Rebels Return for SEC Home Opener vs. Arkansas

			OLE MISS (6-9, 0-1 SEC) vs. ARKANSAS (11-4, 0-1 SEC) Sunday, Jan. 6 • 2 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Basketball Jersey Lunch Boxes
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball looks to bounce back from an SEC opening loss at Mizzou when it hosts Arkansas for its SEC home opener on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT inside The Pavilion, and the game will air live on SEC Network.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (6-9, 0-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (6-9) • 100-72 career record (6th Season)

Arkansas Razorbacks (11-4, 0-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Mike Neighbors • 2nd Season at Arkansas (24-22) • 122-63 career record (6th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Melissa Lee
Color: Nell Fortner

OLE MISS RADIO

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

SERIES NOTES (Ole Miss leads, 25-18)
At Oxford: Ole Miss leads 15-3
At Fayetteville: Arkansas leads 12-5
At Neutral Sites: Ole Miss leads 5-3
Longest UM Streak: 8 (2004-2010)
Longest UA Streak: 6 (2011-2014)
Biggest UM Win: 35 (1/6/02 - at Oxford)
Biggest UA Win: 41 (3/3/13 - at Fayetteville)
Most UM Points: 94 (3/2/06 - at Little Rock)
Most UA Points: 93 (3/3/13 - at Fayetteville)
Last 10 Meetings: Arkansas leads 7-3

SCOUTING ARKANSAS

Current Record: 11-4, 0-1 SEC
• RPI: 70
• 4th NCAA in FT att. (332), 10th in FT made (221)
• Rank 8th nationally in turnovers per game (11.9) and 11th in turnover margin (+7.13)
• Rank 15th nationally in threes attempted (370)
• Rank 16th nationally in blocks (73)
• Rank 23rd nationally in steals (148)
• Three averaging double-digits
• Three that have made 15+ three-pointers
• Four with 20+ steals, three with 30+ assists

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 25-18

First Meeting
Dec. 14, 1985
• W, 76-61, in Oxford
• Played before Arkansas joined SEC in 1992-93

Last Meeting
Dec. 31, 2017
• L, 73-72, in Fayetteville

Players to Watch

#33 Chelsea Dungee
• 17.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.1 APG
• .377 FG, .766 FT, 23 3PM
• 4th in SEC in scoring
• 8th NCAA in FT att. (94), 11th in FT made (72)
• Big 12 All-Freshman at Oklahoma in 2017
• 2013 Gold Medalist with USA Basketball U16 team
• 2014 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year

#3 Malica Monk
• 12.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 SPG
• .406 FG, .364 3PT
• Preseason Second-Team All-SEC

#2 Alexis Tolefree
• 12.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 1.5 APG
• 36 threes made
• 4th nationally in threes attempted (129)

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (at Mizzou)
Ole Miss women's basketball did its best to slow down a high-powered Missouri team and received another high scoring output from senior Crystal Allen, but the Tigers were lights-out from the field and prevailed, 78-55, to open SEC play at Mizzou Arena on Jan. 3.

The Rebels (6-9, 0-1 SEC) started a brand-new lineup that included three freshmen in order to facilitate a defensive look designed to slow down All-American Sophie Cunningham (14 points, five rebounds, five assists), but the Tigers (12-3, 1-0 SEC) shot 65.9 percent on the 41 hard-fought looks they received.

"I understand that in order to win games in the SEC we have to be tough," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "As far as the overall game I thought we did some stuff well, but obviously we need to do some stuff better."

The strategy had some early moments, as the Rebels only trailed by four at the end of the first quarter (19-15) and had held Cunningham without a field goal throughout the first 12:26 of play (and only four field goal attempts by game's end altogether), but the Columbia native nailed back-to-back threes to spark a 21-6 second quarter by the Tigers. Two more Tigers were in double-digits alongside Cunningham: Amber Smith (18 points, 8-of-10 FG) and Jordan Roundtree (10 points).

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mizzou showed a formidable defensive front that held Ole Miss to 32.8 percent from the field overall and kept the Rebels off the free throw line at 8-of-9 from the charity stripe.

Crystal Allen was the workhorse yet again for the Rebels, dropping 25 points on 9-of-24 shooting in 36 hard minutes played. Allen has scored in double-digits in 13 of her 15 games played as a Rebel, and she has tallied 20 or more in six contests this season. Her performance followed an extraordinary career day vs. North Florida on Dec. 28, in which she scored 34 points and hit nine three-pointers – both the most by anyone in the SEC this season. For her efforts, she was named the SEC Player of the Week.
Taylor Smith (six points, seven rebounds, 35 minutes) received her first career start alongside Gabby Crawford (two points, three rebounds, 28 minutes), Mahogany Matthews (four points, third career start), Cecilia Muhate and Allen in the starting lineup. Senior Shandricka Sessom contributed seven points off the bench.

