Rebels Face Tough Road Test at No. 16 Kentucky

			OLE MISS (6-11, 0-3 SEC) at #16 KENTUCKY (15-2, 2-1 SEC) Sunday, Jan. 13 • 12 PM • Lexington, Ky. Memorial Coliseum (8,000)
Watch • Listen • Live Stats Ole Miss Game Notes • Kentucky Game Notes • SEC Game Notes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Ole Miss women's basketball heads to the Bluegrass State for a tough road test at No. 16 Kentucky on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will air live on SEC Network.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (6-11, 0-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (6-11) • 100-74 career record (6th Season)

#16 Kentucky Wildcats (15-2, 2-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Matthew Mitchell • 12th Season at UK (271-119) • 301-148 career record (14th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Tiffany Greene
Color: LaChina Robinson

OLE MISS RADIO

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

SERIES NOTES (Ole Miss leads, 22-18)
At Oxford: Ole Miss leads 12-7
At Lexington: Kentucky leads 10-9
At Neutral Sites: Series tied 1-1
Longest UM Streak: 8 (1992-99)
Longest UK Streak: 6 (2010-2015)
Biggest UM Win: 31 (1/2/97 - at Oxford)
Biggest UK Win: 41 (2/2/12 - at Lexington)
Most UM Points: 90 (2/1/04 - at Oxford)
Most UK Points: 108 (2/13/14 - at Lexington)
Last 10 Meetings: Kentucky leads 8-2

SCOUTING KENTUCKY

Current Record: 15-2, 2-1 SEC
• AP rank: No. 16
• Coaches Poll rank: No. 16
• RPI: 19
• Ranks in the NCAA top-25 in: steals (second, 205), turnover margin (second, +10.24), turnovers forced (third, 23.94/game), three-point percentage (ninth, .397), free throws made (10th, 244), scoring margin (10th, +21.8), steals per game (13th, 12.1/game), free throw percentage (22nd, .763), threes made (22nd, 135) and free throw attempts (23rd, 320)
• Leads the SEC in threes made (7.9/game), three-point shooting (.397), free throw shooting (.763) and turnover margin (+10.18)
• Two losses are to Louisville (80-75) and Mississippi State (86-71), the current No. 2 and No. 6 teams in the nation, respectively.
• Shooting .437 as a team
• Three averaging double-digits
• Three with at least 20 three-pointers
• Four with at least 30 assists
• Outscoring opponents by more than 100 points in the 2nd Quarter (336-197) and 3rd Quarter (348-239)

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 22-18

First Meeting
Feb. 9, 1980
• W, 79-62, in Knoxville
• Second Round of first SEC Tournament

Last Meeting
Feb. 22, 2018
• L, 79-71, in Oxford

Players to Watch

#4 Maci Morris
• 16.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.2 APG
• .442 FG, .470 3PT, .848 FT
• Ranks 13th NCAA in 3PT percentage (.470), 18th in threes made (47)
• 6th SEC in scoring

#10 Rhyne Howard
• 16.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.3 SPG
• .463 FG, .409 3PT, .742 FT
• Five-time SEC Freshman of the Week
• Leads all SEC freshmen in scoring (16.7 PPG; 7th overall)

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (vs. LSU)
Ole Miss put up a fight against the SEC's top-ranked defense, but it was LSU that emerged victorious after a 55-41 defensive struggle at The Pavilion on Jan. 10.

The Rebels (6-11, 0-3 SEC) went blow-for-blow in a knock-down, drag-out contest against the Lady Tigers (11-4, 2-1 SEC), pulling within single digits several times over the last 13 minutes of action after trailing by 17 at halftime. LSU put the Rebels in heavy foul trouble, though, taking advantage with a 21-of-28 clip from the charity stripe to overcome a cold shooting night for both teams from the floor.

Despite pulling even elsewhere in the physical game, the second quarter once again proved to be the Achilles' heel for Ole Miss. After a tight first quarter advantage of 10-7, LSU opened that up to a 32-15 halftime lead after a 22-8 edge in the second frame.

That lead proved difficult to track down, but Ole Miss showed some resiliency with a third-quarter comeback that setup an interesting fourth quarter. The Rebel defense held LSU scoreless for two different streaks of 2:56 and 4:40 in the third, allowing the Ole Miss offense room to breathe.

Senior La'Karis Salter (nine points, three rebounds, two steals) started the action with back-to-back jumpers to open the second half, but she quickly picked up her fourth personal foul to sap some of the Rebel momentum she helped generate. Senior Crystal Allen (12 points, five assists, two rebounds, two steals) led the charge during the long Lady Tiger drought with a three-pointer, her only trey of the game. By quarter's end, Ole Miss had drawn to within eight at 37-29.

