Rebels Look to Keep Rolling at Vanderbilt

			OLE MISS (8-11, 2-3 SEC) at VANDERBILT (5-13, 0-5 SEC) Thursday, Jan. 24 • 7 PM • Nashville, Tenn. Memorial Gymnasium (14,326)
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ole Miss women's basketball looks to keep its momentum from back-to-back SEC wins rolling when it hits the road once more, this time to Vanderbilt for a Thursday night bout in the Music City. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT inside Memorial Gymnasium on SEC Network +.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (8-11, 2-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (8-11) • 102-74 career record (6th Season)

Vanderbilt Commodores (5-13, 0-5 SEC)
Head Coach: Stephanie White • 3rd Season at Vanderbilt (26-52) • 26-52 career record (3rd season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Ned Michaels
Color: Jessica Holeman

OLE MISS RADIO

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

SERIES NOTES (Vanderbilt leads, 32-16)
At Oxford: Ole Miss leads 13-9
At Nashville: Vanderbilt leads 17-3
At Neutral Sites: Vanderbilt leads 6-0
Biggest VU Win: 37 (1/3/95 - at Nashville)
Biggest UM Win: 24 (1/29/85 - at Nashville)
Most UM Points: 85 (2/6/78 - at Nashville)
Most VU Points: 91 (1/3/95 - at Nashville)
Last 10 Meetings: Vanderbilt leads 9-1

SCOUTING VANDERBILT

Current Record: 5-13, 0-5 SEC
• RPI: 172
• Two averaging 7.0 rebounds or more
• Shooting 43.1 percent as a team (4th SEC); allowing 43.4 percent from opponents (14th SEC)

Series History
Vanderbilt leads, 32-16

First Meeting
Feb. 6, 1978
• W, 85-64, in Nashville
• First of just three Rebel wins in Nashville

Last Meeting
Feb. 1, 2018
• L, 75-72, in Oxford

Last Time in Nashville
Feb. 19, 2017
• L, 85-67

Last Win
Jan. 3, 2016
• W, 55-52, in Oxford

Last Win in Nashville
Jan. 8, 1987
• W, 77-73

Players to Watch

#34 Mariella Fasoula
•16.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 BPG
• .529 FG
• 26.2 percent of all Commodore scoring
• 17th NCAA in FG made (129)
• 3rd SEC in FG percentage, 6th in scoring

#10 Cierra Walker
• 12.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 SPG
• .426 FG, .388 3PT, .806 FT
• Accounts for 64.4 percent of all Vanderbilt three-pointers made this year (47 of 73)
• Leads SEC, 16th NCAA in minutes (37.1/game)
• Leads in SEC minutes at 38.8 per game
• 4th SEC in threes made (2.6/game), 6th in 3PT percentage (.388)
• 2nd-most threes made in SEC play (13)

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (vs. Florida)
A complete, 40-minute team effort helped lead the Ole Miss women's basketball team to a 76-66 victory over Florida at The Pavilion on Jan. 20, marking the first time in two years that the Rebels have won consecutive SEC games.

The Rebels (8-11, 2-3 SEC) were riding high after an upset win at No. 16 Kentucky on Jan. 13, but Ole Miss showed no let down against the Gators (5-13, 1-4 SEC). The Rebel offense was efficient, shooting an SEC season-high 50.9 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. Seven different Rebels recorded an assist, leading to 20 on 27 made field goals, and Ole Miss turned 16 Gator turnovers into 28 points.

Senior Shandricka Sessom had a huge day with 19 points and six rebounds, while also kicking off the game in superb fashion with three straight three-pointers in 38 seconds in the first quarter. Sessom had gone 2-of-14 from beyond the arc in her previous three games entering.

It was a big day for senior La'Karis Salter as well, who put together career highs with 18 points and five assists, as well as five rebounds and one block. Sessom and Salter combined for 15 of the 22 Ole Miss points in the first quarter, as well as 21 of the 34 Rebel points at halftime.

The win was most impressive considering that senior Crystal Allen – the SEC's second leading scorer entering at 18.5 PPG – was held scoreless in the first half for the first time all season. Allen was actually held scoreless for the first 27:15 of the game, but she still ended up with 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Allen was an essential piece of the puzzle for the Rebels in the fourth quarter, hitting a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter alone. Allen was 9-of-9 from the charity stripe today, making her 28-of-29 in her last three games on 28 consecutive makes.

