Rebels Return Home to Host Louisiana Tech

			OLE MISS (2-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. LOUISIANA TECH (2-1, 0-0 Conference USA) Saturday, Nov. 23 • 2 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500)
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball returns home for a two-game homestretch, first hosting Louisiana Tech this Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT inside The Pavilion and on SEC Network +.

PROMOTIONS
• Postgame Kids Clinic

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (2-2, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (11-24) • 105-87 career record (7th Season)

Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (2-1, 0-0 Conference USA)
Co-Head Coaches: Brooke & Scott Stoehr • 4th Season at LA Tech (53-43) • 124-101 career record (8th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Seth Austin
Color: Lindsay Roy

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: 105.1 FM
Audio: TuneIn
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty

SERIES AT A GLANCE
At Oxford: LA Tech leads, 2-1
At Ruston: LA Tech leads, 4-1
At Neutral Sites: LA Tech leads 1-0
Longest UM Streak: 1 (1991, 2013)
Longest LT Streak: 4 (1992 - 2012)
Biggest UM Win: 11 (12/4/13 - at Oxford)
Biggest LT Win: 20 (3/24/88 - at Austin)
Most UM Points: 79 (12/4/13 - at Oxford)
Most LT Points: 88 (11/24/04 - at Oxford)

SERIES NOTES

Series History
LA Tech leads, 7-2

Current Streak
LA Tech, 1

First Meeting
March 24, 1988
• L, 80-60, in Austin
• Sweet 16 of 1988 NCAA Tournament
• LA Tech ranked No. 5 at the time
• LA Tech went on to win NCAA title
• LA Tech finished No. 5 in final AP poll
• Ole Miss finished No. 12 in final AP poll

First Meeting in Oxford
Dec. 12, 1992
• L, 68-64

Last Meeting
Dec. 15, 2018
• L, 80-71, in Ruston
• Mimi Reid: 7 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 37 minutes
• Taylor Smith: 3 minutes
• Iyanla Kitchens: 3 min., 2 reb., 1 stl.

Last Meeting in Oxford
Dec. 4, 2013
• W, 79-68
• Kids Day crowd of 4,491 in Tad Pad
• Tia Faleru: 19 points
• Valencia McFarland: 16 points

SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH

Record
2-1, 0-0 Conference USA

Last Game
L, 88-80, vs. Wichita State
•Top Scorers: Raizel Guinto (16 points), Amber Dixon (15 points), Amber Hawkison (10 points)

Notes
• Top scorer: Grayson Bright (14.0 PPG)
• Rank in the NCAA top-50 in: steals per game (6th, 15.3), scoring offense (16th, 85.3 PPG), turnovers forced (25th, 23.7), turnover margin (31st, 7.67), steals (49th, 46)
• Raizel Guinto: 26th NCAA in steals per game (3.3)

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (at Southern Miss)
The Ole Miss women's basketball team found itself in a dogfight at Southern Miss, but the game of runs wound up in the advantage of the Lady Eagles by the final buzzer as the Rebels fell, 59-53, on Nov. 19.

The Rebels (2-2) scraped back from a nine-point halftime deficit following an excellent third quarter defensive effort, but it was another small Southern Miss (4-1) run during a wild fourth quarter that ended up being the difference.

Both teams were evenly matched in the first quarter, tying 12-12 while both teams shot 35.7 percent from the field. It was a 9-0 Lady Eagle run in the second quarter, though, that gave Southern Miss a 31-22 cushion going into the break. Ole Miss did not waste any time erasing that, however, ripping off an 8-0 run while also holding the Lady Eagles without a point for the first 6:21 of the period. In total, the Rebel defense stifled a Southern Miss offense that shot 42.3 percent in the first half to just 20 percent in the third quarter, taking the frame 15-5 and the lead at 37-36 heading into the final quarter.