That would be as close as the Rebels would get, though, as the foul trouble picked up tenfold in the fourth. LSU shot 11-of-14 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter alone.

Allen's 12-point outing is her 15th double-digit effort in 17 tries this season, and senior Shandricka Sessom recorded her eighth career double-double and her first since Nov. 21, 2017 (vs. Troy; 15 points, 10 rebounds) with an 11-point, 10-rebound performance.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss has opened conference play with three brand-new starting lineups vs. Mizzou, Arkansas and LSU, the eighth, ninth and 10th different starting sets for the Rebels this season, respectively. All three lineups have included at least three freshmen, with the game vs. Arkansas containing four: Gabby Crawford, Mahogany Matthews, Mimi Reid and Taylor Smith. Of the 11 Rebels that have seen the floor this season, 10 have been in the starting lineup at least once.

The longest running lineup of the season thus far has been that of redshirt freshman Mimi Reid (point guard), senior Crystal Allen (guard), senior Shandricka Sessom (guard), junior Jhileiya Dunlap (forward) and senior Cecilia Muhate (forward). That lineup has gone 3-3 this season.

DAUNTING SCHEDULE AHEAD
Ole Miss has had a fairly strong non-conference schedule with the likes of current RPI top-100 teams like UConn (No. 5), Purdue (No. 56), St. John's (No. 66), TCU (No. 83) and Troy (No. 99), but the upcoming SEC slate will prove to be as difficult as ever, with nine conference schools all within the top-50 and four within the top-30. Ole Miss currently holds the No. 87 toughest schedule according to the NCAA's strength of schedule index.

SHARING IS CARING
Controlling the game with an efficient offense has been crucial for the Rebels this season, as Ole Miss has gone 5-3 in games where it tallies more assists than its opponent but 1-8 on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Ole Miss has only recorded 21 total assists through three conference games, but the Rebels had a stellar non-conference season sharing the ball. In 14 non-conference games, Ole Miss had at least 15 assists in seven games, with at least 20 in four contests. By contrast, the Rebels only eclipsed the 20-assist mark three times throughout the entire 2017-18 season.

The Rebels had impressive success sharing the ball over a three-game stretch of at least 18 assists from Dec. 8-15, the first three-game streak for Ole Miss since Dec. 10-17, 2016. 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).

OFF THE LINE
Rebel opponents have often had a difficult time finding success from beyond the arc this season, as Ole Miss is currently holding teams to just 29.9 percent from three. Ole Miss has held 10 opponents to less than 30 percent from three, including seven that shot 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 Ole Miss three-point defense, the Rebels have also found success offensively from beyond the arc. After not breaking better than 33 percent in the first six games of the season, Ole Miss went on to shoot at least 33 percent or better in seven of the final eight games in non-conference. That included a stretch of four straight at 47 percent or above and three in a row atop the 50 percent plateau. During that 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.

Just recently, the Rebels made a season-high 14 three-pointers vs. North Florida, tied for the fifth-most in school history and the third-best team output in the SEC this season. Helping greatly in that effort was nine threes alone from Allen, the second-most by a Rebel in school history. Overall this season, Ole Miss is shooting 33.5 percent from three (90-of-269), the fifth-best clip in the SEC.

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 6-1 when holding a lead at halftime, sitting ahead by an average of 11.3 points each time.

OFF THE GLASS
Rebounding has been key for the Rebels in non-conference play and is sure to be crucial in the conference season. Currently, Ole Miss is 5-2 in games when out-rebounding opponents, but just 1-8 when getting beat on the glass. The Rebels average 37.5 rebounds per game -- 45.2 in wins, 33.3 in losses.

ROAD TO 100
First-year head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin notched her 100th career win after an 82-69 victory over her old ASUN rival, North Florida, on Dec. 28. Coach Yo holds a 100-74 overall record in six seasons as a head coach. She spent the previous five as the head coach at Jacksonville. There, she guided JU to a 94-63 overall record, three-straight 20-win seasons and three postseason appearances.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

SIGNIFICANT PLAYING TIME FOR ALLEN
Being the main offensive catalyst for the Rebels has resulted in an immense workload for senior Crystal Allen, who has rarely come off the floor over the last month. After only playing 35 minutes or more three times in the first 11 games of the year, Allen has played at least 35 in each of the last six games dating back to a 40-minute outing at Louisiana Tech, averaging 37.0 minutes per game in that stretch -- which accounts for 92.5 percent of all available court time. In those six games, Allen is averaging 18.5 PPG and has made 19 threes. Allen ranks fifth in the NCAA in total minutes played (594), and she ranks third in the SEC at 34.9 minutes per game.

