Rebels Hit Road for Louisiana Tech

			OLE MISS (5-6, 0-0 SEC) at LOUISIANA TECH (6-3, 0-0 C-USA) Saturday, Dec. 15 • 2 PM • Ruston, La. Thomas Assembly Center (8,000)
Watch • Listen • Live Stats • Buy Tickets Ole Miss Game Notes • Louisiana Tech Game Notes • SEC Game Notes

RUSTON, La. – Ole Miss women's basketball sets out for its first true road game of the 2018-19 season with a Saturday afternoon tilt at Louisiana Tech. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT inside the Thomas Assembly Center, and the game will air live on C-USA TV.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (5-6, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (5-6) • 99-69 career record (6th Season)

Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (6-3, 0-0 C-USA)
Head Coach: Brooke & Scott Stoehr • 3rd Season at LA Tech (43-29) • 114-87 career record (7th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: C-USA TV
Play-by-Play: Malcolm Butler

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: 105.1 FM
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
Color: Lindsay Roy
Audio: TuneIn / RebelVision

SERIES NOTES (LA Tech leads, 6-2)
At Oxford: LA Tech leads 2-1
At Ruston: LA Tech leads 3-1
At Neutral Sites: LA Tech leads 1-0
Longest UM Streak: 1 (1991, 2013)
Longest LT Streak: 4 (1992 - 2012)
Biggest UM Win: 11 (12/4/13 - at Oxford)
Biggest LT Win: 20 (3/24/88 - at Austin)
Most UM Points: 79 (12/4/13 - at Oxford)
Most LT Points: 88 (11/24/04 - at Oxford)

SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH

Current Record: 6-3, 0-0 C-USA
• RPI: 81
• Three averaging double-digit scoring
• Scoring 74.1 PPG (3rd C-USA)
• Shooting .427 as a team; allowing opponents to shoot .408
• Owns one SEC win this year vs. Alabama (79-62)
• Historically, LA Tech owns the sixth-most trips to the NCAA Tournament (27) and the fourth-most NCAA Tournament wins (65)

Series History
LA Tech leads, 6-2

First Meeting
March 24, 1988
• L, 80-60, in Austin
• Sweet 16 of 1988 NCAA Tournament
• LA Tech ranked No. 5 at the time
• LA Tech went on to win NCAA title
• LA Tech finished No. 5 in final AP Poll
• Ole Miss finished No. 12 in final AP Poll

Last Meeting
Dec. 4, 2013
• W, 79-68, in Oxford

2017-18 Record: 19-12, 10-6 C-USA (3rd)
• WNIT First Round

Players to Watch

#4 Kierra Anthony
• 21.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.7 SPG
• .510 FG, .857 FT
• ESPNW National Player of the Week following a 50-point game vs. Houston on Nov. 14
• Scored 44 points in the second half and OT
• C-USA record for single-game scoring
• Ranks 14th NCAA in PPG (21.8)
• Also ranks 10th in FG made (78) and 18th in assist-turnover ratio (+3.14)

#24 Taylor Stahly
• 11.2 PPG, 2.1 RPG, .356 FG
• .304 3PT, 24 3PM

#1 Raizel Guinto
• 10.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.9 APG
• .413 FG, .421 3PT, 16 3PM

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (vs. Louisiana)
Ole Miss women's basketball put together another sensational team performance and utilized the energy from a crowd of 7,389 for Kids Day toward a 79-57 win over Louisiana at The Pavilion on Dec. 12.

The Rebels (5-6) shot a season-high 53.3 percent and had all five starters score in double-digits for the first time since Nov. 17, 2016 (vs. Jacksonville State), including two double-doubles from Mimi Reid (14 points, 11 assists) and Jhileiya Dunlap (10 points, 12 rebounds). Defensively, Ole Miss held the Ragin' Cajuns (2-7) to just 33.8 percent from the field, the ninth opponent this year that the Rebels have stifled to less than 38 percent.