TURNING A CORNER
Ole Miss has ripped off two impressive wins after starting off SEC play 0-3, defeating No. 16 Kentucky (55-49) on Jan. 13 before prevailing against Florida (76-66) on Jan. 20. The win against the Gators marked the first consecutive SEC wins for Ole Miss since 2016-17 when the Rebels defeated Georgia at home on Jan. 29, 2017 (69-62) and Florida in Gainesville on Feb. 6 (85-75).

The win in Lexington was a historic one, as the Rebels came away with the first win at UK since 2007. Ole Miss won that game 67-65 in overtime, with current Ole Miss assistant coach and Rebel All-American Armintie Price Herrington recording a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. The win this year was also the first on the road against a ranked opponent since Jan. 23, 2011 at No. 23 Arkansas (69-65) and the first against Kentucky in general since the 2015-16 season when the Rebels took down the 9th-ranked Wildcats in Oxford, 73-65. These back-to-back wins mark just the fifth time Ole Miss has won consecutive SEC games since 2009-10. If the Rebels win at Vanderbilt on Thursday, it would be the first three game SEC winning streak since the 2014-15 season (Ole Miss did so twice that year: once from Feb. 19 at Auburn (51-46), Feb. 23 vs. Kentucky (67-59) to Feb. 26 vs. LSU (58-57); and once earlier from Jan. 8 at Florida (64-57), Jan. 11 vs. Alabama (77-63) and Jan. 15 vs. Georgia (55-52).

Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is looking to join Van Chancellor and Carol Ross as the only Rebel head coaches to start their off at .500 or better through six career SEC regular season games played.

MAKING THEM COUNT
Ole Miss has been on fire from the charity stripe as of late, hitting at least 10 free throws in each of the last four games (50-of-62), five of the last six games (68-of-86) and six of the last eight games (93-of-123). The Rebels lead all SEC teams in conference-only free throw percentage, shooting 81.7 percent through five SEC contests. In the last three games alone, Ole Miss is 40-of-49 from the charity stripe, with senior Crystal Allen single-handedly putting up a line of 28-of-29 in that span. On the year, Ole Miss is shooting 71.2 percent overall, averaging 10.2 makes to 14.3 trips to the free throw line.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Against Florida, Ole Miss received double-digit outings from all three of its starting seniors in Shandricka Sessom (19), La'Karis Salter (18) and Crystal Allen (14) -- accounting for 67.1 percent of all scoring against the Gators on Sunday. In SEC play, that trio is averaging a combined 38.6 PPG with 21 of the 24 Rebel three-pointers.

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. 7), Purdue (No. 33), TCU (No. 61) and Troy (No. 90), but the SEC slate has been and will prove to be as difficult as ever, with nine conference schools all within the top-50 and three within the top-30. Ole Miss currently holds the No. 77 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 6-3 in games where it tallies more assists than its opponent but 2-8 on the opposite end of the spectrum. Ole Miss recorded an SEC season-high 20 assists in the win vs. Florida on Jan. 20 on 27 made field goals -- the fifth game with 20 or more assists this season. The Rebels also 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).

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 7-1 when holding a lead at halftime, sitting ahead by an average of 10.0 points each time.

OFF THE GLASS
Currently, Ole Miss is 6-2 in games when out-rebounding opponents, but just 2-8 when getting beat on the glass. The Rebels average 37.1 rebounds per game -- 42.2 in wins, 33.3 in losses.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss opened conference play with four brand-new starting lineups vs. Mizzou, Arkansas, LSU and Kentucky, the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th different starting sets for the Rebels this season, respectively. All four lineups included at least two 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 Rebels have sent the starting five of Mimi Reid (point guard), senior Crystal Allen (guard), Taylor Smith (guard), Shandricka Sessom (guard) and La'Karis Salter (forward) at No. 16 Kentucky and vs. Florida, helping Ole Miss to back-to-back SEC wins for the first time in two years. The longest running lineup of the season thus far has been that of Reid, Allen, Sessom, junior Jhileiya Dunlap (forward) and senior Cecilia Muhate (forward). That lineup has gone 3-3 this season.

