Rebels Hit Road for Alabama

			OLE MISS (9-19, 3-11 SEC) at ALABAMA (12-15, 4-10 SEC) Thursday, Feb. 28 • 7 PM • Tuscaloosa, Ala. Coleman Coliseum ( 15,383)
Watch • Listen • Live Stats Ole Miss Game Notes • Alabama Game Notes • SEC Game Notes

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – SEC Tournament seeding implications are on the line when Ole Miss women's basketball travels to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on SECN+.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (9-19, 3-11 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (9-19) • 103-82 career record (6th Season)

Alabama Crimson Tide (12-15, 4-10 SEC)
Head Coach: Kristy Curry • 6th Season at Alabama (96-94) • 405-243 career record (20th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Eli Gold
Color: Rick Moody

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: 105.1 FM
Audio: TuneIn / RebelVision
Play-by-Play: Will Kollmeyer
Color: Lindsay Roy

SERIES AT A GLANCE
At Oxford: Ole Miss leads 17-10
At Tuscaloosa: Alabama leads 14-11
At Neutral Sites: Ole Miss leads 6-1
Longest UM Streak: 8 (2004-2009)
Longest UA Streak: 5 (1997-2000)
Biggest UM Win: 41 (2/11/07 - at Oxford)
Biggest UA Win: 28 (1/5/97 - at Tuscaloosa)
Most UM Points: 100 (1/5/79 - at Starkville)
Most UA Points: 93 (1/12/14, 2/13/93; 1/11/82 )
Last 10 Meetings: Alabama leads 8-2

SERIES NOTES

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 34-25

Current Streak
Alabama, 4

First Meeting
Jan. 10, 1977
• W, 73-70, in Tuscaloosa

First SEC Meeting
Jan. 24, 1983
• W, 85-58, in Tuscaloosa

Last Meeting
Feb. 11, 2018
• L, 82-79, in Oxford

Last Time in Tuscaloosa
Jan. 5, 2017
• L, 90-80
• Shandricka Sessom: 14 points, 4 rebounds

Last Win
Jan. 11, 2015
• W, 77-63, in Oxford
• Four Rebels in double-digits
• Gracie Frizzell: 24, 8-of-12 3PT
• Was a school record for threes at the time

Last Win in Tuscaloosa
Jan. 15, 2012
• W, 69-55
• Valencia McFarland: 25 points, 9 assists

SCOUTING ALABAMA

Current Record: 12-15, 4-10 SEC
• RPI: 147
• Defeated No. 17 Tennessee, 86-65, on Jan. 17
• Currently the No. 11 seed in the SEC
• Two active players averaging double digits
• Shooting .392 as a team, .312 from three
• Out-rebounding opponents by a +2.1 margin
• Two averaging 7.0 RPG or more

Players to Watch

#4 Cierra Johnson
• 14.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.3 SPG
• .388 FG, .319 3PT, .739 FT
• 9th SEC in FT shooting, 15th in scoring

#40 Jasmine Walker
• 12.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG
• .411 FG, .360 3PT
• Leads team with 45 threes

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (at Arkansas)
Ole Miss women's basketball traded eight lead changes and trailed by only two at halftime, but a third quarter Arkansas run fueled by the conference's second-leading scorer, Chelsea Dungee, put the Razorbacks on top, 73-61, at Bud Walton Arena on Feb. 24.

Both teams shot better than 40 percent from the field in the tug-of-war first half, but foul trouble slowed down the Rebel effort in the back half as Dungee – owner of the SEC's top scoring output this season at 41 points over Auburn on Feb. 10 – took control. She scored 19 of her 33 points in the second half, and on the day she was 8-of-17 from the field and 12-of-15 from the foul line. Arkansas won the third quarter 22-14 and rode that momentum toward victory.

Ole Miss rebounded the ball well, edging the Razorbacks 36-30 on the glass. That included 15 offensive rebounds and 22 second chance points, but Arkansas (17-11, 6-8 SEC) was able to mitigate that by slowing the Rebel offense down to 32.3 percent shooting in the second half and claiming an advantage on the free throw line, going 20-of-26 from the charity stripe.

Leading the Rebels offensively were seniors Crystal Allen and La'Karis Salter. Allen scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds while Salter scored 11 and tied for the team lead with six rebounds. Freshman Mimi Reid put in 10 points and six assists, senior Shandricka Sessom notched nine points and four rebounds and junior Shannon Dozier had eight points and two rebounds.

Even with the loss, Ole Miss has shown great improvement since the start of SEC play. The Rebels have now faced three SEC opponents twice, and fared significantly better in the second meeting each time – including a 65-60 win vs. Vanderbilt on Feb. 14 to avenge a loss to the Commodores in January.

