Rebels Close Non-Conference Play vs. North Florida

			OLE MISS (5-8, 0-0 SEC) vs. NORTH FLORIDA (5-5, 0-0 ASUN) Friday, Dec. 28 • 1 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Performance by The Soul Tones
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball returns from the holiday break to close out the non-conference season with a Friday afternoon tilt vs. North Florida. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. CT inside The Pavilion at Ole Miss and on SEC Network +.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (5-8, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (5-8) • 99-71 career record (6th Season)

North Florida Ospreys (5-5, 0-0 ASUN)
Head Coach: Darrick Gibbs • 4th Season at UNF (35-66) • 35-66 career record (4th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Will Kollmeyer
Color: Lindsay Roy

OLE MISS RADIO

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

SCOUTING NORTH FLORIDA

Current Record: 5-5, 0-0 ASUN
• RPI: 286
• Ranks 22nd in the NCAA in fewest fouls (147) and 38th in fewest fouls per game (14.7)
• Four double-digit scorers
• Shooting .408 as a team
• Outscoring opponents 66.0-60.7

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 1-0

First/Last Meeting
Nov. 11, 2011
• W, 68-59, in Oxford
• Kids Day crowd of 3,051

Players to Watch

#3 Tiffany Tolbert
• 18.3 PPG, .417 FG, .857 FT
• Has played and started in only three games

#11 Jazz Bond
• 14.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 4.3 BPG, 2.3 APG
• .593 FG, .444 3PT
• Played in three games, started in one

#1 Arianna Emanuel-Wright
• 12.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 SPG
• .434 FG, .743 FT
• Played and started in 10 games

#44 Dasha Eremeeva
• 10.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG
• .519 FG, .826 FT

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (vs. Troy)
The Ole Miss women's basketball team came up short against a high-powered Troy team, falling 71-54 to the Trojans at The Pavilion on Dec. 19.

The Rebels (5-8) received another 20-point outing from senior Crystal Allen (20 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal) and were able to hold a potent Troy (8-2) offense below their season average of 82.8 points per game, but the Trojans proved why they belong near the top of several national statistical categories with a complete team win tonight – highlighted by a big advantage in rebounds (53-31). Entering, Troy ranked as the NCAA's top rebounding team overall at 51.1 boards per game, as well as the nation's top offensive rebounding unit at 23.0 per game.

Ole Miss fought stride-for-stride for much of the game while trying to slow down the fast-paced and athletic Trojan offense, despite falling down early in the first quarter. Crystal Allen put on a spectacular run by herself, scoring eight unanswered – including a buzzer-beater three-pointer – to close an already-large Troy advantage to just 21-17 at the end of the first quarter. Troy won each quarter tonight, but none by more than five points as the Rebels stayed in the hunt down the stretch.

The Rebels hit five total buzzer beaters and shot above 39 percent for the ninth time this season (39.3), but Troy shot an Ole Miss opponent season high 41.2 percent from three on 7-of-17 shooting. Five Trojans hauled in at least six rebounds and four scored in double-digits, led by Kayla Robinson's 16 points – which included a 3-of-5 clip from beyond the arc. Troy scored a season-high for Rebel opponents in second-chance points, putting away 24 points on 28 offensive boards.

For Allen, it's her fourth 20-point game of the season and her 11th in double-digits. Her season average now stands at 17.0 PPG, currently the sixth best in the SEC.

Other Rebels chipping in included Shandricka Sessom (nine points, six rebounds), Mimi Reid (nine points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals) and La'Karis Salter (six points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal).

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 99-71.

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.

EARLY SUCCESS = WINS
When the Rebel offense has gotten off to a strong start, it has meant good things for Ole Miss by game's end. The Rebels are 5-1 when holding a lead at halftime, sitting ahead by an average of 12.2 points each time.

OFF THE GLASS
Rebounding has been key for the Rebels in non-conference play. Currently, Ole Miss is 4-2 in games when out-rebounding opponents, but just 1-6 when getting beat on the glass. The Rebels average 38.3 rebounds per game -- 44.6 in wins, 34.4 in losses.

EFFICIENT REBEL OFFENSE
The Rebel offense has been a well-oiled machine as of late, as the recent high number of assists have shown. In a three-game stretch from Dec. 8-15 -- which included season high assists vs. Savannah State (21) and Louisiana (24), and a solid outing at LA Tech (18) -- Ole Miss 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, tallying at least 18 assists in three straight games from Dec. 8-15 -- 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 eclipsed 70 points for the first time all season in those three 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, 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 fourth-best three-point defense in the SEC at an opposing clip of 27.2 percent. Only four 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. 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 seven 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 216-187. Ole Miss has won or tied the fourth quarter in 10 games this season, and is averaging 16.5 points in the final frame.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

BACK IN THE SADDLE
After a slow start to the season following her return from a season-ending knee injury last year, senior Shandricka Sessom has resumed her role as a consistent offensive outlet for the Rebels. Sessom only scored 5.5 points per game in her first six games played, but has gone on to score 14.3 per game since. That increase included a five-game stretch of double-digit games, among which was a 20-point game at LA Tech. Sessom is averaging 9.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

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 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds 2.2 blocks, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game for Ole Miss, shooting .484 overall and starting in 10 of 13 games played. Most impressively, Dunlap is the only player currently in the SEC and one of just two in the NCAA to have recorded at least 25 blocks (28) and 25 assists (25). Overall, Dunlap ranks 15th in the NCAA and second in the SEC in total blocks, accounting for 51.9 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 third among all freshmen nationally with 60 assists, putting her average of 5.5 per game at No. 3 in the SEC. Reid's per-game average also ranks 37th in the NCAA. In just these four games since her return from injury, Reid has averaged 9.3 PPG, 7.3 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 33 of the 65 Ole Miss treys this year (50.8 percent). Her per-game average of 2.5 ranks sixth in the SEC, and her percentage of 37.5 puts her seventh 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 1,250 points, while Allen's 1,049 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 1,250 points and 530 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.

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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