The Rebels absolutely exploded in the second quarter, scoring a season-high quarter total of 25 points while shutting down the Louisiana offense to just 2-of-14 (14.3 percent) and five points in the frame. Ole Miss scored at least 20 a quarter the remainder of the game, the second game in a row that the Rebels have tallied three quarters above the 20-point plateau.

Senior Crystal Allen led in scoring again with 18 points, her third consecutive game with at least 18 points and her 10th double-digit scoring effort in 11 tries.

For the second straight game the passing game helped in a huge way, with a season-high 24 assists on those 32 made buckets. The Rebels have now tallied back-to-back games with at least 20 assists for the first time since Feb. 26 to March 2, 2017.

Reid recorded her first career double-double with career-highs in points (14) and assists (11). Dunlap recorded her second double-double as a Rebel with 10 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, as well as four assists, two blocks and one steal. Other Rebels in double-digits included Shandricka Sessom (13 points, eight rebounds) and Cecilia Muhate (10 points, six rebounds, four assists).

The Kids Day win makes Ole Miss 16-0 all-time on Kids Day, which began on Dec. 1, 2003, with an 85-72 win over McNeese State in front of 1,963 at Tad Smith Coliseum. Entering, the Rebels were winning Kids Day contests by an average of 24.7 points per game. The attendance of 7,389 ranks as the fifth-best home crowd all-time, the fourth-best ever at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.

ROAD TO 100
First-year head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin may have just started her Ole Miss career, but she stands just one win away from hitting the century mark for her career -- currently sitting at an overall mark of 99-69.

McPhee-McCuin is in her sixth season overall as a head coach, spending the previous five seasons as the head coach at Jacksonville. There, she guided the Dolphins to a 94-63 overall record, three-straight 20-win seasons and three postseason appearances.

EFFICIENT REBEL OFFENSE
The Rebel offense has been a well-oiled machine as of late, as the high number of assists have shown. In just the last two games after season highs in assists vs. Savannah State (21) and Louisiana (24), Ole Miss has recorded an assist on 77.6 percent of all made field goals.

SHARING IS CARING
Ole Miss has had impressive success sharing the ball as of late. In the last two outings, Ole Miss has recorded the first back-to-back contests with at least 20 assists since doing so in two straight on Dec. 21, 2011 (22, vs. Cleveland State) and Dec. 29, 2011 (24, vs. Southeastern Louisiana). The Rebels have not dished out 20 or more assists in three consecutive games since a three-game stretch from Nov. 13-20, 2009, with three games vs. Southeastern Louisiana (24; Nov. 13), Sam Houston State (27; Nov. 17) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (26; Nov. 20).

Additionally, the +11 assist/turnover ratio vs. Louisiana (24 assists, 13 turnovers) on Dec. 12 was the best for Ole Miss since a +12 edge in a win over No. 25 Oregon on Dec. 14, 2016 (19 assists, seven turnovers). Ole Miss currently ranks sixth in the SEC at 14.6 assists per game.

THE REBS ARE HEATING UP
The upstart offensive efficiency has led to an increased output, as the Rebels have eclipsed 70 points for the first time all season with season high outings vs. Savannah State (74) and Louisiana (79). Ole Miss shot a season-high 53.3 percent from the field vs. the Ragin' Cajuns, the best by the Rebels since a 53.7 percent clip vs. Kennesaw State on Nov. 13, 2017. The

MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT ON THE GLASS
After struggling in rebounding for stretches throughout the season, Ole Miss put on a dominant display on the boards vs. Savannah State with a +34 rebounding margin at 62-28 -- the first margin more than 30 since a +31 edge vs. Centenary on Dec. 29, 2009. All 10 Rebels that saw the floor recorded at least one rebound, eight recorded at least five, seven had at least six, three had at least seven and two -- Crystal Allen and Cecilia Muhate -- both led with eight boards. Last year, the most Rebels to record at least five rebounds in a single game was six vs. Troy (Nov. 21, 2017).

