Rebels Face Alcorn State and Pitt at Daytona Beach Invitational

			OLE MISS (4-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. ALCORN STATE (3-4, 0-0 SWAC) Friday, Nov. 29 • 7 p.m. • Daytona Beach, Fla
Watch • Live Stats • Listen Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Alcorn State Game Notes (PDF)

			OLE MISS (4-2, 0-0 SEC) vs. PITT (2-3, 0-0 ACC) Saturday, Nov. 30 • 4:45 p.m. • Daytona Beach, Fla
Watch • Live Stats • Listen Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Pitt Game Notes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Ole Miss women's basketball hits the road to the Sunshine State for the Daytona Beach Invitational, where the Rebels will square off against Alcorn State (Nov. 29) and Pitt (Nov. 30).

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (4-2, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (13-24) • 107-87 career record (7th Season)

Alcorn State Lady Braves (3-4, 0-0 SWAC)
Head Coach: Courtney Pruitt • 5th Season at Alcorn State (39-88) • 39-88 career record (5th season)

Pitt Panthers (2-3, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Lance White • 2nd Season at Pitt (13-23) • 13-23 career record (2nd season)

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SERIES NOTES vs. ALCORN STATE

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 14-1

Current Streak
Ole Miss, 14

First Meeting
Jan. 12, 1980
• L, 70-66, at Alcorn

Last Meeting
Nov. 24, 2008
• W, 63-40, in Oxford

SERIES NOTES vs. PITT

Series History
Tied, 1-1

Current Streak
Pitt, 1

First Meeting
Nov. 24, 1978
• W, 78-61, in Cookeville, Tenn.
• Part of Tennessee Tech Invite

Last Meeting
March 22, 2006
• L, 85-76, at Pitt
• WNIT Second Round
• Armintie Herrington: 26 points

SCOUTING ALCORN STATE

Record
3-4, 0-0 SWAC

Last Game
W, 85-61, vs. Tougaloo
• Top Scorers: Jada Hargrove (19 points), Kirdis Clark (11 points), LaRae Rascoe (10 points), Aysha Kirkland (10 points)
• On three-game winning streak for first time since 2017-18
• Hargrove: 19 points, nine assists, six rebounds, five steals
• 29 steals (most since at least 2012-13); second-most in NCAA this season

Notes
• Leads NCAA in steals (113), steals per game (16.1) and turnovers forced (31.1)
• Top scorer: Jada Hargrove (12.6 PPG)
• Opponents have made (102) nearly as many free throws as Alcorn has attempted (111)
• Getting out-rebounded 48.1-37.1 on the season
• Hargrove: 11th in free throw shooting (.950), 30th NCAA in field goal attempts (95)
• Three in the top-35 nationally in steals: LaRae Rascoe (21, 13th), Diamond Hall (18, 23rd) and Hargrove (16, 32nd)

SCOUTING PITT

Record
2-3, 0-0 ACC

Last Game
L, 81-62, vs. Duquesne
• Top Scorers: Dayshanette Harris (22 points), Amber Brown (14 points)
• Held to 37.9 percent shooting, 16.7 percent three-point shooting
• 19 turnovers were turned into 24 points
• Bench outscored, 31-4

Notes
• Top scorer: Aysia Bugg (16.8 PPG)
• Shooting .401 as a team but allowing .429 from opponents
• Ranks in the NCAA top-50 in: personal fouls per game (43rd, 14.8)

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (vs. Sam Houston State)
The Ole Miss women's basketball team withstood adversity and a defiant last-quarter charge by Sam Houston State, holding on to defeat the Bearkats, 75-69, in a wild game at The Pavilion on Nov. 26.

The Rebels (4-2) led by double digits for the majority of the game, holding an 18-point lead by the 4:17 mark of the third quarter and a 14-point lead heading into the final frame at 59-45. Sam Houston State put together a splendid fourth quarter, though, shooting 57.9 percent from the field and ripping off an 8-0 run to cut the Ole Miss lead to six with just 5:04.

The Rebels were able to briefly catch their composure after a Jayla Alexander three-pointer coming out of an Ole Miss timeout brought the Rebel lead back to nine. However, Sam Houston State put its foot back on the gas to the tune of a 10-2 run, cutting the Ole Miss lead to one with 2:42 remaining at 68-67.

