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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, February 21
Oxford, Miss.
7 PM
Ole Miss
9-18, 3-10SEC
66
vs
80
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Mississippi State
24-2, 12-1SEC
1
2
3
4
F
Mississippi State
16
21
26
17
80
Ole Miss
15
14
14
23
66
Rebels Fight Hard, Come Up Short vs. No. 6 Mississippi State
2/21/2019 | Women's Basketball
Box Score<i class="icon-paper"></i> Final Stats (PDF)<i class="icon-camera"></i> Photos<i class="icon-video"></i> Highlights<i class="icon-video"></i> Postgame<i class="icon-speech-bubblesvg"></i> Quotes
Crystal Allen Led the Rebel Offense With 29 Points
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball kept the game close for the majority of the first half, but a late second quarter run jumpstarted the Mississippi State offense, and the Rebels ultimately fell 80-66 to the 6th-ranked Bulldogs at The Pavilion on Thursday night.
"I was very pleased with how my squad responded after a difficult loss in Athens," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "We just played a team that could potentially be in the Final Four, and I thought that we gave them our best punch. Wish a couple things could've gone better in the third quarter, but when you play a team like that you have to have your best game with no mistakes."
Making her return to the starting lineup, senior Crystal Allen was spectacular for Ole Miss, scoring a team-high 29 points, which tied for the most scored against Mississippi State this season. She has reached 20 points in three-straight games and is the SEC's third-leading scorer, averaging 18.0 PPG.
Allen also became the first Rebel to score at least 29 points against Mississippi State since Feb. 23, 2014, when Valencia McFarland scored 29 vs. the Bulldogs in a 72-70 overtime loss in Starkville. Tia Faleru scored 29 vs. the Bulldogs earlier that season in an 87-85 overtime victory in Oxford.
Anriel Howard (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Jordan Danberry (20 points) led the way for MSU, while national player of the year candidate Teaira McCowan put together a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards. The Rebels, though, were able to slow down McCowan in the second half, holding her to just two points and two rebounds in the back half.
"I don't think there's a player more dominant in this league, so for us to do that, that's definitely something that we're proud of," McPhee-McCuin said.
Freshman Gabby Crawford had her best performance in conference play, scoring seven points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field. Entering this game, she had not scored more than four in a game in conference play.
While the Rebels had solid individual performances and shot the ball well, Mississippi State was able to control the game down low. The Bulldogs finished with a 40-30 rebounding margin and a 44-24 edge in points in the paint.
Mimi Reid carried the Rebel offense during the first half, all 11 of her points coming during the first 20 minutes of action. She also finished the game with six rebounds, which ranked second for the Rebels.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team leading by more than four. The game was tied 12-12 at the first media timeout, which was followed by a scoring drought for both teams that lasted 2:56. Mississippi State scored the next four points, but Shandricka Sessom (three points, eight rebounds) hit a three-pointer at the end of the quarter to bring the Rebels within one (16-15).
The second quarter started similar to the first with both teams exchanging buckets, leaving Mississippi State with a 22-21 lead after the first four minutes of action. The Bulldogs turned on the gas from there with a 9-3 run, leading at halftime 37-29.
Mississippi State (24-2, 12-1 SEC) started the second half strong and never looked back, outscoring Ole Miss 26-14 in the third quarter. The Rebels won the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 23-17 during the final frame, but ultimately lost 80-66.
"Overall, I thought we did our university proud," McPhee-McCuin said. "I'm not using that as a moral victory. It's a step in the right direction. The fact that we were able to do that today gives us something to build on."
Ole Miss (9-18, 3-10 SEC) now looks ahead to a Sunday afternoon battle at Arkansas (16-11, 5-8 SEC) that will be aired on SEC Network at 3 p.m. CT.
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
"I was very pleased with how my squad responded after a difficult loss in Athens," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "We just played a team that could potentially be in the Final Four, and I thought that we gave them our best punch. Wish a couple things could've gone better in the third quarter, but when you play a team like that you have to have your best game with no mistakes."
Making her return to the starting lineup, senior Crystal Allen was spectacular for Ole Miss, scoring a team-high 29 points, which tied for the most scored against Mississippi State this season. She has reached 20 points in three-straight games and is the SEC's third-leading scorer, averaging 18.0 PPG.
Allen also became the first Rebel to score at least 29 points against Mississippi State since Feb. 23, 2014, when Valencia McFarland scored 29 vs. the Bulldogs in a 72-70 overtime loss in Starkville. Tia Faleru scored 29 vs. the Bulldogs earlier that season in an 87-85 overtime victory in Oxford.
Anriel Howard (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Jordan Danberry (20 points) led the way for MSU, while national player of the year candidate Teaira McCowan put together a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards. The Rebels, though, were able to slow down McCowan in the second half, holding her to just two points and two rebounds in the back half.
"I don't think there's a player more dominant in this league, so for us to do that, that's definitely something that we're proud of," McPhee-McCuin said.
Freshman Gabby Crawford had her best performance in conference play, scoring seven points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field. Entering this game, she had not scored more than four in a game in conference play.
While the Rebels had solid individual performances and shot the ball well, Mississippi State was able to control the game down low. The Bulldogs finished with a 40-30 rebounding margin and a 44-24 edge in points in the paint.
Mimi Reid carried the Rebel offense during the first half, all 11 of her points coming during the first 20 minutes of action. She also finished the game with six rebounds, which ranked second for the Rebels.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team leading by more than four. The game was tied 12-12 at the first media timeout, which was followed by a scoring drought for both teams that lasted 2:56. Mississippi State scored the next four points, but Shandricka Sessom (three points, eight rebounds) hit a three-pointer at the end of the quarter to bring the Rebels within one (16-15).
The second quarter started similar to the first with both teams exchanging buckets, leaving Mississippi State with a 22-21 lead after the first four minutes of action. The Bulldogs turned on the gas from there with a 9-3 run, leading at halftime 37-29.
Mississippi State (24-2, 12-1 SEC) started the second half strong and never looked back, outscoring Ole Miss 26-14 in the third quarter. The Rebels won the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 23-17 during the final frame, but ultimately lost 80-66.
"Overall, I thought we did our university proud," McPhee-McCuin said. "I'm not using that as a moral victory. It's a step in the right direction. The fact that we were able to do that today gives us something to build on."
Ole Miss (9-18, 3-10 SEC) now looks ahead to a Sunday afternoon battle at Arkansas (16-11, 5-8 SEC) that will be aired on SEC Network at 3 p.m. CT.
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
Team Stats
MS
OM
FG%
.453
.451
3FG%
.231
.353
FT%
.792
.609
RB
40
30
TO
10
15
STL
6
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
29
FGM
10
3FGM
3
FTM
6
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
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