Rebels Travel to Auburn for Thursday Night Contest

			OLE MISS (7-11, 0-5 SEC) at AUBURN (6-10, 0-5 SEC) Thursday, Jan. 23 • 6 p.m. • Auburn, Ala. Auburn Arena (9,121)
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AUBURN, Ala. – The Ole Miss women's basketball team opens a two-game road swing when it travels to Auburn for a Thursday night matchup. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT inside Auburn Arena and on SEC Network +.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (7-11, 0-5 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (16-33) • 110-96 career record (7th Season)

Auburn Tigers (6-10, 0-5 SEC)
Head Coach: Terri Williams-Flournoy • 8th Season at Auburn (124-101) • 267-205 career record (17th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Brad Law
Color: Joe Ciampi

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: 105.1 FM
Audio: TuneIn
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty

SERIES AT A GLANCE
At Oxford: Ole Miss leads 13-12
At Auburn: Auburn leads 18-8
At Neutral Sites: Auburn leads 6-4
Longest UM Streak: 5 (1978-1983)
Longest AU Streak: 9 (1987-1991)
Biggest UM Win: 45 (12/8/78 - at Auburn)
Biggest AU Win: 26 (3/2/91; 3/25/89; 1/8/17)
Most UM Points: 107 (12/8/78 - at Auburn)
Most AU Points: 82 (2/24/05; 2/12/04)
Last 10 Meetings: Auburn leads 7-3

SERIES NOTES vs. AUBURN

Series History
Auburn leads, 36-25

Current Streak
Auburn, 2

First Meeting
Dec. 8, 1978
• W, 107-62, at Auburn
• Most points scored over an SEC opponent

First SEC Meeting
Feb. 2, 1983
• L, 79-77, at Auburn

Last Meeting
Jan. 31, 2019
• L, 64-51, in Oxford

Last Time at Auburn
Feb. 25, 2018
• L, 60-55

Last Win
Feb. 16, 2017
• W, 63-59, in Oxford

Last Win at Auburn
Feb. 19, 2015
• W, 51-46

SCOUTING AUBURN

Record
6-10, 0-5 SEC

National Rankings
AP Ranking: N/A
Coaches Ranking: N/A

Last Game
L, 61-50, vs. Georgia
• Top scorers: Daisa Alexander (17), Unique Thompson (13), Royn Benton (12)
• Thompson: NCAA-leading 15th double-double in 16 games played (13 points, 11 rebounds)
• Shot 28.3 percent, allowed 43.1
• Both teams shot combined 6-of-35 from three-point distance (.171)
• Out-scored 23-10 in 3rd Quarter

Notes
• RPI: 149
• NCAA No. 22 toughest future strength of schedule, No. 23 past strength
• Shooting .400, allowing .466
• Shooting .284 from three, allowing .363
• Rebounding Margin: +2.2
• Scoring Margin: -6.1
• Leads SEC, 24th NCAA in steals (10.9/game)
• Also leads in SEC-only play (12.8/game)
• 5th SEC in threes made (6.1/game)
• Allowing 73.5 PPG (most in SEC)

AUBURN PLAYERS TO WATCH

#20 Unique Thompson
• 16.7 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.8 SPG
• .583 FG, .689 FT
• Leads NCAA in double-doubles (15)
• Leads NCAA in offensive rebounds (5.2/game)
• Leads SEC, 4th NCAA in rebounding (12.0/game)
• One of two in SEC averaging a double-double this season (N'Dea Jones, Texas A&M; 12.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG)
• 3rd SEC, 22nd NCAA in shooting (.583)
• 5th SEC in scoring (16.7 PPG)
• 8th SEC in minutes (31.7/game)
• Career vs. Ole Miss (2 games): 35 points (17.5 PPG), 21 rebounds (10.5/game), 3 assists (1.5/game), 2 steals (1.0/game), 2 blocks (1.0/game), 10-of-22 FG (.455), 15-of-20 FT (.750)
• 2019, in Oxford: 20 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 5-8 FG, 10-12 FT
• 2018, in Auburn: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 5-14 FG, 5-8 FT

