Rebels Head to Starkville for Sunday Afternoon Tilt at No. 6 MSU

			OLE MISS (8-12, 2-4 SEC) at #16 MISSISSIPPI STATE (18-1, 6-0 SEC) Sunday, Jan. 27 • 2 PM • Starkville, Miss. Humphrey Coliseum (10,575)
Watch • Listen • Live Stats Ole Miss Game Notes • Mississippi State Game Notes • SEC Game Notes

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball makes the short trek to in-state rival, No. 6 Mississippi State, for a Sunday afternoon showdown. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (8-12, 2-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (8-12) • 102-75 career record (6th Season)

#6 Mississippi State Bulldogs (18-1, 6-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Vic Schaefer • 7th Season at MSU (179-54) • 259-164 career record (14th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Roy Philpott
Color: Brooke Weisbrod

OLE MISS RADIO

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

SERIES NOTES (Ole Miss leads, 63-32)
At Oxford: Ole Miss leads 29-13
At Starkville: Ole Miss leads 25-18
At Neutral Sites: Ole Miss leads 9-1
Longest UM Streak: 33 (1982-97)
Longest MSU Streak: 9 (2014-Present)
Biggest UM Win: 43 (2/27/85 - at Oxford)
Biggest MSU Win: 31 (1/11/18 - at Starkville)
Most UM Points: 100 (3/4/94 - at Chattanooga)
Most MSU Points: 87 (1/27/02 - at Oxford)
Last 10 Meetings: MSU leads 9-1

SERIES NOTES

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 63-32

First Meeting
Jan. 23, 1975
• W, 90-76, in Oxford
• First of 17 Rebel wins to begin the series

Last Meeting
Jan. 28, 2018
• L, 69-49, in Oxford

Last Time in Starkville
Jan. 11, 2018
• L, 76-45

Last Win
Jan. 23, 2014
• W, 87-85, in Oxford

Last Win in Starkville
Feb. 18, 2007
• W, 86-84, in OT
• Armintie Price Herrington: hit GW shot with 1.8 seconds left off an in-bounds pass from Ashley Awkward
• Became the fifth player in NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 300 assists (Price ended her career as one of just two with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists and 400 steals)
• Ole Miss went on that year to advance to the Elite Eight

SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE

Current Record: 18-1, 6-0 SEC
• AP rank: No. 7
• Coaches Poll rank: No. 6
• RPI: 8
• NCAA finalists in 2017 and 2018
• 2018 SEC Regular Season Champions
• Leads the NCAA in scoring margin (+34.9) and scoring offense (90.9 PPG)
• Leads the NCAA in blocks (124) and ranks third in blocks per game (6.5)
• Also ranks in the NCAA top-25 in: rebounding margin (2nd, +16.6), offensive rebounds per game (2nd, 19.0), free throws made (3rd, 317), field goal percentage (5th, .507), rebounds per game (5th, 45.7), free throw attempts (6th, 434), turnover margin (9th, +7.1), assist/turnover ratio (11th, 1.36), assists per game (13th, 18.2), three-point percentage (16th, .381), scoring defense (21st, 55.9 PPG) and fewest turnovers per game (25th, 13.4)
• Leads the SEC in:
• Lone loss came at No. 7 Oregon, 82-74, on Dec. 19
• Four averaging double-figures
• Without starting forward Chloe Bibby for the remainder of the season (11.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, .481 FG, .450 3PT, .852 FT)

Players to Watch

#15 Teaira McCowan
•16.5 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 2.6 BPG
• .661 FG, .732 FT
• SEC Preseason Player of the Year
• On the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, Wade Trophy and Lisa Leslie Award Watch lists
• 2018 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
• 2018 All-American
• Leads the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (6.0), second in total rebounds per game (13.5)
• 3rd NCAA with 15 double-doubles, 6th in FG percentage (.661) and 8th in blocks (50).

#5 Anriel Howard
• 15.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.4 SPG
• .525 FG, .732 FT
• Preseason All-SEC
• Named to Wooden Award, Naismith Triphy and Katrina McClain Award Watch Lists
• 4th SEC in FG percentage, 7th in rebounding

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (at Vanderbilt)
A big Commodore run in the second quarter proved too much to overcome as the Ole Miss women's basketball team fell at Vanderbilt, 80-68, on Jan. 24, snapping the first two-game SEC streak for the Rebels in two years.

The Rebels (8-12, 2-4 SEC) put together a strong first quarter of action, but the Commodores (6-13, 1-5 SEC) ripped off a 14-0 run in the second to drain the Rebel momentum and create some separation. Vanderbilt led by as many as 17 with 7:27 left to play, and although the Rebels were able to come within 10 with 4:09 remaining, the Commodores took advantage of some Ole Miss foul trouble down the stretch to stay ahead. Vanderbilt was 21-of-30 from the free throw line, going 11-of-14 in the fourth quarter alone.

Crystal Allen paced the Rebel offense, scoring a team-high 20 points – her eighth 20-point outing this season. The senior guard also extended her streak of consecutive made free throws to 34 after going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe, which currently ranks as the third-longest active streak in the NCAA and the longest in the SEC.