Ole Miss brought that same intensity to the fourth quarter, jumping out to a 45-40 lead amidst three different lead changes in the final frame. However, a 7-0 Lady Eagle run stole that momentum right back as Southern Miss took a 47-45 lead with 4:38 to play. Both teams traded baskets during an intense final four minutes of action, but a crucial out-of-bounds possession review with 14.9 seconds remaining handed the ball and a 55-53 lead to the Lady Eagles before hitting four free throws in the final seconds of the contest.

Rebel newcomers Dominique Banks (13 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, one steal) and Jayla Alexander (11 points, three assists) led Ole Miss in scoring, with Alexander scoring her final nine points in the fourth quarter and all 11 of hers in the second half. Other Rebel standouts included Deja Cage (eight points, three assists) and Sarah Dumitrescu (four points, nine rebounds).

Ole Miss out-rebounded the Lady Eagles, 34-27, and neither team shot particularly well from beyond the arc, going a combined 6-for-31, but Southern Miss shot 45 percent overall with 32 of their 59 points coming in the paint. Southern Miss had three in double digits: Shonte Hailes (17 points, three rebounds, three steals, two assists), Alarie Mayzo (11 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals) and Kelsey Jones (10 points, four rebounds, two steals).

SUCCESS AGAINST CONFERENCE USA
Ole Miss has a dominant all-time record against current Conference USA schools, holding a 60-33 all-time record. However, Louisiana Tech is one of just three schools in the conference that Ole Miss has a losing record against with a 2-7 record against the Lady Techsters, a 2-3 record against Tulane and a 4-5 record vs. Western Kentucky.

SHARING IS CARING
Ole Miss currently ranks fourth in the SEC in assists, averaging 15.5 per game through four games played. The Rebels got off to a strong start in the assist department, notching 20 on 30 made field goals against Mississippi Valley State to open the season on Nov. 5. The Rebels had five games with at least 20 assists in 2018-19 after doing so only three times the year prior. Last season, Ole Miss was 6-5 when recording more assists than its opponent, but 3-16 on the opposite end of the spectrum.

ALL HANDS ON DECK
Of the 10 Rebels that have seen action in 2019-20, eight have averaged at least 15 minutes of action through three games played, with seven averaging at least 20 minutes.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss has used four different starting lineups in each of its first four games in the 2019-20 season, with sophomore Taylor Smith being the only Rebel to have started all four thus far. In Coach Yo's first season with the Rebels, Ole Miss used 17 different starting lineups through 31 total games played.

OPTIONS IN THE SCORING COLUMN
Ole Miss has had a different leading scorer through each of its first four games this season after having just four unique top scorers throughout the entire 2018-19 season. Sophomore Taylor Smith opened the season by doubling her career high with 18 points vs. Mississippi Valley State before Deja Cage took over with a career-high 21 points vs. ULM. Freshman Jayla Alexander picked up the mantle against New Orleans, more than doubling her own career high with 21 points against the Privateers. Junior transfer Dominique Banks was the latest Rebel to lead the way, scoring 13 points at Southern Miss.

BENCH COMING THROUGH
The Rebel bench has been active in the scoring department through four games played, out-scoring opponents by margins of 28-12 vs. MVSI, 28-0 against ULM, 36-4 against New Orleans and 30-25 at Southern Miss for a season total of 122-41.

DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
Ole Miss currently ranks in the upper half of the SEC in scoring defense, ranking seventh overall at 55.8 points allowed through four games played. That average also ranks 66th in the NCAA. The 95 total points the Rebels allowed through the first two games stood as one of just six Ole Miss teams to allow 100 points or fewer through the first two contests.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
Freshman Sarah Dumitrescu has been a consistent rebounder for the Rebels this year, leading the team and ranking 13th in the SEC with 7.8 boards per game through four contests. The Bucharest native has had at least seven rebounds in three games, and at least nine in each of her last two outings. She hauled in a career-high 11 rebounds in her first career start vs. New Orleans.

#MississippiMade
Freshman and Pearl, Mississippi native Jayla Alexander has been an offensive catalyst off the bench for the Rebels, scoring 32 points in her last two games alone. Alexander went off against New Orleans, more than doubling her previous career high of 10 points with a 21-point outing against the Privateers. She followed that up with an 11-point performance at Southern Miss.

