Rebels Return Home to Host Troy

			OLE MISS (5-7, 0-0 SEC) vs. TROY (7-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) Wednesday, Dec. 19 • 6 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Ole Miss Ornaments
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball returns home for the final game before a nine-day holiday break, playing host to a high-powered Troy team Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT inside The Pavilion, as well as on SEC Network +.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (5-7, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (5-7) • 99-70 career record (6th Season)

Troy Trojans (7-2, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Head Coach: Chanda Rigby • 7th Season at Troy (106-92) • 335-191 career record (17th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Seth Austin
Color: Lindsay Roy

OLE MISS RADIO

Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
Audio: TuneIn / RebelVision

SCOUTING TROY

Current Record: 7-2, 0-0 Sun Belt
• RPI: 218
• Leads the NCAA in rebounds per game (51.1) and offensive rebounds per game (23.0)
• Sports the NCAA's 18th-best scoring offense at 82.8 PPG
• Also ranks in the NCAA top-50 in: three-point defense (12th, .241), turnovers forced (18th, 23.2/game), rebounding margin (20th, +10.7), steals per game (30th, 11.8/game), assists per game (39th, 16.7/game) and scoring margin (48th, +15.7)
• Averaging 76.6 shot attempts and 25.1 attempts from three per game
• Currently outscoring opponents 211-160 in the fourth quarter

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 2-0

First Meeting
Nov. 28, 1981
• W, 97-59, in Oxford

Last Meeting
Nov. 21, 2017
• W, 96-93, in Oxford

2017-18 Record: 18-13, 12-6 Sun Belt (T-3rd)

Players to Watch

#40 Amber Rivers
• 12.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG
•.443 FG, .308 3PT, 12 3PM

#1 Kayla Robinson
• 9.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.1 SPG

#24 Sky'Lynn Holmes
• 9.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.3 SPG
• .429 FG
• Ranks 30th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (4.0/game)

#3 Tyra Johnson
• 7.9 PPG, .395 3PT, 17 3PM

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (vs. Louisiana)
Ole Miss women's basketball fought tooth-and-nail with an upstart Louisiana Tech squad until the end, but foul trouble reared its ugly head in an 80-71 loss to the Lady Techsters on Dec. 15.

The Rebels (5-7) outshot LA Tech (7-3) 43.4 to 38.7 percent and received three double-digit scoring efforts, but a 35-point performance from Tech's Kierra Anthony and 55 combined team fouls proved too much to overcome in what was otherwise a back-and-forth affair that featured six lead changes and 12 ties.

Anthony, who earlier this season was the ESPNW National Player of the Week following a Conference USA record 50 points vs. Houston, sank all 13 of her attempts from the free throw line, accounting for almost half of LA Tech's 29-of-39 clip from the charity stripe.

Ole Miss also took advantage of the high volume of fouls, shooting 21-of-30 from the line, with five Rebels knocking down at least five. But the LA Tech edge in free throws, as well as 19 points off 23 Rebel turnovers, helped the Lady Techsters edge out the win.

The first quarter saw Ole Miss and LA Tech fight to a draw at 23-23 after 21 combined free throw attempts in the opening frame. La'Karis Salter (16 points, four rebounds, one steal) scored seven of her 16 points in the first to pace the Rebels, while Cecilia Muhate (eight points, nine rebounds, two assists, 6-of-6 FT) hit four of her six free throws. Tech took the second and third quarters at an advantage of 49-32 after shooting 40.5 percent in those quarters, despite Shandricka Sessom (20 points, eight rebounds, two assists) scoring 12 of her 20 in the third. Ole Miss made a run of it in the fourth, winning the frame 15-8 after Salter poured in nine of her 16 points despite playing with four fouls.

Also scoring in double-digits for Ole Miss was Jhileiya Dunlap, who put in 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

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 three games -- which included season high assists vs. Savannah State (21) and Louisiana (24), and a solid outing at LA Tech (18) -- Ole Miss has recorded an assist on 77.8 percent of all made field goals (63-of-81).