CRUNCH TIME
After being picked to finish last during the preseason, Ole Miss has defied expectations by sitting 12th in the conference standings during the first season of head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. Thursday night's matchup at Alabama is a crucial one, as the 3-11 Rebels go up against the 11th-seeded Crimson Tide, who are 4-10. A win for the Rebels on Thursday night would give Ole Miss the tiebreaker edge over Alabama, if needed, when the regular season concludes on March 3. The SEC tiebreaker rules first go to head-to-head records before going toward each respective schools' record against the top seed in the SEC Tournament, making the way down the seeding list until one of the tied schools has a better record. If both teams are somehow still tied after this, a coin flip by the Commissioner will determine who receives the higher seed.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Rebel senior trio of Crystal Allen, La'Karis Salter and Shandricka Sessom have been the cornerstones of the Ole Miss offense in SEC play. At least two of them have scored in double-digits in 11 of 14 conference games thus far, averaging a combined 37.2 PPG while shooting 85.3 percent from the free throw line and hitting 74 of the 80 Rebel three-pointers in SEC play (92.5 percent). All three have scored in double-digits twice in SEC play this year in wins over Florida and Vanderbilt. In those wins, the trio have accounted for 77.3 percent of all Rebel scoring with 109 of 141 total points.

VS. RANKED COMPETITION IN 2019
Ole Miss has faced six ranked opponents in 2018-19, with five of those contests coming within the last 10 games. Ole Miss lost to No. 2 UConn (90-50) in the U.S. Virgin Islands at the Paradise Jam before winning at No. 16 Kentucky on Jan. 13 -- the first win on the road vs. a ranked school since 2011 and the first overall in Lexington since 2007. Since, the Rebels have fallen at No. 6 Mississippi State (80-49), at home vs. No. 20 Texas A&M (72-60) -- in which Ole Miss lead at halftime -- at No. 12 South Carolina (76-42) and vs. No. 6 Mississippi State (80-66).

REBELS VS. THE RPI TOP-100
Ole Miss had a fairly strong non-conference schedule with the likes of current RPI top-100 teams like UConn (No. 5), Purdue (No. 73) and TCU (No. 49) and Troy (No. 96), but the SEC slate has been even more difficult, with 10 conference schools all within the top-100 and five within the top-30. Ole Miss currently holds the No. 58 toughest schedule overall.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss has utilized nine different starting lineups in SEC play this season, as well as 16 total on the season. The Rebels opened the conference season with four brand-new starting lineups vs. Mizzou, Arkansas, LSU and Kentucky. All four lineups included at least two freshmen, with the game vs. Arkansas containing four: Gabby Crawford, Mahogany Matthews, Mimi Reid and Taylor Smith. All 10 Rebels on the active roster have started this year.

The longest running lineup in SEC play has been the starting five of Mimi Reid (point guard), senior Crystal Allen (guard), Taylor Smith (guard), Shandricka Sessom (guard) and La'Karis Salter (forward), which helped Ole Miss to back-to-back SEC wins for the first time in two years at No. 16 Kentucky and Florida.

OFF THE LINE
Ole Miss has proved difficult to damage from distance, holding opponents to five or fewer three-pointers in seven of its last nine games, including four straight from Jan. 24 to Feb. 3. In that four-game stretch, Rebel opponents shot just 13-of-54 (.241) from beyond the arc. Included in that is an Ole Miss opponent season-low 1-of-9 (.111) by No. 20 Texas A&M on Feb. 3. On the season, Ole Miss is holding opponents to just 30.3 percent from three, the seventh-best three-point defense in the SEC. Ole Miss has held 15 opponents to 30 percent or less from three, including 10 that shot 25 percent or worse. Last season, Ole Miss held opponents under 30 percent just 10 times all season.

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN, YES!
In contrast to the Ole Miss three-point defense, the Rebels have also found success offensively from beyond the arc, currently owning the SEC's sixth-best three-point percentage at 32.8 percent. In SEC play, the Rebels hit 40 percent or better in four of seven games from Jan. 20 to Feb. 14. Included in that stretch were performances of 50 percent at No. 6 Mississippi State (7-of-14) and 40 percent vs. No. 20 Texas A&M (8-of-20). The Aggies entered that Feb. 3 matchup with the SEC's top three-point defense.

Ole Miss opened the season without breaking 33 percent from beyond the arc in each of its first six games, but then went on to shoot 33 percent or better in seven of the final eight games in non-conference. That included a stretch of 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.

Ole Miss closed non-conference season with a season-high 14 threes vs. North Florida, which ties for the fifth-most in a single-game in school history. Helping greatly in that effort was nine threes alone from Allen, the second-most by a Rebel in school history.