Alexander, the No. 1 rated recruit out of the state of Mississippi last year, has played at least 18 minutes in each of her first four games as a Rebel. Helping her against UNO was a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc, tied for the second-most threes in a game among SEC players this season.

CAGE BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS
Junior Deja Cage has showed no signs of having sat on the bench for an entire season, as she is currently the top scorer for the Rebels at 14.3 points per game with a 51.1 percent shooting clip and a 34.8 rate from three-point distance. Cage, a DePaul transfer that is also returning from a preseason injury, topped her previous career high of 15 points in each of her first two games, dropping 16 points in just 16 minutes in the season opener vs. Mississippi Valley State before leading the charge for the Rebels in her first career start against ULM with a 21-point outing on 4-of-6 three-point shooting.

Cage currently ranks as 16th-best scorer in the SEC and eighth-best three-point shooter with 2.0 treys per game.

COOKING WITH KITCHENS
Sophomore Iyanla Kitchens blossomed in a big way against ULM, recording her first double-double with career highs in points (10) and rebounds (10). Kitchens, who averaged 6.2 minutes per game her freshman season, is currently averaging 4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds through four games played in 2019-20.

SMITH IN SPOTLIGHT AS SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Taylor Smith emerged as a potent scoring threat for the Rebels after a career day against Mississippi Valley State. Smith, who entered this season with a career-high of nine points scored against Florida last season, doubled that with a demonstrative 18-point performance on 9-of-17 shooting. Smith started off a perfect 4-of-4 from the field thanks to a deadly mid-range jumper.

Smith is third on the team with 7.5 points per game and a 44.1 percent clip from the field.

AIR IT OUT, TORRI!
Senior three-point specialist Torri Lewis picked up right where she left off two years ago, draining 3-of-5 from beyond the arc for 11 total points against MVSU to start the season. Lewis, who returned for her redshirt senior season at Ole Miss after sitting out last year due to the birth of her son, A.J., is a career 34.2 percent three-point shooter. In her career, 84.9 percent of all of her field goals have come from three-point distance.

In her career, Lewis owns 27 games with multiple threes -- hitting seven or more threes in a game twice. She knocked down a school-record 10 in a game vs. New Orleans as a freshman in 2015 (the third-most in a single-game in NCAA history), and during her junior year, she nailed seven against Alabama.

During that junior season, Lewis was on fire from downtown in the final month of the season, going 16-of-32 in a stretch from deep from Feb. 1-11. That season, 90 percent of her made field goals were three-pointers and 131 of her 150 attempts were from beyond the arc (87.3 percent).

MIMI DIRECTING TRAFFIC
Sophomore guard Mimi Reid returned to her role as the floor general for the Rebels, notching six assists against MVSU and New Orleans -- the 11th and 12th times in her young career she has recorded at least six in a game. Reid was unflappable in this role as a redshirt freshman in 2018-19, spearheading what was an efficient Rebel offensive attack. She was the only player in the SEC last year with separate games of 11+ assists (vs. Louisiana) and 11+ rebounds (vs. Western Michigan), and she led all SEC freshmen with 4.3 assists per game (sixth overall). Reid was also the most efficient shooter for the Rebels last season, knocking down a team-high 40.2 percent of her field goal tries.

DOM ON THE BLOCK
Junior transfer Dominique Banks has been a force to reckon with on the block, averaging 7.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks to go along with her 7.3 points per game average at the moment. Banks has started two games for the Rebels at the five position, and she currently ranks third in the SEC and 14th in the NCAA with her 2.8 blocks per game. Banks, a transfer from Gulf Coast State Community College, was part of an NJCAA national title team in 2019, shooting 52.6 percent from the field for Gulf Coast State.

Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin

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Players Mentioned

Jayla Alexander

Dominique Banks

Deja Cage

Sarah Dumitrescu

Iyanla Kitchens

Torri Lewis

Mimi Reid

Taylor Smith

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