SHARING IS CARING
Ole Miss has had impressive success sharing the ball as of late, holding the fourth-best assist per game average in the SEC (14.9) and tallying at least 18 assists in each of the last three games -- the first three-game stretch the Rebels have done so since Dec. 10-17, 2016 (vs. ULM, Dec. 10, 25; vs. No. 25 Oregon, Dec. 14, 19; vs. VCU, Dec. 17, 21). In back-to-back outings vs. Savannah State (21) and Louisiana (24), Ole Miss recorded the first consecutive 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 in three straight games, scoring season highs in wins vs. Savannah State (74) and Louisiana (79), as well as 71 in a loss at LA Tech. 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.

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 26.2 percent -- the 49th-best in the NCAA at the moment. Only three of 12 Rebel opponents have been able shoot better than 30 percent, with seven shooting 25 percent or worse. Last season Ole Miss held opponents under 30 percent just 10 times all season. Last time out at LA Tech, the Rebels held the Lady Techsters to an opponent season-low 16.7 percent clip from beyond the arc.

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. After not breaking better than 33 percent in the first six games of the season, Ole Miss has gone on to shoot at least 36 percent or better in five of the last six games played -- including four straight at 47 percent or above and three in a row atop the 50 percent plateau. During a four-game stretch from Nov. 24 (vs. St. John's) to Dec. 8 (vs. Savannah State), the Rebels shot 23-of-45 (51.1 percent). In that span, Ole Miss seniors Crystal Allen (59.1, 13-of-22) and Shandricka Sessom (52.9, 9-of-17) combined for 95.7 of all three-pointers made. Overall this season, Ole Miss is shooting 34.9 percent from three (59-of-169), the fifth-best clip in the SEC.

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 201-167. Ole Miss has won or tied the fourth quarter in 10 games this season, and is averaging 16.7 points in the final frame.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES
Junior Jhileiya Dunlap has been the Swiss Army knife for the Rebels this season, ranking as a top contributor across several different categories. Dunlap is averaging 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds 2.2 blocks, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game for Ole Miss, shooting .489 overall and starting in nine of 12 games played. Most impressively, Dunlap is the only player currently in the NCAA to have recorded at least 25 blocks (26) and 25 assists (25). Overall, Dunlap ranks 10th in the NCAA and second in the SEC in total blocks, accounting for 53.1 percent of all Rebel swats this season.

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 56 assists, putting her average of 5.6 per game at No. 2 in the SEC behind Georgia's Taja Cole (6.1). Reid's per-game average also ranks 38th in the NCAA. In just these three games since her return from injury, Reid has averaged 9.3 PPG, 8.3 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).

YOU GO, WE GO
In Rebel wins, senior Crystal Allen is averaging 19.2 PPG (27.9 percent of all Rebel scoring) while shooting 43.1 percent overall, 41.2 percent from three (14-of-34) and 80 percent from the free throw line.

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.

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 1,029 career points scored, Allen recently passed Carol Ross at 1,015 points for 29th all-time.

ALLEN ON PACE FROM THREE
Crystal Allen has been money from three for the Rebels this year, draining 30 of the 59 Ole Miss treys this year (50.8 percent). Her per-game average of 2.5 ranks fourth in the SEC, and her percentage of 39.0 puts her fifth in the conference.

At her pace of 2.5 treys per game, Allen is on pace to sink 75 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 1,241 points, while Allen's 1,029 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 1,241 points and 524 rebounds in her storied career, Sessom is one of just 13 Rebels to ever eclipse 1,200 points and 500 boards. Throughout her career, Sessom has accumulated game averages of 11.3 points and 4.8 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 1,241 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. Sessom has scored in double-digits in each of her last five outings.

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.

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

La'Karis Salter

Shandricka Sessom

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