#00 Daisa Alexander
• 14.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.4 SPG, 2.0 APG
• .432 FG, .308 3PT, .750 FT
• 5th SEC in steals (2.4/game)
• 5th SEC in FT shooting (.750)
• 12th SEC in scoring (14.1 PPG)
• Career vs. Ole Miss (3 games): 33 points (11.0/game), 3 rebounds (1.0/game), 2 assists (0.7/game), 8 steals (2.7/game), 9-of-23 FG (.391), 3-of-8 3PT (.375), 3-of-4 FT (.750)
• 2019, in Oxford: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 4-11 FG, 2-6 3PT
• 2018, in Auburn: 21 points, 1 assist, 3 steals, 4-8 FG, 1-2 3PT, 3-4 FT
• 2017, in Auburn: 2 points, 1 steal, 1-4 FG

LAST TIME OUT (vs. MISSOURI)
The Ole Miss women's basketball team showed incredible resilience but ultimately fell to the Missouri Tigers, 71-57, at The Pavilion on Jan. 19.

Ole Miss (7-11, 0-5 SEC) clawed its way back from a large first quarter deficit, erasing a 22-point Missouri (5-14, 2-4 SEC) lead by the opening minutes of the third quarter, but the Tigers held on and extended after an excellent offensive showing in the final frame.

"I thought today we started off slow for whatever reason," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "I'm glad that we were able to pick it up and we made a strong push, but we just ran out of gas. What we take from this is that we can't have starts like this. We have to give ourselves a chance from the beginning. We are just going to continue to fight and continue to push."

Junior Deja Cage (19 points, three assists, two rebounds, one steal) hit the first of many buckets on Sunday on the Rebels' first possession, a jumper from the top of the key. However, that would be the final points for Ole Miss for nearly five minutes as Missouri ripped off a 13-0 run that included a 3-of-6 mark from beyond the arc. Missouri's Aijha Blackwell (20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals) recorded eight of her 20 points in that run and 10 total in the first quarter, including two of her three trifectas on the day.

Missouri led 22-6 at the end of the first quarter and had gotten out to a 32-10 lead by the 5:56 mark of the second, but then Ole Miss turned on the jets in spectacular fashion. The Rebels scored 13 unanswered over the next four minutes of action, including two treys from sophomore Taylor Smith (eight points, three rebounds, one assist) – who had only hit one three-pointer in her career entering Sunday.

The Rebels ended up closing the half on a 16-1 run, helped greatly by a second quarter shooting percentage of 50 percent and a 4-of-6 line from beyond the arc. Ole Miss extended that into a 23-1 run in the opening minutes of the third quarter after two more Deja Cage buckets and a layup from Dominique Banks (two points, six rebounds, one steal), tying the game 33-33 at 8:28 in the third on a Cage jumper.

A tug of war ensued for the remainder of the third as both teams traded buckets. Freshman Jayla Alexander (16 points, eight assists, one rebound, one steal) hit one of her three trifectas while being fouled at a crucial juncture at the 6:46 mark to cut the Tiger lead to one at 37-36, but could not convert the free throw to tie the game back up. From there, Missouri was able to separate to a five point lead at the end of the third before a 57.1 fourth quarter shooting percentage helped it separate toward the final score of 71-57.

Mimi Reid also had a solid game with eight points, as did freshman Bryn Parker in her first career start, scoring two points while hauling in five rebounds alongside two blocks – her third straight game with at least four boards since becoming a regular contributor in the Rebel lineup. The newest addition to the Ole Miss roster, former team manager and junior college transfer Tootie Rankin, played 17 minutes in her Rebel debut, scoring two points while adding three boards.

Additionally, the Rebels were playing in front of a large group of Ole Miss women's basketball alumni, coaches and staff as part of the annual Alumni Weekend festivities. Four Rebel head coaches – Lin Dunn (1977-78), Van Chancellor (1978-97), Carol Ross (2003-07) and Renee Ladner (2007-12) – were in attendance alongside roughly 100 additional former Ole Miss players and staff.

