Rebels Honor Four Seniors vs. Tennessee on Sunday

			OLE MISS (9-20, 3-12 SEC) vs. TENNESSEE (17-11, 6-9 SEC) Sunday, March 3 • 2 PM • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Senior Day
Watch • Listen • Live Stats • Buy Tickets • OleMissGameday.com Ole Miss Game Notes • Tennessee Game Notes • SEC Game Notes

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball will pay homage to its senior class and look to finish the regular season on a strong note when it hosts the Tennessee Lady Vols for a Sunday afternoon contest. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on SECN+.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (9-20, 3-12 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 1st Season at Ole Miss (9-20) • 103-83 career record (6th Season)

Tennessee Lady Vols (17-11, 6-9 SEC)
Head Coach: Holly Warlick • 7th Season at Tennessee (170-65) • 170-65 career record (7th 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 / RebelVision
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty

SERIES AT A GLANCE
At Oxford: Tennessee leads 19-4
At Knoxville: Tennessee leads 21-2
At Neutral Sites: Tennessee leads 5-2
Longest UM Streak: 4 (1985-87)
Longest UT Streak: 28 (1996-2016)
Biggest UM Win: 14 (2/5/86 - at Oxford)
Biggest UT Win: 67 (2/8/01 - at Knoxville)
Most UM Points: 83 (3/1/86 - at Athens)
Most UT Points: 119 (2/8/01 - at Knoxville)
Last 10 Meetings: Tennessee leads 9-1

SERIES NOTES

Series History
Tennessee leads, 45-8

Current Streak
Tennessee, 1

First Meeting
Jan. 17, 1977
• L, 58-56, in Oxford

First SEC Meeting
Jan. 8, 1983
• L, 69-67, in Oxford

Last Meeting
Jan. 25, 2018
• L, 75-66, in Knoxville

Last Win/Last Time in Oxford
Jan. 12, 2017
• W, 67-62
• First Rebel win vs. Tennessee since 1996 (snapped 28-game losing streak)
• Shandricka Sessom: 14 points, 11 rebounds

SCOUTING TENNESSEE

Current Record: 17-11, 6-9 SEC
• RPI: 65
• Owns the NCAA's No. 19 toughest schedule
• Owns ranked win over No. 12 Texas (88-82)
• Ranked losses to No. 8 Stanford (95-85), No. 16 Kentucky (73-71), No. 1 Notre Dame (77-62), No. 6 Mississippi State (91-63), No. 21 Texas A&M (79-62) and No. 13 South Carolina (82-67)
• Holds the NCAA's 10th-best rebounding margin at +9.6
• Also ranks in the NCAA top-10 in total rebounds (6th, 1,236), rebounds per game (7th, 44.1) and offensive rebounds per game (7th, 17.0)
• Leads SEC in rebounding offense
• Ranks in the SEC top-three in rebounding margin (2nd, +9.6), offensive rebounds (2nd, 16.8/game), scoring offense (3rd, 74.8 PPG), assists (3rd, 13.9/game) and defensive rebounds (3rd, 27.4/game)
• Leads conference in SEC-only rebounding (43.3/game), second in rebounding margin (+8.5)
• Four averaging double-digits
• Two averaging 7.0+ rebounds per game
• Shooting .424 as a team
• Three with 20+ three-pointers

Players to Watch

#2 Evina Westbrook
• 15.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.6 SPG
• .415 FG, .384 3PT, 33 3PM, .715 FT
• 39th NCAA, 4th SEC in assists
• 11th SEC in scoring
• Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
• Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Watch List
• Preseason All-SEC

#00 Rennia Davis
• 14.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.5 SPG
• .452 FG, .372 3PT, 29 3PM, .887 FT
• 14th SEC in scoring
• 8th SEC in rebounding
• 10th SEC in FG percentage
• Wooden Award Midseason and Preseason Watch List
• Cheryl Miller Award Top-10 Finalist
• Preseason All-SEC

#10 Meme Jackson
• 10.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.7 SPG
• .382 FG, .331 3PT, 43 3PM, .838 FT
• Leads team in threes made

#14 Zaay Green
• 10.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, .395 FG
• Two-time SEC Freshman of the Week

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (at Alabama)
Ole Miss women's basketball had the ball several times late, but the Rebels weren't able to convert as Alabama prevailed, 46-43, in a wild finish at Coleman Coliseum on Feb. 28.

Despite a rough day shooting, the Rebels led throughout the first half, entering halftime with a 22-16 lead after forcing nine Crimson Tide turnovers – the fewest first half points allowed by Ole Miss in SEC play this year. Alabama responded, though, ripping off a 14-1 run in the third quarter after tying the game 27-27, ending the frame with a three-point lead at 36-33.

Ole Miss returned the favor, opening the fourth quarter with some energy and taking the lead back with 6:34 remaining on a jumper by Shandricka Sessom (nine points, five rebounds), who at that point had scored five unanswered for the Rebels. It would be the last field goal of the game for Ole Miss, though, as the Tide defense shut down the Rebels to a season-low 24.6 percent shooting overall.

A defensive tug-of-war encapsulated the final minute of play, as the Rebels were still in it in the closing seconds of the game. Down 46-43 with less than 20 seconds to play, the Rebel defense swarmed on a loose ball, with La'Karis Salter (two points, nine rebounds) coming up on the positive end of a jump ball for the steal to give Ole Miss possession with 17.6 seconds remaining. After a timeout, Ole Miss drew up a play for Sessom to tie the game with a three, but the ball hit the back iron. The Rebels fouled Alabama's Cierra Johnson (14 points, 14 rebounds), who missed both of her attempts.

