Rebels Host IUPUI for Friday Night Tilt

			OLE MISS (1-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. IUPUI (1-0, 0-0 Horizon League) Friday, Nov. 9 • 7 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Coach Yo Yo-Yo's / Postgame Autographs
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball is looking to take momentum from its season-opening win toward a tough matchup with 2018 WNIT team IUPUI on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT inside The Pavilion at Ole Miss.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (1-0) • 95-63 career record (6th Season)

IUPUI Jaguars (1-0, 0-0 Horizon League)
Head Coach: Austin Parkinson • 9th Season at IUPUI (142-111) • 142-111 career record (9th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Seth Austin (@SethAustinTV)
Color: Lindsay Roy (@roylindsaym)

OLE MISS RADIO

Play-by-Play: Graham Doty (@GrahamDoty)
Audio: TuneIn / RebelVision

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SCOUTING IUPUI

Series History
First Meeting

2017-18 Record: 22-10, 13-15
• Return nine letterwinners and three starters from WNIT team that lost to Purdue in First Round

Top Returning Player (2017-18)
Macee Williams
• 13.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, .658 FG%
• Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year

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TEAM NOTES

WIN STARTS COACH YO ERA
It wasn't just the start of the Coach Yo era, it was the triumphant debut of several new Rebels as Ole Miss handed first-year head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin her first win after a 60-42 victory over Norfolk State at The Pavilion on Tuesday night.

Ole Miss (1-0) struggled right off the bat as the Spartans (0-1) came out swinging, but a stifling Rebel defense and an offensive surge in the middle frames helped lift Ole Miss over a Norfolk State team that won 18 games a year ago.

It was the Rebel newcomers who led the charge both offensively, chief among them transfers Crystal Allen and Jhileiya Dunlap. Allen was the top scorer on the night at 16 points and three rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting from the charity stripe in 37 minutes played, but it was a string of seven straight points in the fourth quarter that put Ole Miss over the top down the stretch.

NEWCOMERS TAKING CHARGE
Ole Miss may have nearly a brand-new roster in 2018-19, but that didn't stop the newly-minted Rebels from putting on a show in their first regular season games wearing an Ole Miss jersey. Newcomers and freshmen alike combined for 55 of the 60 points scored by the Rebels on Tuesday night, which comes out to 91.7 percent of all Rebel scoring.

Leading the way were transfers Crystal Allen (16 points), Jhileiya Dunlap (12 points), Shannon Dozier (11 points) and La'Karis Salter (8 points), with 8 additional points coming from redshirt freshman Mimi Reid in her first career start.

DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
Defense was the name of the game for Ole Miss vs. Norfolk State, holding the Spartans to several scoreless droughts of five minutes or longer – including a streak of 5:29 to close the game – forcing 24 NSU turnovers, tallying 11 steals and holding them to a shooting percentage of 26.5 from the floor. On top of that, the Rebels turned those 24 turnovers into 24 points as well.

Multiple Rebels tallied steals, with three from Jhileiya Dunlap and Shannon Dozier, and two apiece from Mimi Reid and La'Karis Salter.

SHARING IS CARING
Ole Miss shared the ball to perfection in the season opener vs. Norfolk State, tallying up 15 assists -- including six alone from freshman point guard Mimi Reid. Of those, 12 came in the first half. Last season, Ole Miss had 14 entire games where it did not reach the 12 assist plateau.

SUCCESS AGAINST THE HORIZON LEAGUE
Ole Miss owns a 5-2 all-time record against members of the Horizon League, with two wins over Illinois-Chicago and a win each over Cleveland State, Milwaukee and Wright State.

EARLY SEASON SUCCESS
A win vs. IUPUI on Friday night would continue a long-standing tradition at Ole Miss: winning early. If victorious, this would be the 30th Rebel team in 45 seasons to open the year with a 2-0 record. Following a win vs. Norfolk State, Ole Miss improved the all-time season opener record to 39-6 overall and 26-1 at home. Ole Miss now hasn't lost a home season opener since Nov. 16, 1998 (vs. Clemson, 76-54).

REBELS ROLL IN EXHIBITION
Five Rebels reached double-digit scoring en route to a season-opening 73-45 exhibition victory against LeMoyne-Owen at The Pavilion at Ole Miss on Nov. 2.

"I was excited to get our young ladies the opportunity to play a full game," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "There were some things that I saw that I liked. I like the fact that we were on the floor a lot, I got to play everybody, and we were diving for loose balls."