Ole Miss' 62 boards vs. the Lady Tigers sits as the second-most in the SEC this season (64, Mississippi State vs. Lamar, Nov. 15), and it's the first time the Rebels have gotten more than 60 since hauling in 61 vs. Jacksonville State on Nov. 8, 2013.

OFF THE LINE
Rebel opponents have had a difficult time finding success from beyond the arc, as Ole Miss ranks as the second-best three-point defense in the SEC at an opposing clip of 27.0 percent. Only three of 11 Rebel opponents have been able shoot better than 30 percent, with six shooting 25 percent or worse. Last season Ole Miss held opponents under 30 percent just 10 times all season.

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN, YES!
In contrast to the stingy Ole Miss three-point defense, the Rebels have begun to find significant success from beyond the arc as of late. In the last five games, Ole Miss is shooting 46.9 percent from three (30-of-64). In the previous four games, Ole Miss shot 29.9 percent from three (20-of-67). A large part of that recent success comes from Crystal Allen (51.6, 16-of-31) and Shandricka Sessom (48.0, 12-of-25), who have combined to sink 28 of those 30 made three-pointers during this stretch. Overall this season, Ole Miss is shooting 35.5 percent from three (55-of-155), the fourth-best clip in the SEC.

NO POINTS FOR YOU
Even after allowing 90 points to powerhouse UConn at the Paradise Jam, Ole Miss is still holding opponents to a respectable 61.5 points per game, holding 10 of 11 teams this year to 70 or fewer. Of those, six have been held to 60 or fewer. Additionally, just two Rebel opponents have shot better than 38 percent overall from the field this season.

LATE GAME SUCCESS
The Rebels have showed a consistent resiliency throughout the season in the late stages of games, as Ole Miss is currently beating opponents in the fourth quarter by an advantage of 186-159. The Rebels also won the second half in four straight games from Nov. 23-29 by a score of 109-92. Ole Miss has won or tied the fourth quarter in nine games this season, and is averaging 16.9 points in the final frame.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

SHARING THE WEALTH
Against Louisiana, all five Rebel starters scored in double-digits for the first time since Nov. 17, 2016 vs. Jacksonville State. Those five Ole Miss starters -- Crystal Allen (18 points), Mimi Reid (14 points, 11 assists), Shandricka Sessom (13 points, eight rebounds), Jhileiya Dunlap (10 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, one steal) and Cecilia Muhate (10 points, six rebounds, four assists, one block, one steal) -- were actually the first set of five Rebels to score in double digits at all since Dec. 1, 2016 vs. Jackson State.

MIMI DIRECTING TRAFFIC
In the two games that redshirt freshman starting point guard Mimi Reid missed vs. TCU (L, 55-50) and Jacksonville State (L, 60-49) due to a concussion, Ole Miss tallied just 19 total assists. In two triumphant wins over Savannah State and Louisiana, Reid herself has accumulated 19 assists in back-to-back career days.

Reid leads all SEC freshmen and ranks second among all freshmen nationally with 50 assists, putting her average of 5.6 per game at No. 2 in the SEC behind Georgia's Taja Cole (6.0). Reid's per-game average also ranks 39th in the NCAA. In just these two games since her return from injury, Reid has averaged 10.5 PPG, 9.5 APG and 4.0 RPG -- helped greatly by her first-career double-double vs. Louisiana (career-high 14 points, 11 assists).

Reid is the only player in the SEC to have recorded separate games of 11 rebounds (vs. Western Michigan, career-high) and 11 assists (vs. Louisiana, career-high).

#SplashSisters?
Seniors Crystal Allen and Shandricka Sessom have been the offensive soul for Ole Miss in the last three games, combining for 102 points (34.0 PPG), a 34.3 field goal percentage, a 47.7 three-point percentage and 19 three-pointers made. In that span, that accounts for 50.1 percent of Rebel scoring.