Crystal Allen (20 points, seven rebounds) came down with the board with 2.6 seconds left to give Ole Miss one last shot after calling a timeout. The Tide defense guarded the in-bounds well, though, forcing Salter into a deep three that fell short as time expired.

Allen led the way for the Rebels once again, scoring a game-high 20 points. Allen, the SEC's third-leading scorer, has led Ole Miss in scoring in five straight games, scoring at least 20 in four of those contests. Tonight constituted her 12th game this season with 20 points or more.

Joining Johnson in double-digits for the Tide were Jasmine Walker (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Ariyah Copeland (10 points, seven rebounds).

FAREWELL TO FOUR REBEL SENIORS
Sunday's game vs. Tennessee marks the final home game for four Rebel seniors: Crystal Allen, Cecilia Muhate, La'Karis Salter and Shandricka Sessom. Among them they own 3,468 points in 439 career games played and 232 games started.

#5 Crystal Allen • G • Fort Worth, Texas
• Lone season at Ole Miss in 2018-19 after two seasons at Seattle and two at UT-Arlington
• Leads team, 3rd SEC with 17.9 PPG
• 1,347 career points scored, 519 in a Rebel uniform this year
• 113 career games played, 78 career starts
• SEC Player of the Week (Jan. 1)

#10 Cecilia Muhate • F • Madrid, Spain
• Four-year letterwinner
• 222 career points in 105 games played and 34 starts
• Has set career highs this year in games started, minutes, field goals, threes, rebounds, blocks and steals

#33 La'Karis Salter • F • Tallahassee, Fla.
• Lone season at Ole Miss after two at Mississippi State and two at Jacksonville with Coach Yo
• 481 career points in 94 games played and nine starts (all starts coming this year)
• Averaging 8.1 PPG and 5.0 RPG

#23 Shandricka Sessom • G • Byhalia, Miss.
• Fifth season at Ole Miss
• Has played in 127 career games, the 10th-most in school history
• Started in 111
• 1,418 points ranks 15th all-time
• One of 11 Rebels ever with 1,400 points and 600 rebounds
• Ranks fourth all-time with 128 career threes

REBELS LOCKED INTO NO. 12 SEED
After being picked to finish last during the preseason, Ole Miss has defied expectations during the first season of head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin by locking in the 12th seed for the SEC Tournament next week. Ole Miss will play the opening game of the tournament on March 6 at 10 a.m. CT against the winner of the Vanderbilt and Florida season finale contest that will determine the winner of the No. 13 seed. Ole Miss has a 27-38 all-time record in the SEC Tournament. The Rebels defeated Florida, 76-66, in Oxford on Jan. 20, and they have split with Vanderbilt, losing 80-68 in Nashville on Jan. 24 before evening the series, 65-60, in Oxford on Feb. 14.

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. 6), Purdue (No. 81) and TCU (No. 41) and Troy (No. 92), 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. 61 toughest schedule overall.

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 15 conference games thus far, averaging a combined 36.8 PPG while shooting 84.5 percent from the free throw line and hitting 77 of the 84 Rebel three-pointers in SEC play (91.7 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 11 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).

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 eight of its last 10 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. On the season, Ole Miss is holding opponents to just 29.9 percent from three, the sixth-best three-point defense in the SEC. Ole Miss has held 16 opponents to 30 percent or less from three, including 11 that shot 25 percent or worse and four that haven't been able to break 20 percent. 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. 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.

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 8-3 when holding a lead at halftime, sitting ahead by an average of 8.5 points each time.

OFF THE GLASS
Currently, Ole Miss is 6-3 in games when out-rebounding opponents, but just 3-16 when getting beat on the glass. The Rebels average 35.9 rebounds per game -- 41.0 in wins, 33.5 in losses.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

OH MY, SHE'S ON FIRE!
Senior Crystal Allen has been lights-out, scoring 20 or more in four of her last five games and hitting at least two three-pointers in each game. In that stretch, Allen is averaging 21.0 points per game. In her previous four outings, Allen was averaging just 11.8 PPG. In these last five games, Allen is shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. 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 24 of 29 games
• Ole Miss leading scorer in 25 of 29 games
• 3rd SEC in total points (519)
• 3rd in SEC with 17.9 PPG
• Ranks 5th with 17.6 PPG in SEC play
• Leads SEC in threes made (76)
• Leads the SEC in free throw shooting at 82.9 percent
• Also ranks in SEC overall top-10 in: threes per game (2nd, 2.6), three-point shooting (6th, .332) and minutes per game (8th, 33.6).
• 5th in SEC-only free throw percentage (.848)
• 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
• 12 games with 20+ points
• Double-digits in 26 of 29 games played
• 20+ points in four of last five 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 (78)
• Averaging 21.7 PPG in wins, 17.9 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 1,418 points and 619 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 76 of the 163 Ole Miss treys this year (46.7 percent). At her pace of 2.6 treys per game, Allen is on pace to sink 78 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 fourth among all freshmen nationally with 121 assists, putting her average of 4.5 per game at No. 6 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, recording 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 54 threes this season, giving her and fellow senior Crystal Allen (76) a combined total of 130 of 163 total Ole Miss treys this year (79.8 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 182 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-) – 182
5. Gracie Frizzell (2011-15) – 164
6. Madinah Muhammad (2015-18) - 154

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.

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 1,418 points, while Allen's 1,347 puts her at 10th in the league.

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

RebelsCalendar

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Crystal Allen

Gabby Crawford

Mahogany Matthews

Madinah Muhammad

Cecilia Muhate

Mimi Reid

La'Karis Salter

Shandricka Sessom

Taylor Smith

The University of Mississippi Athletics