Redshirt senior La'Karis Salter made her Ole Miss debut, leading the team in scoring with 12 points and six assists at the forward position. Other noteworthy debuts included redshirt freshman Mimi Reid (11 points, eight rebounds, five assists), junior Jhileiya Dunlap (10 points, seven rebounds), and redshirt senior Crystal Allen (11 points, five rebounds).

Fellow senior Shandricka Sessom returned to the floor following a season-ending knee injury last year, scoring 10 points in the effort, while senior Cecilia Muhate also looked strong in her first action of 2018-19 with six points and seven boards.

Ole Miss got off to a hot start and never looked back, scoring 16 unanswered points over the first 4:24 of action toward a 20-6 advantage by the end of the quarter, with eight eight points alone coming from Allen. The second frame played out similarly, as the Rebels went on a 12-2 run to start the quarter before closing out the first half with a 42-15 lead.

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INDIVIDUAL NOTES

CRYSTAL SHARP
Grad transfer Crystal Allen wasted no time cementing herself as a key member of the starting lineup, taking charge as the main offensive solution for the Rebels vs. Norfolk State. Allen dropped 16 on the Spartans, including seven from the charity stripe and seven points in a row overall in the fourth quarter to help ice the game.

Allen came to Ole Miss following two seasons at UT-Arlington and two seasons at Seattle. Her final year at UT-Arlington, Allen earned Third-Team All-Sun Belt after helping lead the Mavericks to an 18-12 season with 11.7 PPG.

DUNLAP'S BIG DEBUT
A return from shoulder injury wasn't going to slow down junior Jhileiya Dunlap in her first game as a Rebel, proving her talent immediately as an all-around player. Dunlap notched the first Rebel double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 boards, but she didn't stop there, tallying four blocks, three steals and two assists in the effort as well.

Dunlap spent the previous two seasons at Gulf Coast State Community College, where she was part of two NJCAA semifinalist teams -- including a national title team in 2017. Dunlap was the Gatorade Player of the Year in South Carolina in 2015-16 coming out of high school.

MIMI RUNNING THE SHOW
Redshirt freshman Mimi Reid received her first start in her very first game as a Rebel after missing the 2017-18 season due to injury, and she did not disappoint. Reid proved effective at running the point, dishing out six of the 15 total Ole Miss assists on the evening while also scoring eight points with four boards and two assists.

Reid is returning from a preseason Achilles injury that sidelined her for the entirety of her freshman year. Reid was the No. 49 prospect in the nation coming out of The Patrick School in the Bronx.

DOZIER A SPARK OFF THE BENCH
With Ole Miss falling down to an early lead against Norfolk State on Nov. 6, Shannon Dozier heard her number called off the bench to come in and give the Rebels a spark. She did that, and then some, helping break the Spartan run and turn the tide of the game early on in a strong first outing at Ole Miss.

Dozier ended up putting in 23 productive minutes off the bench, scoring 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with three steals and two assists. Dozier comes to Oxford from Odessa College, where last year she averaged 11.0 PPG.

REDEMPTION FOR SESSOM
Redshirt senior Shandricka Sessom returns for one last go-round in a Rebel jersey following a gruesome ACL injury vs. Middle Tennessee last season after just seven games played. Sessom, who was averaging 17.7 PPG at the time of her injury, was awarded a fifth year of eligibility on a medical hardship waiver.

MOVIN' ON UP
Shandricka Sessom enters 2018-19 as the active career scorer for the Rebels at 1,134 points -- currently the 24th-most in Ole Miss history. Sessom became the 28th 1,000-point scorer in program history vs. Texas A&M on Feb. 26, 2017. In her three full seasons of play, she averaged 341.6 points. If she were to maintain that average this season, Sessom would finish her career ranked 13th all-time.

Below are the next few ahead of her on the list:

19. Erika Sisk (2012-17) - 1,187
20. Charlotte Banks (1989-92) - 1,181
21. Shawn Goff (2005-09) - 1,179
22. Amber Watts (2001-05) - 1,169
23. Kris Stratton (1978-81) - 1,164

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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Ole Miss has five seniors in 2018-19, with returnees Cecilia Muhate, Torri Lewis and Shandricka Sessom joining newcomer transfers Crystal Allen (UT-Arlington) and La'Karis Salter (Jacksonville) in the senior class.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Crystal Allen (UT-Arlington) and La'Karis Salter (Jacksonville) aren't the only newcomers to the Rebel roster. Other transfers include junior Jhileiya Dunlap from Gulf Coast State Community College, junior Shannon Dozier from Odessa College, and junior Deja Cage from DePaul. Cage will have to sit the 2018-19 season out due to NCAA rules.

Ole Miss also welcomed four new freshmen to Oxford this fall in Gabby Crawford (Munford, Tenn.), Mahogany Matthews (Raeford, N.C.), Taylor Smith (Marietta, Ga.) and Iyanla Kitchens (Lithonia, Ga.).

