sisk are two explosive players who are going to be big-time players in this league over the next 3-4 years."
Austin Miller is a writer and blogger for OleMissSports.com. He joined the staff in June 2013 after serving as sports editor of the Daily Mississippian. Follow him on Twitter @austinkmiller.
By Austin Miller, OleMissSports.com
OXFORD, Miss. -
When head coach Matt Insell watched film of the Virginia Commonwealth men's program this offseason, he envisioned bringing a similar style of play to Ole Miss this season.
The Rebels showed a glimpse of that high-pressure, up-tempo style of play, as they held Mississippi Valley State to 23.8 percent (10-for-42) shooting and forced 46 turnovers in a 91-38 win Sunday afternoon. It was the fewest points allowed since 2009 and the fifth-fewest points allowed in program history.
The Rebels showed a glimpse of that high-pressure, up-tempo style of play, as they held Mississippi Valley State to 23.8 percent (10-for-42) shooting and forced 46 turnovers in a 91-38 win Sunday afternoon. It was the fewest points allowed since 2009 and the fifth-fewest points allowed in program history.
"They came in here last year and played us to within 12 points," said Insell, referring to the Rebels' 72-60 win over MVSU last season. "Our girls knew that in the back of their minds. We came out there today and from the start, we played with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and took control of this basketball game, so I was really happy with that."
Defensively, Ole Miss finished with 23 steals, the most steals in a game since 2007, led by freshman guards A'Queen Hayes and Shandricka Sessom with five each. It was the first time since 2007, the Rebels forced 40 or more turnovers, and they turned them into 51 points off turnovers.
"I have coached teams that have forced that number of turnovers," Insell said. "That's a number we look at. We can gauge our hustle on how many turnovers we force and how many deflections we get. Sometimes you may not turn a team over a lot, but you get a lot of deflections. That's just as good as a turnover. We really gauge a lot of what we're doing on turnovers, deflections and steals. If those numbers are high, we played pretty darned good defensively."
Sessom was one rebound shy of a double-double, as she led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Senior forward Tia Faleru was second on the team with 19 points and eight rebounds and became the 26th member of the 1,000-point scoring club.
"You saw her settle in and you saw the type of player we see every day in practice," said Insell of Sessom. "Her and Erika Sisk are two explosive players who are going to be big-time players in this league over the next 3-4 years."
Austin Miller is a writer and blogger for OleMissSports.com. He joined the staff in June 2013 after serving as sports editor of the Daily Mississippian. Follow him on Twitter @austinkmiller.
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