But, the Rebels would not be denied. Clutch free throw shooting from Alexander and Deja Cage, in addition to two key steals by Mimi Reid (eight points, three assists, three steals, two rebounds), allowed Ole Miss to hold on for the win. In all, the Rebels shot a season-best 20-of-32 from the free throw line, including a 9-of-14 clip in the fourth quarter alone.

"To me, this was a phenomenal win because we had adversity and we had to respond," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "I can tell you this: these young ladies, three weeks before this, they would not have responded in the way that they did. I am just proud of them and excited to get back into the locker room and celebrate with them."

The Ole Miss defense was ferocious throughout the game, forcing a season-best 31 turnovers – the most by a Rebel defense since forcing 40 against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2016. Combined with a 29-turnover performance against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 23, this marks the first back-to-back games of at least 29 turnovers since forcing 33 against McNeese State on Dec. 19, 2015 and 39 against Alabama A&M on Dec. 29.

In addition to the strong defensive effort, a slew of impressive individual performances allowed Ole Miss to emerge victorious. Cage, who scored a career-high 30 points against Louisiana Tech, lit the net on fire again with 21 points and a crucial 7-of-8 clip from the free throw line. She finished the first quarter with 10 points and ended the game with a team-high 21 points and five rebounds.

Junior Valerie Nesbitt also came into Tuesday night on the heels of the best performance of her collegiate career. After becoming the first Rebel to record eight steals and eight assists in the same game against Louisiana Tech, the Bahamian native had another great game to the tune of 18 points, six steals and three assists.

"Val is probably the most competitive player that we have on the roster," McPhee-McCuin said. "Sometimes, that is a gift and a curse for her. If she continues to figure out how to channel it, she'll continue to have success."

Alexander, whose clutch free throws iced the game, scored double digits for the third time this season with 13 points, four rebounds, and two steals.

The win Tuesday night didn't come without bad news, though, as freshman Sarah Dumitrescu suffered a serious knee injury in the first quarter. The Romanian native entered as the Rebels' top rebounder at 7.8 boards per game.

"We know that she is being examined," McPhee-McCuin said. "Sarah is pretty tough. The game of basketball has its own way of handling things. Regardless, she is going to be a big part of our success this year and we will continue to be there for her."

DUMITRESCU OUT FOR SEASON
Ole Miss suffered a heartbreaking setback after freshman Sarah Dumitrescu tore her ACL against Sam Houston State on Nov. 26, ending her season in the process.

"As much joy as sports brings, there is an ugly side to it and that is unfortunately injuries," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "My heart is broken for Sarah, as she has worked extremely hard to buy into the role we envisioned for her on both ends of the floor. She is loved by her teammates, staff and the Oxford community, and I'm certain that she will not only bounce back from this, but come back even stronger."

Dumitrescu entered that contest as the top rebounder for the Rebels, averaging 7.8 boards per game, which ranked 13th in the SEC at the time. She started each of her last four games played, notching at least 23 minutes played in every game prior to her injury. Dumitrescu had at least seven rebounds in four games played, and already had five boards in the first quarter before her injury.

A native of Bucharest, Romania, Dumitrescu was a four-star recruit out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and is a two-time member of Romania's national team.

STEAL YO BALL
The Rebel defense have been masters of theft, recording 13 steals vs. Louisiana Tech and 15 against Sam Houston State. Ole Miss ranks fifth in the SEC and 53rd in the NCAA in steals, and those two games mark the first consecutive games of at least 13 steals since notching 13 against Austin Peay on Dec. 20, 2016 and 24 vs. Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2016. Ole Miss has not recorded three straight games of at least 13 steals since the 2014-15 season, which included 18 against Grambling (Nov. 14), 23 vs. MVSU (Nov. 16) and 14 against Southern (Nov. 20).

DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
Ole Miss currently ranks in the upper half of the SEC in scoring defense, ranking seventh overall at 57.5 points allowed through six games played. The Rebel defense put on a show against an electric Louisiana Tech offense on Nov. 23, holding the Lady Techsters to 53 points after they entered the game averaging 83.3 per contest. Ole Miss has forced at least 29 turnovers in back-to-back games after forcing 29 against LA Tech and 31 against Sam Houston State -- the first instance of consecutive games with at least 29 since forcing 33 against McNeese State on Dec. 19, 2015 and 39 against Alabama A&M on Dec. 29. The 31 that the Rebel defense caused against Sam Houston stand as the most by Ole Miss since forcing 40 against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2016.

