The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Host Southern on Thursday Night
11/19/2014 | Women's Basketball
Game Notes- Southern - Game 3 The Rebels continue their season-opening five game homestand on Thursday when they welcome the Southern Jaguars to Oxford. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. and is the first game of a doubleheader. The Ole Miss men's squad will take on Southern's men's team at 7:00 p.m. Game 3: Ole Miss (2-0) vs. Southern (1-1) |
Starting Five
1. Ole Miss looks to move to 3-0 on the season on Thursday when they host the Southern Jaguars out of the SWAC. Southern will be the third consecutive opponent from the SWAC that Ole Miss has faced. The Rebels opened the season with a 92-67 win over Grambling and defeated Mississippi Valley State, 91-38 in their last outing.
2. Senior forward Tia Faleru became the 26th member of Ole Miss' 1,000-point club with 19 points against Mississippi Valley State on Sunday (Nov. 16). Faleru now has 1,001 career points and is eyeing the 1,500 mark. Should Faleru get to 1,500 career points she will join six other Rebels to reach the mark.
3. The Rebels are looking for their third consecutive win and to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2012-13. Entering the Southern game, Ole Miss has won its last three homes games after closing last year's regular season with an OT win over Auburn. Ole Miss is 10 wins from the 400th women's basketball win at Tad Smith Coliseum.
4. Freshman Shandricka Sessom tallied her first career 20-point outing with 21 points against Mississippi Valley. The Byhalia, Miss., native also tallied a game-high nine rebounds putting her a rebound shy of her first career double-double. Sessom's 21 points gave Ole Miss a 20-point scorer for the second consecutive game.
5. In Sunday's contest at Mississippi Valley State, the Rebels forced the visiting Lady Devilettes into 46 turnovers. It was the fist time since the 2006-07 season that Ole Miss forced more than 40 turnovers. The 46 turnovers are thought to be a school record for turnovers in a game and the most turnovers forced at Tad Smith Coliseum.
Ole Miss vs. Southern Notables
-This is the seventh meeting between Ole Miss and Southern and is the first meeting between the teams since the 2002 season. Ole Miss leads the series, 6-0, and is averaging nearly 74 points per game against the Jaguars.
-The Jaguars have a player from the Magnolia State in senor Yasmine Nelson who hails from Yazoo City, Miss. The Rebels don't have any players from Louisiana, but both teams have players from Florida. Ole Miss' Danielle McCray calls West Palm Beach, Florida home while the Jaguars have seven players who call Florida home.
-Southern marks the third consecutive team from the SWAC on the Rebel's schedule. Ole Miss opened the season with Grambling and has also faced Mississippi Valley this season. Ole Miss will also take on Alabama A&M (Dec. 20). Ole Miss is 70-6 all-time against teams from the SWAC and has faced at least one SWAC team in each of the last nine seasons.
A Win Would...
-Move the Rebels to 3-0 on the season and move Ole Miss to 71-6 all-time against teams from the SWAC conference.
-Give Ole Miss 391 wins at Tad Smith Coliseum and move the Rebels nine wins from win No. 400. Should the Rebels remain undefeated at home, Ole Miss would have a chance for win No. 400 on Jan. 11 vs. Alabama.
Rebels By The Numbers
21-Number of points Shandricka Sessom scored against Mississippi Valley State. It was her first career 20-point outing and marked the first 20-point game for an Ole Miss freshman this season.
21-Number of career double-doubles Tia Faleru has after scoring 23 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds against Grambling. She takes over the No 7 spot on Ole Miss' all-time double-double list.
38-Number of points Ole Miss held Mississippi Valley to on Sunday afternoon. The 38 points were the fewest points for an Ole Miss opponent since the 2009-10 season when they held Centenary to 38 points.
46-Number of turnovers Ole Miss forced against Mississippi Valley State. The 46 turnovers are the most since the Rebels forced 42 in a win over Alabama during the 2006-07 season. The 46 turnovers are thought to be a single-game record.
390-Number of wins Ole Miss has at the Tad Pad entering the 2014-15 season. Ole Miss needs just 10 more home wins to reach 400 wins in its 41-year history at the Tad Smith Coliseum.
Scouting Southern
Southern enters Thursday's game with a 1-1 record after falling to Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday in Hammond, La. The Jaguars had four players in double figures led by Jasmine Jefferson who had a team-best 17 points. Kenedi Robinson tallied a team-best eight rebounds. The Jaguars opened the season on Nov. 14 with a home game vs. Mobile in which they won 85-50. Head coach Sandy Pugh is in her 16th season as head coach.
About Ole Miss
Ole Miss is lead by senior forward Tia Faleru who is averaging 21 points and 12.5 rebounds this season. The Rebels have four players in double figures joining Faleru. Shandricka Sessom (11.5), Toree Thompson (11.5) Kelsey Briggs (10.5) and Erika Sisk (10.0) are all averaging double figures for the Rebels. Sessom is averaging 6.0 rebounds per game and was a rebound shy of her first career double-double against Mississippi Valley State in Ole Miss' last outing. Kiara Golden leads the way with seven assists on the season while Erika Sisk has eight steals. As a team, Ole Miss is averaging 91.5 points and grabbing 46.5 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor.
