The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Travels to Tennessee
2/16/2016 | Women's Basketball
Game Notes - vs. No. 24 Tennessee - Game 26
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
The Rebels hit the road on Thursday for a matchup with No. 24 Tennessee in Knoxville. The game will air on SEC Network+ and live audio will also be available on OleMissSports.com and 105.1 FM and 105.5 FM locally with Graham Doty and Armintie Herrington.
Game 26: Ole Miss (10-15, 2-10 SEC) vs. No. 24 Tennessee (15-10, 6-6 SEC)
Date: February 18, 2016
Time: 6 PM CT /7 PM CT
Location: Knoxville, Tenn. (Thompson-Boling Arena)
Television: None
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Livestats:
Live Video: SECN+
Starting Five
1. Shandricka Sessom led the Ole Miss offense with 13 points off then bench while Erika Sisk and A'Queen Hayes added 11 and 10 points, respectively but Ole Miss fell to the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies, 62-48 on Monday in Oxford. Hayes and Bretta Hart added eight rebounds each in the loss.
2. Bretta Hart earned her fourth career start for the Rebels and grabbed eight rebounds against Texas A&M. Hart's eight rebounds marked her third game of five or more rebounds in the last four games and was her most rebounds in SEC action. Hart leads the Rebels with 5.8 rebounds per game.
3. A'Queen Hayes' 10 points against the Aggies marked her second consecutive game in double figures and her third game in double figures in the last five outings. Hayes is averaging 10.0 points per game over the last five games and is averaging 7.1 points per game against SEC foes and 6.3 points per game on the season.
4. Ole Miss is arguably the youngest team in the SEC this season. Ole Miss has 11 players on the roster and eight of those players are freshmen or sophomores. The Rebels are the lone team in the SEC without a senior and Ole Miss has only two players who have been in the program for more than two years in Shequila Joseph and Bretta Hart.
5. Ole Miss and Tennessee will be meeting for the only time this season. The Lady Volunteers own a 43-7 series advantage and have won the last 27 games dating back to 1996. Ole Miss is looking for its third-ever win in Knoxville and its first since 1987.
Ole Miss vs. Tennessee Notables
-Tennessee owns a 43-7 series advantage and has won the last 27 meetings and owns a 19-2 series advantage in games played in Knoxville. The Rebels last won in Knoxville in 1987, seven years before Ole Miss' current juniors were born.
-Thursdays' game is a homecoming for Ole Miss assistant coach Alex Simmons who played at Tennessee from 2004-08 and was a part of Tennessee's last two national championships.
-In some support staff ties to Ole Miss, Tennessee's athletic trainer Ashley Wilson is a former Rebel who worked with the Ole Miss women's basketball team prior to taking the job at Tennessee and Tennessee's Director of Operations, Michael Beaumont, is a former Ole Miss football Director of Operations under Houston Nutt.
A Win Would
-Snap Ole Miss' current six-game skid and give the Rebels their first win over Tennessee since 1996 and be Ole Miss' second win over a nationally-ranked opponent this season. It would also be Ole Miss' first win in Knoxville since 1987.
-Move the Rebels five wins way from the 800th victory in program history. Ole Miss' current record is 794-488. The earliest Ole Miss could hit the 800th win would be the opening round of the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss would become the sixth SEC program to record 800 wins.
Rebels By The Numbers
3- Number of ranked opponents Ole Miss has defeated under the direction of Matt Insell and staff. The win over the No. 9 ranked Wildcats on Jan. 21 was the highest ranked opponent Ole Miss has defeated in the last six years.
12- Number of points the Rebels came back from in their SEC opening win over Vanderbilt. Ole Miss trailed by 12 with 7:03 left in the fourth quarter and closed the game on a 20-5 run to record their first come-from-behind win of the season and second of the Matt Insell era.
17- Number of points A'Queen Hayes had against Auburn. Hayes' 17 points was a new career-high and was her fourth game in double figures this season. Hayes has reached double figures in three of Ole Miss' last five games and is averaging 10.0 ppg over the last five games.
26- Number of points Shandricka Sessom scored against South Carolina. Sessom's 26 points are the most an individual has scored against the Gamecocks all year and she is one of just six players to hit the 20- point mark against South Carolina all season.
87 - Number of points Erika Sisk is away from 1,000 career points. Sisk has scored 518 points in an Ole Miss uniform to go with 395 from her freshman season at Murray State.
Scouting Tennessee
Tennessee enters Thursday's game with a 15-10, 6-6 SEC record after falling to No. 2 South Carolina, 62-56, on Monday night in Knoxville. The Lady Vols have won three of their last five games and sport an 11-4 record at Thompson-Boling arena and are 4-2 against SEC foes at home this season. Diamond DeShields leads a trio of players in double figures with 13.9 points per game. Mercedes Russell and Bashaara Graves are also in double figures with 10.6 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Russell leads Tennessee on the glass with 8.8 rebounds per game while Graves is contributing 8.2 rebounds per game. Tennessee is averaging 66.3 points per game and 40.8 rebounds per game while holding opponents to just 58.6 points per game and 35.8 rebounds per game.
About Ole Miss
Sophomore Shandricka Sessom continues to lead the Ole Miss offense with 15.6 points per game and has reached double figures in 21 of 25 games this season. Her 15.6 points currently ranks No. 6 in the SEC. Erika Sisk is approaching double figures with 8.6 points per game. In SEC action, Sessom is leading the team with 12.8 points per game. Shequila Joseph has stepped her play up in SEC action and is averaging 7.4 points per game against conference foes while A'Queen Hayes leads the rebounding efforts with 5.6 rebounds per game against SEC competition. As a team, Ole Miss is averaging 67.4 points per game and grabbing 40.1 rebounds per game and each player on the roster is contributing at least 2.3 points per game.
Up Next
Ole Miss will return to The Pavilion at Ole Miss for its annual Tickled Pink at The Pavilion game on Sunday against No. 14/13 Mississippi State. The game will be televised on nationally on ESPN2 as a part of the annual Play4Kay week. Fans will also be able to hear Graham Doty and Armintie Herrington locally on 105.1 and 105.5 locally and on OleMissSports.com.
