The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Host Southern Miss
12/16/2014 | Women's Basketball
Game Notes- vs. Southern Mississippi - Game 11 Ole Miss continues its six-game home stand when it renews it rivalry with Southern Miss on Thursday at Tad Smith Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. will be broadcast online on SECN+ with Richard Cross and Armintie Herrington on the call. Game 11: Ole Miss (7-3) vs. Southern Miss (6-3) | SECN+ Link | Game Notes (PDF) Starting Five |
2. The South Alabama game marked the return of Bretta Hart. Hart had missed the previous seven games after undergoing a minor knee procedure. In her return, Hart posted her second career game in double figures with a career-high 14 points on a 7-of-8 shooting also a career best. Hart also added a career-best three steals.
3. Shequila Joseph had also had a career night against South Alabama. The London, native dished out a career-best eight assists. Her eight assists are the most for an Ole Miss player this season. Joseph accounted for eight of Ole Miss 19 assists in the game, which is a season-high for Ole Miss. The Rebels have posted double-figure assists in eight of 10 games.
4. Danielle McCray played her 100th career game against South Alabama marking the first of Ole Miss' senior class to reach the mark. Tia Faleru and Amber Singletary are also poised to reach the mark this season. Faleru will reach the mark against Alabama A&M while Singletary is set to reach the milestone in Ole Miss' road contest at Florida on Jan. 8.
5. With wins in the rest of the non-conference slate, Ole Miss has a chance to go 10-3 for its best non-conference record since the 2011-12 season when they also went 10-3. The last time Ole Miss won more than 10 non-conference games was in 2008-09 when the Rebels posted an 11-4 non-conference record.
Ole Miss vs. Southern Mississippi Notables
-This will be the 21st meeting between the instate rivals but the first since a 62-60 Ole Miss win during the 1999-2000 season. Ole Miss leads the series 16-4 but the series has always been a close one with nine of the 20 meetings being decided by 10 points or less. The last five meetings have been decided by an average of four points.
-Southern Miss will be the third opponent from Conference USA for the Rebels. Ole Miss has taken on Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky this season and has a 0-2 record on the season against C-USA foes. All-time Ole Miss is 56-27 against teams from C-USA.
-The Golden Eagles are the second of three foes for the Rebels from the Magnolia State. Ole Miss has also played Mississippi Valley in the non-conference slate and will take on rival Mississippi State during SEC action. The teams have five common opponents in South Alabama, Mississippi Valley, Mississippi State, Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky.
A Win Would...
-Give Ole Miss its second consecutive victory and its third straight win over Southern Miss. A win would move Ole Miss to 8-3 on the season and be the sixth home win for the Rebels in 2014-15.
Rebels By The Numbers
2- Number of games Tia Faleru needs to play in to reach 100 career games played. Classmate Danielle McCray reached the milestone against South Alabama in the Rebels last outing. Each of Ole Miss seniors are poised to reach the 100 games played mark during the 2014-15 season.
4-Span of games in which Ole Miss has failed to have a player score 20 points. The last time Ole Miss had a 20-point scorer was Nov. 28 against Utah, when Toree Thompson netted a career-high 23 points. Ole Miss opened the season with a 20-point scorer in each of its first four games.
5-Number of Ole Miss players in double figures against South Alabama, which marked the most players in double-figures this season. Ole Miss has had four players in double figures on two occasions this season.
8-Number of assists Shequila Joseph has against South Alabama. Her eight assists was a new career-high and the most assists by an Ole Miss player this season.
392-Number of wins Ole Miss has at the Tad Pad entering the 2014-15 season. Ole Miss needs just seven more home wins to reach 400 wins in its 41-year history at the Tad Smith Coliseum.
Scouting Southern Miss
Southern Miss enters Thursday's contest with a 6-3 record after falling to Mississippi State, 73-46, on Sunday. The loss was the second straight for the Lady Eagles who opened the season 6-1. Tamara Jones and Jerontay Clemons are leading the Lady Eagle offense with 14.4 and 12.8 points, respectively. Kierra Jordan is nearing double-figures with 9.3 points per game. The same trio leads Southern Miss on the glass with Jones averaging a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game. As a team, Southern Miss is averaging 69.6 points per game and 36.4 rebounds per game. Ole Miss will be the second consecutive SEC foe for the Lady Eagles after facing Mississippi State in their last outing.
About Ole Miss
Senior forward Tia Faleru continues to lead Ole Miss with 15.5 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game. Faleru has scored in double figures in eight of Ole Miss'10 games and has grabbed eight or more rebounds in nine of Ole Miss' 10 games. Faleru is the lone player in double figures but Erika Sisk and Toree Thompson are nearing double figures with 9.2 and 7.8 points, respectively. The rest of the scoresheet is balanced with 11 players averaging at least four points. Danielle McCray and Kelsey Briggs are helping Faleru shoulder the rebounding load averaging 5.2 and 3.7 rebounds per game, respectively.
On Deck
Ole Miss will take on Alabama A&M on Saturday in a matinee. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. The game will be available on the WatchESPN App and on SECN+.
From The Coach