OLE MISS IN SEC HOME OPENERS
Ole Miss fell to 22-15 all-time in overall SEC openers following the 78-55 loss at Mizzou on Jan. 3, but the Rebels now hope to improve on a 24-12 all-time mark in SEC home openers -- which dates back to the 1982-83 season, the first year the SEC recognizes a conference season. The Rebels have won three of their last four home openers, and Ole Miss began their tenure in the SEC by winning 12 of their first 15 home conference openers.

Ole Miss has hosted Arkansas for its SEC home opener seven times since the Razorbacks joined the conference in 1992-93, going a perfect 7-0 in those contests. The last such occurrence was on New Year's Day, 2017, when the Rebels prevailed 73-64.

Rebel head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin will look to join Carol Ross and Renee Ladner as the only Ole Miss coaches to win their first career SEC home openers. Ross defeated Florida, 74-72, on Jan. 8, 2004, while Ladner defeated Arkansas, 63-55, on Jan. 13, 2008.

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 100-72 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.

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. 2), Purdue (No. 76), St. John's (No. 89) and TCU (No. 90), but the upcoming SEC slate will prove to be as difficult as ever, with nine conference schools currently falling within the top-100. Of those, six rank within the top-50 and three within the top-25.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
The Rebels displayed their eighth different starting combination for the beginning of SEC play at Mizzou on Jan. 3, a lineup that included three true freshmen in Gabby Crawford, Mahogany Matthews and Taylor Smith in her first career start. Of the 11 Rebels that have seen the floor this season, 10 have been in the starting lineup.

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.

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 28.7 percent. Only five of 15 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 33 percent or better in seven of the last nine games played -- including 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 35.6 percent from three (84-of-236), the fourth-best clip in the SEC.

SHARING IS CARING
Ole Miss has had impressive success sharing the ball as of late, tallying at least 18 assists in four of the last six games, including three straight games from Dec. 8-15 -- the first three-game stretch for the Rebels 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). Overall this year, Ole Miss has recorded at least 20 assists four times, topping out at a season-high 24 twice. The Rebels currently rank fifth in the SEC at 14.5 assists per game.

EFFICIENT REBEL OFFENSE
The Rebel offense has been a well-oiled machine this season, as the recent high number of assists have shown. Overall, Ole Miss has recorded an assist on 61.9 percent of all made field goals (218-352). In five games, Ole Miss has recorded an assist on at least 75 percent of all made field goals, with the season high 87 percent coming vs. Temple on Nov. 14 (20-23). In a three-game stretch from Dec. 8-15 -- which included then-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).

THE REBS ARE HEATING UP
The upstart offensive efficiency has led to an increased output, scoring 70 or more in four of the last six games after not doing so in any of the nine games prior. Ole Miss scored a season-high 82 points vs. North Florida on Dec. 28 after shooting 50 percent from both the field and from three. The first three 70-point games for the Rebels all came in a row vs. Savannah State (74) and Louisiana (79), as well as 71 in a tough 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.

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 1-7 when getting beat on the glass. The Rebels average 38.3 rebounds per game -- 45.2 in wins, 33.7 in losses.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

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).

ALLEN ON FIRE
Crystal Allen has consistently been the top scorer for the Rebels this year, scoring in double-digits in 13 of 15 games played and notching at least 20 points in six games this season. In her last three games alone, Allen is averaging 26.3 points per game and has sank 15 three-pointers after performances of 20 points vs. Troy, 34 vs. North Florida and 25 at Mizzou on Jan. 3.

Allen ranks third in the conference at 18.7 PPG while leading in total points (280) and threes made (45). Allen also ranks in the SEC top-10 in: threes per game (second, 3.0), minutes played (third, 34.9), free throw percentage (sixth, .797) and three-point percentage (sixth, .391). In the NCAA ranks, she sits within the top-100 in 11 different categories, which include top-25 standings in field goal attempts (fifth, 240), total minutes (10th, 523), total points (11th, 280), threes made (13th, 45), and threes attempted (19th, 115).

ALLEN ON PACE FROM THREE
Crystal Allen has been money from three for the Rebels this year, draining 45 of the 84 Ole Miss treys this year (53.6 percent). At her pace of 3.0 treys per game, Allen is on pace to sink 90 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.

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 13.3 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 5.7 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 1,270 points and 538 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 1,270 points, while Allen's 1,108 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 freshman in the NCAA to have recorded multiple games with double-digit assists. She is also still 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 70 assists, putting her average of 5.4 per game at No. 3 in the SEC. Reid's per-game average also ranks 39th 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.

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 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds 1.9 blocks, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game for Ole Miss, shooting .476 overall and starting in 10 of 15 games played. Most impressively, Dunlap is the only player currently in the SEC to have recorded at least 25 blocks (29) and 25 assists (27). Overall, Dunlap ranks 26th in the NCAA and fifth in the SEC in blocks, accounting for 51.8 percent of all Rebel swats this season.

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

Shandricka Sessom

Taylor Smith

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