A NEW ERA
Ole Miss women's basketball stands on the cusp of a new era with Yolett McPhee-McCuin entering her first season as the ninth head coach in program history. McPhee-McCuin was named head coach on April 4, 2018 and introduced in a public ceremony two days later on April 6.

McPhee-McCuin, who also serves as the national coach for her native Bahamas, comes to Ole Miss following five seasons at Jacksonville, where she took the Dolphins to heights never before glimpsed in the history of the program. Her JU teams notched three-straight 20-win seasons to close out her career there, despite Jacksonville only recording two seasons above the 20-win plateau prior to her arrival.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin Coaching Career:
2019-Pres. -- Ole Miss, Head Coach
2014-18 -- Jacksonville, Head Coach
2011-13 -- Clemson, Assistant Coach
2009-10 -- Pittsburgh, Assistant Coach
2008 -- Portland, Assistant Coach
2006-07 -- Ark.-Pine Bluff, Assistant Coach
2005 -- Frank Phillips College, Assistant Coach

Record at Jacksonville:

Total (Five Seasons): 94-63, 50-24 ASUN

2017-18
24-9, 12-2 (2nd ASUN)
ASUN Tournament Runners-Up
WNIT First Round

2016-17
23-9, 11-3 (3rd ASUN)
ASUN Tournament Runners-Up
WNIT First Round

2015-16
22-11, 11-3 (2nd ASUN)
ASUN Tournament Champions
NCAA Tournament First Round

2014-15
12-17, 6-8 (4th ASUN)

2013-14
13-17, 10-8 (5th ASUN)

NEW STAFF
McPhee-McCuin's first task once arriving in Oxford was to surround herself with a brand new coaching staff. For her first season, that cast includes Chris Ayers, Tony Greene, and Ole Miss All-American Armintie Herrington, who was promoted from her previous position as the Coordinator of Player Engagement.

Chris Ayers - First Season
• Spent a decade in the high school and AAU ranks prior
• Has coached more than 100 athletes who went on to play either collegiately, professionally or both
• Graduate manager at Georgia Tech in 2017-18

Tony Greene - First Season
• More than 20 years of experience collegiately
• Has been part of 11 total postseason berths
• Conference Player of the Year at Langston

Armintie Herrington - Fifth Season
• Seventh season on staff at Ole Miss, the fifth as an assistant coach after serving from 2009-12
• No. 3 pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft (Chicago Sky)
• In 2007, became second player in NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals

MORE NEW FACES
McPhee-McCuin has also brought on a new support staff, while keeping on sixth-year senior athletic trainer Meredith Pendergast.

Dana Rieger
Director of Operations

Tim Boeni
Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach

Michonné Gamble-Rivers
Coordinator of Player Development

Ed Mahan
Coordinator of Video Services

Chelsea Wolf
Assistant Director of On-Campus Recruiting

Sandy Dickinson
Recruiting Assistant

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA
Ole Miss will be featured on national television seven times during the regular season, with all seven appearances on SEC Network. First up is a home contest in the Big 12/SEC Contest vs. TCU on Nov. 29. Other home games on SEC Network include a Jan. 6 tilt vs. Arkansas and a Jan. 20 showdown with Florida. The remaining SEC Network games all come on the road at Kentucky (Jan. 13), at Mississippi State (Jan. 27), at Georgia (Feb. 18) and at Arkansas (Feb. 24). Additionally, all non-televised home games and road SEC games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

TOUGH SLATE IN STORE AT PARADISE JAM
Ole Miss will spend some time on the beach over Thanksgiving for the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but will face serious competition across three days of action. First up, the Rebels will square off against UConn on Nov. 22. The Huskies are coming off their 10th-straight trip to the Final Four after going 36-1, and they return three starters from that squad. Afterward, the Rebels will face Purdue (Nov. 23) and St. John's (Nov. 24) to close out their stay in St. Thomas. Ole Miss and UConn have never played, but the Rebels own the only victories in the series vs. Purdue (W, 62-54, Dec. 21, 1993, in Puerto Rico) and St. John's (W, 62-56, Dec. 29, 1992, in Jamaica, N.Y.).

Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB on Instagram at Ole MissWBB and on Snapchat with the handle @OleMissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin

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Players Mentioned

Crystal Allen

Deja Cage

Gabby Crawford

Shannon Dozier

Iyanla Kitchens

Torri Lewis

Mahogany Matthews

Cecilia Muhate

Mimi Reid

La'Karis Salter

Shandricka Sessom

Taylor Smith

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