ALLEN BECOMES 30TH REBEL WITH 1,000 PTS
Crystal Allen used a well-rounded career day vs. Savannah State to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in her career, in the process becoming the 30th Rebel to ever score their 1,000th career point while wearing an Ole Miss jersey. Allen scored a career-high 27 points with additional career highs in three-pointers (five), rebounds (eight) and assists (six) to help lead the Rebels to victory. Allen is just the second transfer to score their 1,000th point while at Ole Miss, joining Erika Sisk, who did so early in her senior season in 2016-17. Sisk transferred to Ole Miss following one season at Murray State.

Allen spent the first two years of her career at Seattle (303 points), the next two at UT-Arlington (525), and she is already up to 194 points at Ole Miss. At 1,022 career points scored, Allen just passed Carol Ross at 1,015 points for 29th all-time.

ALLEN THREES
Crystal Allen has been money from three the last few games, hitting 53.3 percent of all Rebel three-pointers in the last five games at a clip of 16-of-31 (.516). In fact, Allen's team-leading 29 three-pointers rank fourth in the SEC (as does her season 42.0 three-point percentage) and represent 52.7 percent of all Rebel three-pointers hit this season (55).

At her pace of 2.6 treys per game, Allen is on pace to sink 78 three-pointers this season -- which would be the second-best three-point shooting season in Ole Miss history.

ALLEN MAKES IT RAIN IN PARADISE
Crystal Allen put together an incredible string of performances at the Paradise Jam, scoring 50 points in three games vs. UConn (11), Purdue (13) and St. John's (26). Allen was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts after averaging 16.7 PPG in those three games, shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from beyond the arc.

CLASS OF THE SEC
Senior guards Shandricka Sessom and Crystal Allen both have 1,000 career points scored, making Ole Miss one of just three SEC schools with two active players above the 1,000 mark. Sessom ranks sixth among active SEC scorers with 1,221 points, while Allen's 1,022 puts her at 10th in the league.

SESSOM JOINS RARE COMPANY
Redshirt senior Shandricka Sessom has made her way up the all-time scoring list at Ole Miss, but Sessom has recently moved into even more rare company. At 1,221 points and 516 rebounds in her storied career, Sessom is now one of just 13 Rebels to ever eclipse 1,200 points and 500 boards. Throughout her career, Sessom has accumulated game averages of 11.2 points and 4.7 boards per game.

REDEMPTION FOR SESSOM
Redshirt senior Shandricka Sessom put the team on her back in a gutsy Rebel performance vs. TCU on Nov. 29, breaking out of a slow start to her final season at Ole Miss with a demonstrative 19-point, 7-rebound performance against the Horned Frogs. It was a season-high scoring effort out of Sessom in just her second double-digit game of the season after returning from a gruesome ACL injury that occurred exactly one year to the day from her offensive explosion vs. TCU. In the first quarter vs. Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29, 2017, Sessom went down with the knee injury that would sideline her the rest of the season after seven excellent 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 ranks as the active career scorer for the Rebels at 1,221 points -- currently sitting at 18th on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list after leap-frogging five Rebels in two games in which she scored 19 (vs. TCU) and 14 (vs. Jacksonville State) for her first back-to-back double-digit games of the year.

Below are the next names on the all-time list coming up next for Sessom:

13. Tia Faleru (2011-15) - 1,440
14. Glenda Springfield (1975-79) - 1,432
15. Jackie Martin-Glass (1987-92) - 1,395
16. Tarsha Bethley (1995-99) - 1,378
17. Marilyn Brooks (1981-85) - 1,308

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.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE!
Junior Jhileiya Dunlap has proven to be an effective jack-of-all-trades on the floor for the Rebels, but she has specifically found a knack for swatting away shots. Dunlap has notched 22 of the 43 total blocks by Ole Miss -- putting her third in the SEC and 11th in the NCAA at the moment.

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

Cecilia Muhate

Mimi Reid

Shandricka Sessom

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