LATE GAME SUCCESS
The Rebels have showed a consistent resiliency throughout the season in the late stages of games, as Ole Miss is currently beating opponents in the fourth quarter by an advantage of 485-450. Ole Miss has won or tied the fourth quarter in 19 games this season, and is averaging 17.3 points in the final frame.

SHARING IS CARING
Controlling the game with an efficient offense has been crucial for the Rebels this season, as Ole Miss has gone 6-5 in games where it tallies more assists than its opponent but 3-14 on the opposite end of the spectrum. Ole Miss recorded an SEC season-high 20 assists in the win vs. Florida on Jan. 20 on 27 made field goals -- the fifth game with 20 or more assists this season. The Rebels also had a stellar non-conference season sharing the ball. In 14 non-conference games, Ole Miss had at least 15 assists in seven games, with at least 20 in four contests. By contrast, the Rebels only eclipsed the 20-assist mark three times throughout the entire 2017-18 season.

The Rebels had impressive success sharing the ball over a three-game stretch of at least 18 assists from Dec. 8-15, the first three-game streak for Ole Miss since Dec. 10-17, 2016. 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).

MAKING THEM COUNT
Ole Miss has been on fire from the charity stripe, currently ranking as the SEC's fifth-best free throw shooting team in conference play at 73.3 percent. Ole Miss hit double-digit free throws in five straight games from Jan. 6 to Jan. 24, going 62-of-76 (.816) in that stretch. Ole Miss has only shot worse than 70 percent from the foul line four times in conference action after doing so seven times in the non-conference season. From Jan. 10 to Jan. 31, senior Crystal Allen single-handedly put up a line of 45-of-46 herself. On the year, Ole Miss is shooting 70.3 percent overall -- the seventh-best average in the SEC. The Rebels average 9.8 makes on 14.0 trips to the free throw line on the season.

EARLY SUCCESS = WINS
When the Rebel offense has gotten off to a strong start, it has meant good things for Ole Miss. The Rebels are 8-2 when holding a lead at halftime, sitting ahead by an average of 8.7 points each time.

OFF THE GLASS
Currently, Ole Miss is 6-3 in games when out-rebounding opponents, but just 3-15 when getting beat on the glass. The Rebels average 35.7 rebounds per game -- 41.0 in wins, 33.2 in losses.

TURNING A CORNER
Ole Miss ripped off two impressive wins after starting off SEC play 0-3, defeating No. 16 Kentucky (55-49) on Jan. 13 before prevailing against Florida (76-66) on Jan. 20. The win against the Gators marked the first consecutive SEC wins for Ole Miss since 2016-17 when the Rebels defeated Georgia at home on Jan. 29, 2017 (69-62) and Florida in Gainesville on Feb. 6 (85-75).

The win in Lexington was a historic one, as the Rebels came away with the first win at UK since 2007. Ole Miss won that game 67-65 in overtime, with current Ole Miss assistant coach and Rebel All-American Armintie Price Herrington recording a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. The win this year was also the first on the road against a ranked opponent since Jan. 23, 2011 at No. 23 Arkansas (69-65) and the first against Kentucky in general since the 2015-16 season when the Rebels took down the 9th-ranked Wildcats in Oxford, 73-65. These back-to-back wins mark just the fifth time Ole Miss has won consecutive SEC games since 2009-10. Ole Miss has not won three SEC games in a row since the 2014-15 season. Ole Miss did so twice that year: once from Feb. 19 at Auburn (51-46), Feb. 23 vs. Kentucky (67-59) to Feb. 26 vs. LSU (58-57); and once earlier from Jan. 8 at Florida (64-57), Jan. 11 vs. Alabama (77-63) and Jan. 15 vs. Georgia (55-52).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

OH MY, SHE'S ON FIRE!
Senior Crystal Allen has been lights-out, scoring 20 or more in three of her last four games and hitting at least three three-pointers in each game. In that stretch, Allen is averaging 21.3 points per game. In her previous four outings, Allen was averaging just 11.8 PPG. In these last four games, Allen is shooting 46 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three -- going 12-of-28 from beyond the arc. Allen's 29-point performance vs. No. 6 Mississippi State is tied for the most points scored against the Bulldogs this season.

