The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Heads to Tuscaloosa to take on Crimson Tide
1/3/2017 | Women's Basketball
Game Notes- vs. Alabama â€" Game 15
Ole Miss hits the road for a two-game road swing through Alabama this week. The trip starts on Thursday night when the Rebels will square off with Alabama on SEC Network+. Tipoff is set for 7 pm CT from UA's Coleman Coliseum.
Game 15: Ole Miss (12-2, 1-0 SEC) vs. Alabama (12-2, 0-1 SEC)
Date: January 5, 2017
Time: 7:00 PM CT
Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Coleman Coliseum)
Television: SECN+ Link
Livestats: Live Scoring
Starting Five
1. Ole Miss picked up its third consecutive SEC opening win with a 73-64 win over Arkansas on Sunday. Shequila Joseph posted 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds to lead Ole Miss, while Shandricka Sessom added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Shelby Gibson rounded out the double figures with 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.
2. After averaging 14.0 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game last week, Shelby Gibson earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Gibson had a career night against Mississippi Valley State with a career-best 16 points and seven rebounds and posted 12 points in her SEC debut vs. Arkansas. Gibson is Ole Miss top scoring freshman with 8.4 points per game.
3. With its win over Arkansas, Ole Miss moved to 11-0 at The Pavilion at Ole Miss and has won its last six games. Ole Miss is one win away from tying the longest win streak in the Insell era, which is seven games set during the 2013-14 season. Ole Miss will look for its first road win against Alabama on Thursday.
4. Shequila Joseph tallied her second career double-double with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds against Arkansas. It was Joseph's second career double-double and her first this season. Joseph is leading Ole Miss on the glass with 5.9 rebounds per game and has tallied double-figure rebounds three times.
5. Ole Miss and Alabama are meeting for the 57th time with Ole Miss leading the series, 34-22. Alabama won the last meeting, 48-37 in Tuscaloosa and owns a 3-1 advantage in the last four meetings. Alabama leads the series, 13-11 in Tuscaloosa. The last time Ole Miss won in Tuscaloosa was a 69-55 win in 2012.
Ole Miss vs. Alabama Notables
-This will be the 57th meeting between the teams with Ole Miss holding a 34-22 lead despite Alabama winning three of the last four meetings. The Crimson Tide own a 13-11 series advantage at home. This will be the first time Ole Miss and Alabama will meet at Coleman Coliseum in the Insell era.
-The teams have two opponents in common in Mississippi Valley State and Lipscomb. The Rebels and Crimson Tide both defeated both opponents in non-conference action.
-Thursday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for freshman Kate Rodgers who hails from nearby Birmingham, Ala. Rodgers played her high school basketball at Wenonah HS. Alabama has one Mississippi native on the roster in Trista Magee who hails from Ellisville, Miss.
A Win Would
-Give Ole Miss its first true road win of the season. The Rebels are 0-2 on the road with losses to UNLV and West Virginia but do have a neutral site win over Wisconsin in Las Vegas.
-Be Ole Miss' seventh straight win, which would tie for the longest win streak in the Insell era. The last time Ole Miss won seven straight was in 2013-14.
-Give Ole Miss a win in its SEC road opener for the first time since 2006-07 when the Rebels defeated Auburn in its SEC road opener, 74-66.
Rebels By The Numbers
1-Ranking of the Ole Miss women's basketball team nationally in 3-PT FG percentage defense. Ole Miss is allowing opponents to shoot just .219 percent from long range.
2- Number of double-doubles Ole Miss had against Arkansas. Shequila Joseph tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Shandricka Sessom had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ole Miss also had two double-doubles against Jackson State.
3- Number of defensive categories Ole Miss is ranked in the top five nationally. Categories are: 3-PT FG% Defense (.219-1st), Scoring Defense (50.2- 4th) and FG Percentage Defense (.323-4th)
10-Number of assists Erika Sisk dished out against Arkansas. It is the second time this season she has recorded double figures assists, also tallying 10 assists against VCU. Sisk is one of three players in the SEC to record double-figure assists this season and is No. 2 in the SEC in assists per game with 5.3.
50-Number of rebounds Ole Miss posted against Arkansas. It's the most rebounds for Ole Miss in an SEC contest since grabbing 49 vs. Kentucky during the 2014-15 season. It's also the most rebounds against and SEC opponent in the Insell era and since the 2009-10 season.
Scouting Alabama
Alabama enters Sunday's game with a 12-2, 0-1 SEC record after falling to No. 6 South Carolina 93-45 in their SEC opener on Sunday. The loss snapped a five-game win streak for the Crimson Tide. Meoshanti Knight leads a quartet in double figures with 12.8 points per game. Also in double figures are Hannah Cook (11.9), Shaquera Wade (11.5) and Jordan Lewis 10.6). Wade leads the rebounding efforts with 7.1 rebounds per game while Ashley Knight is contributing 6.6 rebounds per game. As a team, Alabama is averaging 76.7 points per game and is averaging 46.4 rebounds per game.
About Ole Miss
Ole Miss enters Sunday's game with a 12-2, 1-0 SEC record after a 73-64 win over Arkansas in their SEC opener on Sunday. The win was Ole Miss' 11th straight win at home this season and its sixth consecutive win. Madinah Muhammad and Shandricka Sessom continue to lead Ole Miss from the floor. Muhammad is averaging 13.5 ppg, while Sessom is adding 12.6 ppg. Erika Sisk and Chrishae Rowe are also in double figures contributing 10.3 and 10.5 points per game, respectively. A trio of players leads Ole Miss on the glass. Shequila Joseph's 5.9 boards per game leads the way, while Sessom isn't far behind with 5.4 rebounds per game. Sessom has posted three double-doubles on the season, most recently recording 11 points and 10 rebounds against Arkansas while Joseph tallied her second career double-double with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds against the Razorbacks. SEC Freshman of the Week 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.
Up Next
The Rebels will stay in the state of Alabama when they travel to Auburn to take on the Auburn Tigers in a nationally televised game on the SEC Network on Sunday (Jan. 8). Game time is set for 3 pm from Auburn Arena.
