The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Travel to Kentucky For Thursday Night Game
1/24/2017 | Women's Basketball
Game Notes- at Kentucky -- Game 21
Ole Miss hits the road for a matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7 PM ET/6 PM ET from Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Ky. Fans can also catch the game on SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app.
Game 21: Ole Miss (13-7, 2-5 SEC) vs. Kentucky (15-5, 2-4 SEC)
Date: January 26, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM ET/6:00 PM CT
Location: Lexington, Ky. (Memorial Coliseum)
Television: SECN+ Link
Livestats: Live Scoring
Starting Five
1. Ole Miss dropped its first home game of the season with a 65-57 setback to Alabama on Sunday. Madinah Muhammad led Ole Miss with 18 points while Taylor Manuel added 13 points for her second consecutive game in double figures. Shandricka Sessom added 11 points and a team-best six rebounds and five steals.
2. Taylor Manuel posted back-to-back games in double figures for the first time this season with 13 points against Alabama. The senior is averaging 13.0 ppg in the last two games against South Carolina and Alabama and is averaging 8.7 ppg on the season. Against SEC foes the St. Louis native is averaging 8.0 ppg.
3. Shandricka Sessom's reached double figures for the fourth straight game with 11 points in her last outing against Alabama. Sessom has reached double figures in six of Ole Miss' seven SEC contests.Sessom leads Ole Miss scoring efforts with 12.6 points per game and 12.2 points per game against SEC foes.
4. After going scoreless for the first time in 23 games, Madinah Muhammad was back in the scorebook with 18 points against Alabama. It was Muhammad's 10th game in double figures this season and her third double figure outing in SEC play. Muhammad is averaging 12.6 ppg to lead the Rebel offense and is scoring 10.4 ppg against SEC opponents.
5. Ole Miss is looking for its first road win of the season on Thursday night. Ole Miss enters the matchup with Kentucky with a 0-6 SEC road record but does have a neutral site win over Wisconsin at the UNLV Lady Rebel Round-Up. A road win would snap a 12-game SEC road winless streak for the Rebels.
Ole Miss vs. Kentucky Notables
-This will be the 39th meeting between the teams with Ole Miss holding a 22-16 advantage. The Rebels have won the last two meetings between the teams although is searching for its first win in Lexington since a 67-65 overtime win in 2007.
-Thursday's game will be a Homecoming of sorts for Ole Miss head coach Matt Insell, who spent six years at Kentucky as an assistant coach on Matthew Mitchell's staff.
A Win Would
-Snap Ole Miss' current three-game skid -- which is the longest losing streak for the Rebels this season.
-Give Ole Miss its first SEC road win in the last 12 SEC road games and would be the first win at Kentucky since 2007.
Rebels By The Numbers
4- Number of double-doubles junior Shandricka Sessom has on the season. She most recently had 14 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Tennessee. The double-double against the Lady Vols was the sixth of her career.
7.4- Number of rebounds Shandricka Sessom is averaging in SEC play. Sessom has reached double figures rebounds on two occasions in SEC play. Her 7.4 average in SEC action is 1.5 more than her current season average.
12-Number of consecutive games Ole Miss won at The Pavilion at Ole Miss. It's the longest home win streak in the Insell era and is the most consecutive wins at home since the Rebels strung together 15 in 1986-87 and 1987-88. The win streak was snapped with a 65-57 loss to Alabama on Jan. 22.
13.0-Number of points Taylor Manuel is averaging over the last two games. Manuel has posted-back-to-back games in double figures with 13 points against South Carolina and Alabama. She is averaging 8.7 ppg this season.
28-Number of consecutive games Ole Miss had dropped to Tennessee prior to a 67-62 win over the Lady Vols this season. Prior to Thursday's win, Ole Miss' last win was on Feb. 4, 1996.
Scouting Kentucky
Kentucky comes into Thursday's game with a 14-6, 5-2 SEC record and winner of four straight after defeating Auburn 64-60 at Auburn on Sunday. Makayla Epps leads a quartet in double figures with 16.4 points per game. Evelyn Akhator is averaging a double-double with 14.9 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game while Taylor Murray and Maci Morris are contributing 12.7 and 11.5 points per game, respectively. On the season, Kentucky is averaging 69.9 points per game and grabbing 37.7 rebounds per game.
About Ole Miss
Ole Miss enters Thursday's game with a 13-7, 2-5 SEC record after a heartbreaking 65-57 loss to Alabama at The Pavilion at Ole Miss, which snapped a 12 game home win streak for the Rebels. Shandricka Sessom and Madinah Muhammad continue to lead Ole Miss from the floor. Muhammad leads the way with 12.6 points per game while Sessom isn't far behind with 12.5 points per game. A duo leads Ole Miss on the glass. Shandricka Sessom is averaging 5.9 rebounds per game while Joseph is grabbing 5.6 boards per game. Sessom has posted four double-doubles on the season, most recently recording 14 points and 11 rebounds against Tennessee, while Joseph tallied her second career double-double with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds against the Razorbacks. Shelby Gibson is Ole Miss' top scoring freshman with 6.5 points per game.
Up Next
Ole Miss returns to The Pavilion at Ole Miss for Alumni Weekend on Sunday, when the Georgia Bulldogs head to town. Tipoff is set for 2 pm CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
