Rebels Ready for 17th Kids Day Game Against Georgia Southern

			OLE MISS (5-5, 0-0 SEC) vs. GEORGIA SOUTHERN (2-5, 0-0 Sun Belt) Monday, Dec. 16 • 11 a.m. • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) 17th Annual Kids Day
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball is set for the 17th iteration of the Kids Day game when Georgia Southern comes to town for a Monday morning tipoff. The contest will begin at 11 a.m. CT and will air live on SEC Network +.

PROMOTIONS
• 17th annual Kids Day game

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (5-5, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (14-27) • 108-90 career record (7th Season)

Georgia Southern Eagles (2-5, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Head Coach: Anita Howard • 1st Season at Georgia Southern (2-5) • 2-5 career record (1st 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 NOTES vs. GEORGIA SOUTHERN

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 1-0

Current Streak
Ole Miss, 1

First Meeting
Dec. 18, 1976
• W, 72-52, at Blue Mountain

Last Meeting
Same

SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN

Record
2-5, 0-0 Sun Belt

Last Game
L, 62-52, at Mercer
• Top Scorers: Nikki McDonald (14 points), Alexis Brown (12 points)
• Held scoreless during first four minutes of second half during 11-0 Mercer run
• Yielded 44.1 percent shooting, shot 28.4

Notes
• RPI: 281
• Two averaging double digits: Alexis Brown (12.6), Tatum Barber (11.6)
• Out-rebounding opponents, 38.4-37.7
• Shooting .340 overall, .259 from three
• Opponents are shooting .442, .319 from three
• Led Sun Belt in free throw shooting in 2018-19 at a 73.4 percent clip
• Ranks in the NCAA top-50 in: offensive rebounds per game (17th, 16.6) and turnovers forced (49th, 20.4)
• Alex Brown: 2nd NCAA in free throw shooting (96.8 percent; 30-of-31)

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (vs. SEMO)
The Ole Miss women's basketball team could not find an edge against a consistent Southeast Missouri squad, falling 70-53 at The Pavilion on Dec. 14.

The Rebels (5-5) trailed for most of the game, and despite chipping away at the Redhawk lead at times, they could not overcome a 16-0 run by SEMO (6-2) to begin the second half. The Redhawks nailed seven of their first nine shots to open the third quarter, a momentum swing that turned the tide of the game in their favor for good.

Southeast Missouri shot 44.9 percent on the evening and limited the Rebel offense, forcing 22 turnovers that ended up as 20 SEMO points and holding Ole Miss to just 45 shot attempts. SEMO entered the contest as the No. 10 rebounding unit in the NCAA and left with a 37-30 victory on the boards, including a 14-5 edge on the offensive glass.

"I tried to figure out a way to keep a high-powered offensive team and a veteran team like Southeast Missouri at bay, and we struggled at that," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "I thought we had a lot of opportunities to get something going, but this group is still trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be as a team. Right now, we are really struggling any time we have any adversity. I thought Southeast Missouri was the better team."

Four Redhawks scored in double-digits – Tesia Thompson (17 points, nine rebounds), Carrie Shephard (14 points, six steals), Taelour Pruitt (14 points, seven assists, five rebounds) and Jessie Harshberger (11 points, five rebounds) – and SEMO was able to tally 19 assists on 31 made field goals.

Ole Miss was able to limit SEMO to a 6-of-19 mark from beyond the arc, but Shephard was 4-of-8 from distance to pace the Redhawks. Shephard entered the contest ranked ninth in the NCAA and atop the OVC in threes per game.

"Every game is different, but we were supposed to deny," McPhee-McCuin said. "We were not supposed to ever lose sight of (Shephard). We weren't supposed to give her any threes. She went 50 percent from three."

The momentum-shifting Redhawk run to open the second half gave SEMO a 51-25 lead at the 5:22 mark of the third quarter, but an Ole Miss timeout helped the Rebels settle in for a bit, setting up what amounted to a 19-6 run across the remainder of the third and the beginning stretches of the fourth quarter. Deja Cage started that run with a designed three-pointer from the corner – one of four on the night for the junior who scored 13 points.

Junior Valerie Nesbitt chipped in another solid effort as well, leading the Rebels with 15 points to go along with six rebounds, four steals and three assists. This marks the fifth game with at least four steals for Nesbitt, who is on pace to crack the top-five list for single-season steals at Ole Miss by season's end. Freshman Jayla Alexander had 11 points, her fourth career double-digit game.

"I thought there were some moments tonight where we did sit down and showed some grit, but we have to be able to put that together for longer stretches of time, and right now we are not doing that," McPhee-McCuin said.

REBEL SUCCESS ON KIDS DAY
Kids Day has consistently meant success for Ole Miss, as the Rebels stand at 16-0 heading into the 17th annual version of the event. In those wins, the Rebels have scored an average of 83.2 PPG and won by an average of 24.6 points.

KIDS DAY CONTINUES TO GROW
The annual Kids Day game has turned into a historically attended game, growing exponentially from its beginnings. Ole Miss has shattered its women's basketball overall attendance record at Kids Day in four of the last five years, the most recent being the 8,229 that came to watch the Rebels beat Southern Miss, 68-59, on Dec. 12, 2017.

In total, Ole Miss has brought in 74,500 fans in 16 iterations of Kids Day, an average of 4,656.3 each year. In three years in The Pavilion at Ole Miss, the Rebels are averaging 7,902, and the previous 13 seasons in the Tad Smith Coliseum saw an average of 3,907.2.