ALLEN'S ALL-SEC RESUME
Ole Miss redshirt senior Crystal Allen has been the center of attention for opposing defenses, and it proves in the stat sheet. After two seasons at Seattle and two at UT-Arlington, Allen's lone season in the SEC has proven to be a superb one:

• Has started 23 of 28 games
• Ole Miss leading scorer in 24 of 28 games
• 3rd SEC in total points (499)
• 3rd in SEC with 17.8 PPG
• Ranks 4th with 17.4 PPG in SEC play
• Leads SEC in threes made (74)
• Leads the SEC in free throw shooting at 83.3 percent
• Also ranks in SEC overall top-10 in: threes per game (2nd, 2.6), three-point shooting (6th, .341) and minutes per game (8th, 33.4).
• 4th in SEC-only free throw percentage (.857)
• Held the NCAA's longest active free throw streak at one point. Hit 47 consecutive free throws from Jan. 10 until Feb. 3, going 47-of-50 in that stretch (.940)
• Did not miss multiple free throws in a game from Dec. 8 until Feb. 3, going 63-of-69 (.913)
• Ranks in the NCAA top-100 in 10 categories
• 11 games with 20+ points
• Double-digits in 25 of 28 games played
• 20+ points in three of last four games
• Career-high 34 points vs. North Florida, which at the time was the most by anyone in the SEC
• 28 points at No. 16 Kentucky, 26 in the second half for the first Ole Miss win over a ranked team on the road since 2011 (first at UK since 2007)
• In a blistering three-game stretch from Dec. 19 to Jan. 3, averaged 26.3 PPG and sank 15 threes in three consecutive 20-point outings.
• On pace for the 2nd-most threes in a season in Ole Miss history (79)
• Averaging 21.7 PPG in wins, 17.6 PPG on the road

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 1,409 points and 614 rebounds in her storied career, Sessom is one of just 11 Rebels to ever eclipse 1,400 points and 600 boards.

ALLEN ON PACE FROM THREE
Crystal Allen has been money from three for the Rebels this year, draining 74 of the 159 Ole Miss treys this year (46.5 percent). At her pace of 2.6 treys per game, Allen is on pace to sink 79 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.

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. After a nine-assist game vs. Vanderbilt on Feb. 14, Reid stands alone as the only freshman to have recorded nine or more assists in SEC play. She is also 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 120 assists, putting her average of 4.6 per game at No. 5 in the SEC. 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.

BIG TICKET = BIG BUCKETS
Senior La'Karis Salter has been on fire in conference play, improving her scoring average from 7.3 PPG in non-conference play to 9.4 in SEC season, while also registering a massive increase in three-point conversions from 13 percent to 30.4 percent. Salter has recorded seven of her 11 double-digit games in SEC play, and in the three Rebel wins in SEC play, Salter is putting up 15.7 per game. At No. 16 Kentucky, Salter recorded her second career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards en route to the big ranked road win for the Rebels. Salter has followed that up with a career-high 18 points in a win vs. Florida and 17 toward victory against Vanderbilt.

GETTING IN A GROOVE
Senior Shandricka Sessom was struggling from beyond the arc for a bit to start SEC play, going 2-for-18 in her first four conference games this season. Sessom broke out of that in a big way vs. Florida, draining three consecutive three-pointers in 38 seconds in the first quarter to give the Rebels a big momentum boost right off the bat. In the nine games following the Florida showing, Sessom went 25-of-53 from beyond the arc and scored in double-digits six times. Sessom has 53 threes this season, giving her and fellow senior Crystal Allen (74) a combined total of 127 of 159 total Ole Miss treys this year (79.9 percent).

MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME LIST
Senior Shandricka Sessom is continuing to cement herself as one of the best three-point shooters in Ole Miss history. At 181 career treys, Sessom ranks fourth on the all-time list.

OLE MISS CAREER THREE-POINTERS, ALL-TIME
1. Becky Myatt (1998-01) – 232
2. Bianca Thomas (2006-10) – 226
3. Regan Seybert (1993-97) – 194
4. Shandricka Sessom (2014-) – 181
5. Gracie Frizzell (2011-15) – 164
6. Madinah Muhammad (2015-18) - 154

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 seventh among active SEC scorers with 1,409 points, while Allen's 1,327 puts her at 10th in the league.

YOU GO, WE GO
In Rebel wins, senior Crystal Allen is averaging 21.7 PPG (31.4 percent of all Rebel scoring) while shooting 43.9 percent overall, 41.9 percent from three (31-of-74) and 87.3 percent from the free throw line.

FREE THROW STREAK ENDS
No one in the SEC was hotter from the free throw line in the last month than senior Crystal Allen, who hit 47 consecutive free throws from Jan. 10 to Feb. 3, snapping the streak vs. No. 20 Texas A&M on Feb. 3 as the NCAA active leader. In that stretch, Allen was 47-of-50 (.940) from the charity stripe, making at least eight free throws in four of seven contests. Before missing three against the Aggies, Allen had not missed multiple free throws since Dec. 8 vs. Savannah State, going 63-of-69 (.913) in between.

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

Shannon Dozier

Mahogany Matthews

Madinah Muhammad

Mimi Reid

La'Karis Salter

Shandricka Sessom

Taylor Smith

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