ALLEN ON FIRE
Senior Crystal Allen has consistently been the top scorer for the Rebels this year, scoring in double-digits in 15 of 17 games played and notching at least 20 points in six games this season. Allen leads the SEC in total points (305) and threes made (48), and she ranks second overall in points per game (17.9). In a blistering three-game stretch from Dec. 19 to Jan. 3, Allen averaged 26.3 PPG and sank 15 threes in three consecutive 20-point outings.

Allen also ranks in the SEC top-10 in: threes per game (second, 2.8), minutes played (third, 34.9), free throw percentage (fifth, .808) and three-point percentage (seventh, .361).

In the NCAA ranks, she sits within the top-100 in 11 different categories, which include top-25 standings in minutes (fifth, 594), field goal attempts (seventh, 267), total points (14th, 305), threes attempted (14th, 133), threes made (16th, 48), threes per game (47th, 2.82), field goals made (56th, 99), free throws made (58th, 59), minutes per game (83rd, 34.94), points per game (71st, 17.9), and free throw attempts (90th, 73).

ALLEN ON PACE FROM THREE
Crystal Allen has been money from three for the Rebels this year, draining 48 of the 90 Ole Miss treys this year (53.3 percent). At her pace of 2.8 treys per game, Allen is on pace to sink 84 three-pointers this season -- which would be the second-best three-point shooting season in Ole Miss history behind Bianca Thomas' 100 threes from 2009-10.

YOU GO, WE GO
In Rebel wins, senior Crystal Allen is averaging 21.7 PPG (30.5 percent of all Rebel scoring) while shooting 47.2 percent overall, 46.9 percent from three (23-of-49) and 79.3 percent from the free throw line.

HISTORIC DAY FOR ALLEN
Senior Crystal Allen set the net on fire with a historic offensive showing vs. North Florida on Dec. 28, becoming the first Rebel to earn SEC Player of the Week honors since Shequila Joseph on Jan. 26, 2016. Allen poured in a career-high 34 points vs. the Ospreys, the most points scored by anyone in the SEC this season. Allen was 11-of-17 from the field, which also included an absurd 9-of-15 line from beyond the arc, the second-most threes in a single-game in Ole Miss history and the most by anyone in the SEC this season by two. Remarkably, Allen nailed five of her nine three-pointers in the first quarter alone. Allen set women's Pavilion records in both points and threes made, and her nine threes rank tied for the third-most in a single game in the NCAA this season.

Her 34-point performance is the highest scoring output by a Rebel since current senior Torri Lewis notched 36 vs. New Orleans as a freshman on Dec. 14, 2015 – the same game she set the Ole Miss three-pointer single-game record with 10 treys (which still ties for the third-most in NCAA history for a single game).

DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR DRIQUE
Senior Shandricka Sessom recorded her eighth career double-double vs. LSU on Jan. 10, notching 11 points and 10 rebounds in the effort. It was the first double-double for Sessom since Nov. 21, 2017, when she put up 15 points and 10 rebounds vs. Troy before a season-ending injury later that month. Sessom is looking to become the first Rebel to record consecutive double-doubles since she did so during her freshman season after games against Tulane on Dec. 16, 2015 (22 points, 11 rebounds) and McNeese State on Dec. 19, 2015 (22 points, 10 rebounds).

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 12.3 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 9.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

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 1,287 points and 553 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 11.2 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.

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 1,287 points, while Allen's 1,133 puts her at 11th in the league.

MIMI DIRECTING TRAFFIC
Redshirt freshman point guard Mimi Reid has been a true general on the floor for the Rebels in her first season of action, spearheading what has become an efficient Rebel offensive attack. Reid is the only player in the SEC this season with separate games of 11+ assists (vs. Louisiana, career-high). and 11+ rebounds (vs. Western Michigan, career-high).

Reid leads all SEC freshmen and ranks third among all freshmen nationally with 75 assists, putting her average of 5.0 per game at No. 4 in the SEC. Reid's per-game average also ranks 55th in the NCAA. In the two games that she 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 upon her return, Reid herself accumulated 19 assists.

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

Gabby Crawford

Torri Lewis

Mahogany Matthews

Cecilia Muhate

Mimi Reid

La'Karis Salter

Shandricka Sessom

Taylor Smith

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