The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Take on Top Ranked South Carolina
1/30/2015 | Women's Basketball
Game Notes- vs. No. 1/1 South Carolina - Game 22
Ole Miss welcomes the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks to Oxford for a Sunday afternoon matinee. The Rebel and Gamecocks will tipoff from Tad Smith Coliseum at 3:30 p.m. CT in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Roy Philpot and Brooke Weisbod will be on the call.
Game 22: Ole Miss (14-7, 4-4 SEC) vs. No. 1/1 South Carolina (20-0, 8-0 SEC)
Date: February 1, 2015
Location: Oxford, Miss. (Tad Smith Coliseum)
Series: Ole Miss leads, 17-16
Streak: South Carolina has has won the last five meetings
| TV:ESPNU | Game Notes (PDF)
Starting Five
1. Ole Miss dropped its third consecutive game with a 70-41 setback at LSU on Thursday night. The loss marked the first three-game losing streak of the season and moves the Rebels to 14-7, 4-4 SEC. Ole Miss has only lost four times in the last 12 games and opened SEC action with a 4-1 record.
2. Birthday girl Danielle McCray led Ole Miss against LSU with a team-best 15 points and nine rebounds. It was McCray's first game in double figures since 11 points vs. Alabama and her nine rebounds tied a season-high, while falling one short of her third career double-double.
3. Ole Miss will take on the top-ranked program for the 14th time when South Carolina comes to Oxford. The Rebels are 1-12 against the AP's No. 1 team and last faced a top ranked team in 2006-07 when they played Maryland. Ole Miss has hosted a top-ranked team seven times and last hosted LSU in 2005.
4. Tia Faleru is approaching her 800th rebound and is just 55 rebounds shy of the milestone. Should she reach the milestone this season she will become one of seven players in program history with 1000 career points and 800 career rebounds and will become the first to do it since Armintie Price in 2006-07.
5. Ole Miss is one win away from its 400th win at Tad Smith Coliseum. This season Ole Miss is 11-3 on their home court and has an overall record of 399-121 (.768) at the Tad Pad. Ole Miss has only posted two sub-.500 home records in the last 13 seasons.
Ole Miss vs. South Carolina Notables
-This will be the 34th meeting between Ole Miss and South Carolina with the Rebels holding a slim, 17-16 margin despite the Gamecocks winning the last five meetings between the teams. The Rebels are looking for their first win over South Carolina since a 64-63 win at the 2010 SEC Tournament in Duluth, Ga. Ole Miss leads the series 8-5 in games played in Oxford.
-Ole Miss student assistant Jalen Powell is quite familiar with South Carolina freshman Bianca Cuevas. The pair both hail from the New York City area and played together and against each other during their high school days.
A Win Would...
-Move Ole Miss to 15-7, 5-4 SEC and snap South Carolina's five-game win streak in the series. Ole Miss would also pick up its first win over a top-ranked opponent since a 73-72 win over Delta State in 1977.
Rebels By The Numbers
0-Number of points Erika Sisk scored against LSU. It snapped a 50-game scoring streak and was the first scoreless game of her collegiate career.
3-Number of consecutive games Ole Miss has dropped after opening the SEC slate 4-1. The 4-1 start was the best start since a 5-1 start in 2009-10. Ole Miss is seeking a winning SEC record for the first time since 2006-07.
8-Number of three-pointers from Gracie Frizzell against Alabama on Jan. 11. The Little Rock, Arkansas native set a new Ole Miss single-game record and Tad Smith record. Her eight triples are the most in the SEC this season.
14- Number of wins the Ole Miss team currently has. Ole Miss hadn't posted more than 12 wins since the 2009-10 season and is in search of its first winning record since going 17-15 in 2009-10. Ole Miss' last 20-win season was in 2006-07 when the Rebels went 24-11 and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight.
399-Number of wins Ole Miss has at Tad Smith Coliseum entering Sunday's game. Ole Miss is 399-121 (.768) all-time at Tad Smith Coliseum. Ole Miss hasn't posted more than two sub.500 home records in the last 13 seasons.
Scouting South Carolina
South Carolina enters Sunday's game as the top-ranked team in both the AP and USA Today Coaches Poll. The Gamecocks are a perfect 20-0, 8-0 SEC and the closest an opponent has come to victory over the reigning SEC regular-season champions was a 51-50 win over Duke on Dec. 7. Tiffany Mitchell is averaging a team-best 15.1 points per game and is joined in double figures by freshman A'ja Wilson and Alaina Coates who are averaging 13.8 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Coates leads the team on the glass with 8.7 rebounds per game while Wilson is contributing 7.1 rebounds. As a team, the Gamecocks are averaging 79.1 points and are defeating opponents by 28.9 scoring margin. South Carolina is averaging 43.1 rebounds per game.
About Ole Miss
Senior forward Tia Faleru continues to lead Ole Miss with 15.0 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game. Faleru has scored in double figures in 18 of Ole Miss' 21 games and has grabbed eight or more rebounds in 18 of Ole Miss' 21 games, with and SEC-best eight double-doubles on the season. Faleru is the lone player in double figures, but Erika Sisk is nearing double figures with 9.3 points per game while Ole Miss has six players averaging 6.0 points or better. Danielle McCray and A'Queen Hayes are helping Faleru shoulder the rebounding load averaging 4.8 and 4.3 rebounds per game, respectively. In SEC action, Faleru leads the way with 12.8 points, while Erika Sisk is averaging 9.8 points. A'Queen Hayes is also netting 8.3 points per game against SEC foes.
On Deck
Ole Miss will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on Thursday (Feb. 5). Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Vanderbilt's Memorial Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on SECN+