Senior guard Shandricka Sessom filled up the stat sheet as well, scoring 14 points while recording five rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal before fouling out. Freshmen Mimi Reid (six points, seven assists) and Taylor Smith (eight points, two steals) also had productive games out of the starting lineup for the Rebels.

On the heels of a career-high 18 points in Sunday's victory over Florida, senior forward La'Karis Salter jumpstarted the offense for Ole Miss, scoring all six of her points in the first quarter. Her strong offensive start allowed the Rebels to jump out to a 16-14 lead at the end of the first.

STORIED RIVALRY
Ole Miss and Mississippi State will resume their rivalry, meeting for the 96th time this coming Sunday afternoon on national TV on SEC Network.

The Rebels hold a 63-32 edge in the all-time series, winning 50 of the first 51 matchups from 1975-97. Ole Miss won 33 in a row from Jan. 23, 1982 until Feb. 19, 1997, but the tide has turned maroon since. The Bulldogs have taken 31 of the last 44 contests, including the last nine in a row.

Ole Miss holds a 29-13 lead at home and a 25-18 lead in Starkville, as well as a 9-1 lead in neutral site contests.

TURNING A CORNER
Ole Miss 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. Ole Miss has not won three SEC games in a row 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).

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 five games (62-of-76; .816), six of the last seven games (80-of-100; .800) and seven of the last nine games (105-of-137; .766). The Rebels lead all SEC teams in conference-only free throw percentage, shooting 82.4 percent through six SEC contests. In the last four games alone, Ole Miss is 52-of-63 (.825) from the charity stripe, with senior Crystal Allen single-handedly putting up a line of 34-of-35 in that span. On the year, Ole Miss is shooting 71.9 percent overall, averaging 10.3 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. In SEC play, that trio is averaging a combined 38.8 PPG with 27 of the 30 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. 27), TCU (No. 63) and Troy (No. 99), but the SEC slate has been and will prove to be as difficult as ever, with nine conference schools all within the top-60 and four within the top-30. Ole Miss currently holds the No. 29 toughest future 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 2-9 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 2-9 when getting beat on the glass. The Rebels average 36.8 rebounds per game -- 42.2 in wins, 33.2 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, vs. Florida and at Vanderbilt, helping Ole Miss to back-to-back SEC wins for the first time in two years against the Wildcats and Gators. 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 102-75 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 20 games
• Ole Miss leading scorer in 17 of 20 games
• Leads SEC in total points (367)
• Leads SEC in threes made (57)
• 2nd in SEC with 18.4 PPG
• Ranks 2nd with 18.7 PPG in SEC play
• Also ranks in SEC overall top-10 in: threes per game (2nd, 2.9), minutes per game (2nd, 35.2), free throw percentage (3rd, .857) and three-point percentage (8th, .345)
• Leads in SEC-only free throw percentage (.932)
• Has third-longest active free throw streak in the NCAA, longest in SEC (34)
• Is 34 of her last 35 from the free throw line
• Has not missed multiple free throws in a game since Dec. 8; 52-of-58 (.897) since
• Ranks in the NCAA top-100 in 12 categories
• Ranks in the NCAA top-25 in: minutes (12th, 704), threes attempted (12th, 165), field goal attempts (14th, 311), total points (19th, 367) and threes made (22nd, 57)
• Eight 20-point games
• Double-digits in 18 of 20 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
• Averaging 21.5 PPG in wins, 20.0 PPG on the road
• One of three SEC players to average at least 20.0 PPG on the road

MONEY FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
No one in the SEC has been hotter from the free throw line than senior Crystal Allen, who enters Sunday's game with the third-longest active free throw streak in the NCAA at 34 consecutive makes. In her last four games, Allen is 34-of-35 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) before hitting 6-of-6 at Vanderbilt. Allen has not had more than one miss from the free throw line in her last 10 games, going 52-of-58 (.897) in that stretch (she shoots .857 overall). Allen leads all in SEC-only free throw shooting (.932), and her 85.7 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 57 of the 109 Ole Miss treys this year (52.3 percent). At her pace of 2.9 treys per game, Allen is on pace to sink 86 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 nine games dating back to a 40-minute outing at Louisiana Tech on Dec. 15, averaging 36.9 minutes per game in that stretch -- which accounts for 92.3 percent of all available court time. In those nine games, Allen is averaging 19.2 PPG and has made 28 threes. Allen ranks 12th in the NCAA in total minutes played (704), and she ranks second in the SEC at 35.2 minutes 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 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 lately, averaging 11.2 PPG in the last five games after scoring six or fewer in nine of her previous 10. Salter recorded a career-high 18 points vs. Florida, while also chipping in 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 34 threes this season, giving her and fellow senior Crystal Allen (57) a combined total of 91 of 109 total Ole Miss treys this year for 83.5 percent of all Rebel threes.

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 1,326 points and 570 rebounds in her storied career, Sessom is one of just 13 Rebels to ever eclipse 1,300 points and 500 boards.

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 1,326 points, while Allen's 1,195 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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