The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Host VCU on Saturday Afternoon
12/16/2016 | Women's Basketball
Game Notes- vs. VCU - Game 11
Ole Miss welcomes VCU to The Pavilion at Ole Miss for a Saturday afternoon matinee. Tipoff is set for 1 pm and will feature a postgame Kids Clinic with the Ole Miss players and coaching staff. Tickets are available and can be purchased at the Ole Miss Ticket office or online HERE.
Game 11: Ole Miss (8-2) vs. VCU (5-5)
Date: December 17, 2016
Time: 1:00 PM CT
Location: Oxford, Miss. (The Pavilion at Ole Miss)
Television: SECN+ Link
Livestats:
Starting Five
1. Ole Miss extended its home win streak to seven straight with an upset of No. 25 Oregon on Wednesday. Taylor Manuel led the way for Ole Miss with 22 points while Madinah Muhammad added 18 points. Bretta Hart led the way on the glass with nine rebounds. The win was the fourth over a ranked opponent for Ole Miss in the last four seasons.
2. The win over No. 25 Oregon was the first win over a ranked non-SEC foe since the 2006-07 season when Ole Miss defeated ranked opponents Maryland and Oklahoma en route to an Elite Eight appearance. The Rebels have defeated at least one ranked opponent in three of the four years Insell has been at the helm.
3. For the second consecutive game Ole Miss will be playing a first-time opponent in VCU. The Rams are the eighth team Ole Miss has played from the Atlantic 10 and the Rebels sport a 6-1 record against teams from the A-10.
4. Ole Miss' current 7-0 record at The Pavilion at Ole Miss to open the season is the best start to the home slate in the Insell era and is the best home slate start since 2012-13 when Ole Miss won its first seven home games. Ole Miss' best undefeated start at home in most recent history was an 11-0 start in 2006-07.
5. Transfer Chrishae Rowe made her Ole Miss debut against Oregon. The Riverside, Calif., native posted six points in 11 minutes of action and scored her first bucket in the first quarter. Rowe, who last played in 2013-14 prior to the Oregon game, averaged 21.6 points per game as a freshman at Oregon.
Ole Miss vs. VCU Notables
-This will be the first meeting between the Rebels and the Rams. Ole Miss owns a 6-1 record against teams from the Atlantic 10 and last faced a team from the A-10 in 2012-13 when they took on UMass earning a 71-59 win. VCU is the second consecutive and third first time opponent for Ole Miss this season. Other first time opponents include Oregon and High Point.
-The Rams have no Mississippi natives on the roster, but Jailyn Maddox hails from Hoover, Alabama while Ole Miss Kate Rodgers is a Birmingham, Alabama native. Additionally, VCU's Sandra Skinner hails from Winchester, Ky. while Ole Miss Bree Glover is from Glasgow, Ky. There is also a Boo Williams connection as Ole Miss' George Porcha was an assistant with the prestigious Boo Williams Nike Travel Team as was VCU's assistant coach James Fortune.
-Ole Miss is the lone SEC squad on VCU's schedule but the Rams have played or will play the likes of Minnesota and Wake Forest during the non-conference slate.
A Win Would
-Give Ole Miss its eighth straight home win, the best start to the home slate in the Insell era and also the best start to a home season since 2012-13 when Ole Miss won its first seven home games.
-A win would also be Ole Miss head coach Matt Insell's 50th career win. Insell entered the 2016-17 season with a 41-54 career record in three seasons.
Rebels By The Numbers
1-Number of wins head coach Matt Insell needs to earn his 50th career win. Insell is 49-54 in three years as head coach of the Ole Miss women's basketball team. The earliest Insell could get win No. 50 would be against VCU on Dec. 17.
3- Number of defensive categories Ole Miss is ranked in the top 10 nationally. Categories are: 3-PT FG% Defense (.225-4th), Scoring Defense (51.4- 9th) and Turnovers Forced (23.40 - 10th)
6-Number of free throws Madinah Muhammad made against Oregon. The Chicago native was a perfect 6-of-6 from the stripe and is shooting .829 from the free throw line this season.
16-Number of points Ole Miss defeated No. 25 Oregon by on Dec. 14. The win was the fourth for Ole Miss over a ranked opponents since 2013-14 and is the first since 2006-07 over a ranked non-SEC opponent.
22- Points Taylor Manuel scored against No. 25 Oregon. It was Manuel's first 20-point game as a Rebel and she joins Madinah Muhammad and Shandricka Sessom as Rebels who have posted 20 points this season.
Scouting VCU
VCU enters Saturday's game with a 5-5 record after defeating UNCG, 65-54 on Dec. 11. The Rams will be playing their fourth road contest in the last five games when they make the trip to Oxford and sport a 2-2 road record this season and a 2-0 record in neutral site games. Keira Robinson is leading the offense with 13.1 points per game while Isis Thorpe and Galaisha Goodhope are contributing 8.0 and 7.7 points per game, respectively. Bria Gibson leads the team on the glass with 5.5 rebounds per game while Curteeona Brelove is adding 4.7 rebounds per game. As a team the Rams are averaging 66.4 points per game and 40.8 rebounds per game.
About Ole Miss
Ole Miss enters Saturday's game with a 8-2 record after upsetting No. 25 Oregon. The win was Ole Miss' fourth in the last three years over a ranked foe and the first over a ranked non-conference foe since 2006-07. Madinah Muhammad and Shandricka Sessom continue to lead Ole Miss from the floor. Muhammad is averaging 14.6 ppg, while Sessom is adding 13.3 ppg. Erika Sisk is also in double figures contributing 10.3 points per game. A trio of players are leading Ole Miss on the glass. Shequila Joseph's 6.1 boards per game leads the way, while Sessom isn't far behind with 5.0 rebounds per game. Erika Sisk is adding 4.4 rebounds per game. Sessom has posted two double-doubles on the season, most recently recording 18 points and 10 rebounds against Jackson State. Bretta Hart also recorded her second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Shelby Gibson is Ole Miss' top scoring freshman with 8.4 points per game which is among the top 10 scoring freshman in the SEC. Madinah Muhammad became the first Rebel to score 20+ in back-to-back games with 22 vs. Wisconsin and 24 against UNLV and on the season has three 20-point games after a team-best 21 points vs. La-Monroe - the most 20-point outings for a Rebel this season. Matt Insell is a win shy of his 50th career win.
Up Next
Ole Miss will be back in action on Dec. 20 when they host Austin Peay in the final game before the holiday break. Tipoff is set for 6 pm at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