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 102-74 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

ALLEN'S ALL-SEC RESUME
Ole Miss redshirt senior Crystal Allen has been the center of attention for opposing defenses all season long, and it proves in the stat sheet. After two seasons at Seattle and two at UT-Arlington, Allen's lone season in the SEC has proven to be a superb one:

• Only Rebel to have started all 19 games
• Leads SEC in total points (347)
• Leads SEC in threes made (53)
• 2nd in SEC with 18.3 PPG
• Ranks 4th with 18.4 PPG in SEC play
• Also ranks in SEC overall top-10 in: threes per game (2nd, 2.8), minutes per game (2nd, 35.2), free throw percentage (3rd, .848) and three-point percentage (8th, .356)
• Leads in SEC-only free throw percentage (.921)
• Has third-longest active free throw streak in the NCAA (28)
• Is 28 of her last 29 from the free throw line
• Has not missed multiple free throws in a game since Dec. 8; 46-of-52 (.885) since
• Ranks in the NCAA top-100 in 12 categories
• Ranks in the NCAA top-25 in: minutes (16th, 668), threes attempted (18th, 149) and field goal attempts (19th, 292)
• Seven 20-point games
• Double-digits in 17 of 19 games played
• Most points by anyone in a single game in the SEC this season (34, vs. North Florida)
• Third-most points in a conference game (28, at No. 16 Kentucky)
• In a blistering three-game stretch from Dec. 19 to Jan. 3, averaged 26.3 PPG and sank 15 threes in three consecutive 20-point outings.
• On pace for the 2nd-most threes in a season in Ole Miss history

MONEY FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
No one in the SEC has been hotter from the free throw line than senior Crystal Allen, who enters Thursday's game with the third-longest active free throw streak in the NCAA at 28 consecutive makes. In her last three games, Allen is 28-of-29 from the charity stripe, making at least nine free throws each vs. LSU (9-of-10), at No. 16 Kentucky (10-of-10) and vs. Florida (9-of-9). Allen has not had more than one miss from the free throw line in her last nine games, going 46-of-52 (.885) in that stretch (she shoots .848 overall). Allen leads all in SEC-only free throw shooting (.921), and her 84.8 percent overall this year ranks third in the conference.

ALLEN ON PACE FROM THREE
Crystal Allen has been money from three for the Rebels this year, draining 53 of the 103 Ole Miss treys this year (51.5 percent). At her pace of 2.8 treys per game, Allen is on pace to sink 83 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.

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 eight games dating back to a 40-minute outing at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 15, averaging 37.0 minutes per game in that stretch -- which accounts for 92.5 percent of all available court time. In those eight games, Allen is averaging 19.1 PPG and has made 24 threes. Allen ranks 16th in the NCAA in total minutes played (668), and she ranks fourth in the SEC at 35.2 minutes per game -- trailing only Vanderbilt's Cierra Walker at 37.1 per game.

YOU GO, WE GO
In Rebel wins, senior Crystal Allen is averaging 21.5 PPG (30.1 percent of all Rebel scoring) while shooting 44.7 percent overall, 43.1 percent from three (28-of-65) and 87.5 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).

SALTER HEATING UP
Senior La'Karis Salter has been crucial for the Rebels in the last few games, averaging 12.5 PPG in the last four games after scoring six or fewer in nine of her previous 10 games. Salter recorded a career-high 18 points vs. Florida, while also chipping in with five rebounds, five assists and a block. Salter recorded her second career double-double at No. 16 Kentucky, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds to help lead Ole Miss to the big ranked road win. The Rebels are 4-1 when Salter has double-digit points and at least five rebounds.

GETTING IN A GROOVE
Senior Shandricka Sessom was struggling from beyond the arc for a bit to start SEC play, going 2-for-14 in her first four conference games this season. Sessom broke out of that in a big way vs. Florida, draining three consecutive three-pointers in 38 seconds in the first quarter to give the Rebels a big momentum boost right off the bat. Sessom has 32 threes this season, giving her and fellow senior Crystal Allen (53) a combined total of 85 of 103 total Ole Miss treys this year for 82.5 percent of all Rebel threes. In her storied Rebel career, Sessom is a 30.2 percent three-point shooter with 160 treys.

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.

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 12.5 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 10.1 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 1,312 points and 565 rebounds in her storied career, Sessom is one of just 13 Rebels to ever eclipse 1,300 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 1,312 points, while Allen's 1,175 puts her at 10th in the league.

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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