SUCCESS AGAINST THE SUN BELT
Ole Miss has a dominant all-time record against current Sun Belt schools, holding a 45-12 record. The Rebels only have a losing record against New Mexico State (0-1), while holding winning records against Arkansas State (8-3), Appalachian State (2-0), Georgia State (1-0), Georgia Southern (1-0), Louisiana (4-1), ULM (15-2), South Alabama (4-2), Troy (2-1), UT Arlington (3-1) and UALR (5-1).

DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
The Rebel's have put an emphasis on defense as Ole Miss is yielding just 61.2 points per game through 10 contests. Prior to an 84-48 loss to Texas Tech on Dec. 4 and a 70-53 loss to SEMO on Dec. 14, the Rebels opened the season holding six of its first eight opponents to 60 points or fewer -- just the seventh such instance in school history. Furthermore, no Rebel opponent until Texas Tech eclipsed the 70-point threshold, the sixth time in program history that a Rebel team had done so through the first eight contests.

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 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.

STEAL YO BALL
The Rebel defense have been masters of theft, recording 13 steals vs. Louisiana Tech and 15 against Sam Houston State. 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.

OFF THE LINE
Ole Miss has proved difficult to damage from distance, holding opponents to five or fewer three-pointers in eight of 10 games this season. Just one Rebel opponent has shot better than 33 percent from distance, with Pitt shooting 41.2 on Nov. 30. In the Coach Yo era, three-point defense has been a point of emphasis, holding opponents to five threes or fewer in 25 of 41 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.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss has used seven different starting lineups in its first 10 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
Versatility has been the name of the game on offense, as five different Rebels have led Ole Miss in scoring this season after having just four unique top scorers throughout the entire 2018-19 season. Juniors Deja Cage and Valerie Nesbitt, as well as sophomore Taylor Smith, are the lone Rebels to have repeated, with Cage and Nesbitt doing so three times and Smith twice. Other top Rebel scorers include 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 eight of nine games thus far for a season total of 231-119.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

NESBITT STRONG IN SECOND HALF
Junior Valerie Nesbitt has risen as one of the top scoring threats for Ole Miss, but her prowess in the second half has been remarkable as well. Nesbitt averaged 17.0 points in two games at the Daytona Beach Invitational against Alcorn State and Pitt, with an impressive 13.5 points in the second half of those two games alone. On the season, Nesbitt is averaging 11.6 points overall and 7.0 points in the second half. She has six double digit games, including five of the last six.

NESBITT STUFFS THE STAT SHEET
Junior Valerie Nesbitt has been a force to reckon with on every side of the ball this season, averaging 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 3.1 assists. Stealing the ball has been her bread and butter, though, currently ranking second in the SEC and 19th in the NCAA at her 3.4 steals per game average. 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 three 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) and Texas Southern's Ciani Cryor (20 points, 9 assists, 8 steals vs. Rice, Dec. 7).

NESBITT ON PACE
Junior Valerie Nesbitt's propensity to steal the ball has put her into an elite class of Rebel defenders. At her average of 3.4 steals per game, Nesbitt is on pace to finish the regular season with 98 steals, which would rank tied for fourth on the Ole Miss single-season list.

1. Carol Ross - 135 ('79-80, 37 games)
2. Armintie Price - 131 ('06-07, 35 games)
3. Armintie Price - 104 ('05-06, 31 games)
4. Glenda Springfield - 98 ('78-79, 39 games)
5. Alisa Scott - 95 ('84-85, 32 games)

DOM ON THE BLOCK
Junior Dominique Banks has been a force to reckon with on the block, averaging 7.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks to go along with her 7.4 points per game average. Banks recently recorded her first career double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds vs. Alcorn State, the most boards by a Rebel since Bretta Hart hauled in 18 against Western Kentucky on Dec. 2, 2015. Additionally, she has recorded double-digit rebounds in two of her last four games after a 12-board outing at Texas Tech.

Banks has started three games for the Rebels at the five position, and she currently ranks second in the SEC with her 2.5 blocks per game and 10th at 7.6 rebounds.

BANKS WITH THE REJECTION
Junior Dominique Banks is on pace for history of her own. At her current average of 2.5 blocks per game, she is on pace to end the regular season ranked second on the Ole Miss single-season blocks list with 72 rejections.

1. Promise Taylor - 82 ('17-18, 31 games)
2. Shawn Goff - 67 ('07-08, 29 games)
3. Shawn Goff - 60 ('08-09, 30 games)
4. Susan Byrd - 60 ('93-94, 33 games)
5. Susan Byrd - 59 ('92-93, 28 games)

OH MY, SHE'S ON FIRE!
Junior Deja Cage has been a dynamic scorer for the Rebels, recording seven different double-digit game through 10 contests this season and standing as the top Ole Miss scorer in three contests. Her 13.7 points per game ranks 14th in the SEC. Cage has also been one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the league, ranking fifth in threes per game (2.1).

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 seven 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.

CLUTCH FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
Freshman and Pearl, Mississippi native Jayla Alexander has been money from the free throw line, currently leading the Rebels with a 23-of-25 line good for a 92 percent clip. Alexander has been a key reserve off the bench, scoring all 90 of her points off the bench -- including 52 points in a four-game stretch from Nov. 15 to Nov. 26. 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 game this season. Helping her against UNO was a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc.

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 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game through 10 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 percent three-point shooter. In her career, 85.3 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.

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

Iyanla Kitchens

Torri Lewis

Mimi Reid

Taylor Smith

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