"We just have to keep fighting," McPhee-McCuin said. "We have to keep getting better and laying the foundation. I'm not going to let the results of wins and losses define this group. We've been through a lot, but we are going to keep working at it. We feel like we're on track."

TEAM NOTES

DAUNTING SCHEDULE AHEAD
Ole Miss not only faces the yearly gauntlet of SEC season now, but it also is going up against a slate of some of the naton's best squads. A total of 10 of the SEC's 14 teams currently reside in the NCAA RPI top-100.

Ole Miss holds the nation's 29th-toughest future schedule according the the NCAA's strength of schedule rankings.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss has used 14 different starting lineups in 18 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.

OFF THE LINE
Ole Miss has proved difficult to damage from distance, ranking fourth in the SEC and 45th in the NCAA at an opposing three-point percentage of 27.5 while holding opponents to five or fewer three-pointers in 15 of 18 games this season. In SEC play, the Rebels have allowed the second-fewest threes (18) and a 32.1 percent clip.

Just three Rebel opponents have shot better than 33 percent from distance. The Rebel defense held Louisiana to a season-low 1-of-10 clip from the three-point line, the third time in the last two seasons that Ole Miss has held an opposing team to one three-point field goal.

In the Coach Yo era, three-point defense has been a point of emphasis, holding opponents to five threes or fewer in 32 of 49 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.

FIRST HALF SUCCESS = WINS
Ole Miss has found its way into the win column more times than not when having a strong first half effort. The Rebels are 7-1 when leading at the break, with their lone loss coming against Georgia after holding a 28-27 halftime lead. Likewise, Ole Miss is 0-10 when trailing at halftime.

PUT IT ON THE BOARD!
The Rebels are currently undefeated when eclipsing the 70-point threshold this season, standing at 5-0 in such games. The Rebels won three in a row while breaking 70 points from Nov. 23-29 in wins against Louisiana Tech (76-53), Sam Houston State (75-69) and Alcorn State (73-55) with an average win margin of +15.7 in those games. Ole Miss scored a season-high 93 points in the non-conference closer vs. Alabama State, the most by a Rebel team since 2017.

OFF THE GLASS
When the Rebels work the glass effectively it has worked out in the end, as Ole Miss stands at 5-1 when tying or out-rebounding opponents this season. On the year, Ole Miss has had two games with a rebounding margin of +20 against ULM (43-23) and Alcorn State (52-32).

BENCH COMING THROUGH
The Rebel bench has been active in the scoring department, out-scoring opponents in 12 of 18 games thus far for a season total of 356-278.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION VS. ALABAMA ST.
The Rebels put together an impressive offensive performance against Alabama State on Dec. 28, with their 93 points standing as the most by an Ole Miss team since notching 96 against Troy on Nov. 21, 2017. That was just the beginning of the notes for the Rebels, who scored a season-high quarter total twice with 31 in the third and 29 in the fourth, while also recording a season-high 12 three-pointers and 24 assists -- the most by an Ole Miss team in both categories since Dec. 28, 2018 vs. North Florida.

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
Ole Miss had six double-digit scorers in the big 93-66 win over Alabama State on Dec. 28, the most since seven Rebels eclipsed double digits against Winston-Salem State more than 10 years ago on Dec. 20, 2009 (W, 101-46). Since that game in 2009, Ole Miss has recorded at least five double-digit scorers in 10 games, and have only done so in consecutive games once in back-to-back outings against Mississippi State on Jan. 21, 2010 (W, 66-58) and at No. 8 Georgia on Jan. 24, 2010 (W, 66-65). Ole Miss is 9-1 in those games in that span, with the only loss coming at No. 9 Baylor on Dec. 18, 2013 (L, 87-80).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

BIG MINUTES FOR ALEXANDER
Freshman and Pearl, Mississippi native Jayla Alexander has been a key member on the floor for the Rebels in SEC play, currently leading the league in minutes played in conference season with 36.6 minutes per game.