OFF THE LINE
Ole Miss has proved difficult to damage from distance, holding opponents to five or fewer three-pointers in all six games this season and a season opponent clip of 27.9 percent -- the sixth best in the SEC. No Rebel opponent has shot better than 33 percent from distance. In the Coach Yo era, three-point defense has been a point of emphasis, holding opponents to five threes or fewer in 23 of 37 games in her two seasons. Last season, Ole Miss held 17 opponents to 30 percent or less from three, including 12 that shot 25 percent or worse and four that haven't been able to break 20 percent. The year before, Ole Miss held opponents under 30 percent just 10 times all season.

REBELS POST BIG WIN OVER LA TECH
The 76-53 win over the Lady Techsters on Nov. 23 registered as the biggest that Ole Miss has ever had against the historically dominant Louisiana Tech program. The Rebels entered the game trailing the all-time series, 7-2, with the largest margin of victory standing at 11 points in 2013 before Saturday's 23-point win.

SHARING IS CARING
Ole Miss currently ranks fourth in the SEC in assists, averaging 15.2 per game through six games played. The Rebels have recorded two separate 20-assist games, notching 20 on 30 made field goals in the season opener vs. Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 5 before recording 20 on 26 made shots against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 23.

Ole Miss 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.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss has used five different starting lineups in its first six games of the 2019-20 season. 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 in four of its first six games this season after having just four unique top scorers throughout the entire 2018-19 season. Junior Deja Cage is the lone Rebel to have repeated, dropping career highs against ULM (21 points) and Louisiana Tech (30 points) before leading with 21 points against Sam Houston State. Other top Rebel scorers include sophomore Taylor Smith in the season opener vs. MVSU (18), freshman Jayla Alexander vs. UNO (21) and junior Dominique Banks at Southern Miss (13).

BENCH COMING THROUGH
The Rebel bench has been active in the scoring department, out-scoring opponents in five of six games thus far for a season total of 158-81.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

OH MY, SHE'S ON FIRE!
Junior Deja Cage has been a dynamic scorer for the Rebels, recording five different double-digit game through six contests this season and standing as the top Ole Miss scorer in three contests. Her 18.0 points per game ranks sixth in the SEC, and her 48.2 percent field goal percentage ranks first among SEC guards (10th overall). Cage has also been one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the league, ranking second in three-point percentage (.429) and third in threes per game (2.5) -- and that is despite an 0-for-9 outing at Southern Miss on Nov. 19.

Cage lit the net on fire with a career-high 30-point performance on 10-of-18 shooting and 5-of-8 three-point shooting against Louisiana Tech, one of just two 30-point games in the SEC this season. She is one of just four Rebels in the last five years to have recorded a 30-point game.

NESBITT STUFFS THE STAT SHEET
Junior Valerie Nesbitt had an all-around superb game against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 23, recording an incredible line of 12 points, eight assists, eight steals and six rebounds. Her eight steals rank as the most by any player in the SEC this season, as well as tied for No. 4 on the Ole Miss single-game list. Additionally, it is the first game in available records at Ole Miss in which a Rebel has recorded at least eight assists and eight steals in the same game. She is also one of just two in the NCAA this season to have recorded such a game alongside Norfolk State's Chanette Hicks (20 points, 14 assists, 11 steals vs. Virginia-Lynchburg, Nov. 14).

Nesbitt is averaging 9.7 points and 3.7 steals per game, with her 22 steals ranking ninth in the NCAA.

#MississippiMade
Freshman and Pearl, Mississippi native Jayla Alexander has been an offensive catalyst off the bench for the Rebels, scoring 52 points in her last four 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 and a 13-point outing against Sam Houston State.

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 six 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.

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 4.7 points and 4.2 rebounds through six 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.

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 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks to go along with her 6.8 points per game average at the moment. Banks has started two games for the Rebels at the five position, and she currently ranks sixth in the SEC with her 2.4 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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