Alexander has become a staple in the starting lineup for Ole Miss, starting each of the last seven games dating back to Dec. 20 after serving as a crucial reserve off the bench in her first 11 games as a Rebel. In that stretch, Alexander scored 101 points off the bench -- including 52 points in a four-game stretch from Nov. 15 to Nov. 26. Alexander went off against New Orleans with a 21-point outing against the Privateers on a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc. On the year, she has recorded seven double-digit games, including a 16-point outing against Missouri on Jan. 19. 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, currently ranking second among SEC freshman at 30.5/game.

TWO NEW FACES
Ole Miss welcomes two new faces to the team prior to tipoff vs. Missouri on Jan. 19 in the form of freshman early enrollee Caitlin McGee and former student manager Tootie Rankin.

McGee – a 6-1 forward out of Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Florida – graduated early this past December. McGee made the decision to enroll early to help prepare for her freshman season. She will sit out as a redshirt for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. A three-star recruit by ESPN as part of a 2020 Ole Miss class that ranks No. 1 in the SEC, McGee was a varsity letterwinner in both basketball and track & field while at Sandalwood. In her three-year career, she averaged 18.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. She is a three-time all-conference selection, a three-time first-team All-Area and All-City member, and was named to both the 2018-19 First-Team All-State and Times Union All-Decade teams.

Rankin, meanwhile, joins the active Rebel roster after serving as a student manager for the 2019-20 season. Rankin transferred to Ole Miss after two seasons at Southwest Mississippi Community College, where she played in 48 total games. Rankin saw her first action on Jan. 19 vs. Missouri, playing 17 minutes while recording two points and three rebounds.

A biochemistry major, Rankin excelled at SWMCC, earning a 4.0 in her two years there. While there, she also was a member of Bear Trackers, Student Government Association, Phi Theta Kappa, Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and volunteered her time to become a Chemistry tutor in the Student Success Center. She was awarded the Lyceum Scholar Award from Ole Miss, given to 15 transfer students from across the country who must be excellent leaders who excel both in and out of the classroom

PARKER HUSTLES ON THE GLASS
Freshman Bryn Parker has been key for Ole Miss on the glass as of late, hauling in 17 rebounds in her last three games. After having played just 15 total minutes in four total games prior, Parker has played 80 minutes in the last three games -- including a great outing at LSU in which she grabbed eight boards in 28 minutes played.

OH MY, SHE'S ON FIRE!
Junior Deja Cage has been a dynamic scorer for the Rebels, recording 12 different double-digit games and five 20-point games through 18 contests this season. Cage has also been one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the league, ranking fourth in threes per game (2.2).

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. She is one of just four Rebels in the last five years to have recorded a 30-point game.

BANKS WITH THE REJECTION
Junior Dominique Banks is on pace for a historical season defensively. At her current average of 2.6 blocks per game, she is on pace to nearly break the Ole Miss single-season record in blocks with 74. Banks is currently the NCAA's 18th-best in blocks per game and No. 15 overall in total blocks (46).

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)

Furthermore, her eight blocks against Georgia Southern on Dec. 16 stand as the second-most in a game at Ole Miss. Banks has had at least four blocks in three games and at least three blocks in nine contests. She has had multiple blocks in all but four games, and only one this season without recording a single rejection.

DOM ON THE BLOCK
Junior Dominique Banks has been a force to reckon with on the block, averaging 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks to go along with her 6.7 points per game average. Banks 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.

Banks has started eight games for the Rebels at the five position, and she currently ranks third in the SEC with her 2.6 blocks per game and 14th at 6.8 rebounds.

AIR IT OUT, TORRI!
Senior three-point specialist Torri Lewis has picked up right where she left off two years ago, returning for the Rebels as a key weapon from deep. 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 33.6 percent three-point shooter. In her career, 86.1 percent of all of her field goals have come from three-point distance.

Lewis shot a combined 11-of-28 (.393) from three-point distance in three games from Dec. 16-28, knocking down at least three treys in each game and hitting four twice against Georgia Southern on Dec. 16 and Alabama State on Dec. 28. Lewis currently ranks 15th in the SEC with 1.4 threes per game.

In her career, Lewis owns 30 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).

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

Torri Lewis

Caitlin McGee

Bryn Parker

Tootie Rankin

Mimi Reid

Taylor Smith

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