Rebels Ready for Mississippi Valley State

			OLE MISS (3-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE (0-2, 0-0 SWAC) Saturday, Dec. 12 • 1 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball looks to make it four in a row when it welcomes Mississippi Valley State to The Pavilion on Saturday afternoon.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (19-45) • 113-108 career record (8th Season)

Mississippi Valley State Devilettes (0-2, 0-0 SWAC)
Head Coach: Ashley Walker-Johnson • 4th Season at MVSU (10-81) • 10-81 career record (4th 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. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 17-2

Current Streak
Ole Miss, 11

First Meeting
Nov. 22, 1977
• W, 86-67, in Oxford
• First win under Lin Dunn

Last Meeting
Nov. 5, 2019
• W, 72-53, in Oxford
• Ole Miss: 47.1 percent shooting 2nd Half
• Forced 27 turnovers, held MVSU to 35.0 percent shooting
• 20 assists on 30 FG
• Taylor Smith: 18 points (9-17 FG)

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (VS. ALCORN STATE)
• Rebels shoot lights out, record 35th 100-point game in program history with 104-48 win over Alcorn State; first 100-point game since 2017 and first ever in The Pavilion
• Reset most points scored in Coach Yo era for second time in three games
• 56-point win tied for sixth-best margin in program history
• 3-0 for the first time since 2016-17
• 61.5 FG percent ranks second-best in program history, falling shy of 63.1 percent record set vs. New Orleans on Dec. 1, 2004
• Six Rebels scored in double digits for just the second time since 2009
• 26 assists most since 2009
• Dominated boards, 44-26
• 27 1st Quarter points most since 2018
• 64.7 percent 1st Half shooting percentage best since 2014 (Jan. 16, vs. Vanderbilt, 68.0), and best in non-conference since 2009 (Dec. 20, vs. Winston-Salem State, 65.6)
• Snudda Collins: 15 points, 3-5 3PT; second time last three games she's led Ole Miss. Scored 13 of 15 in the 4th Quarter
• Madison Scott: 13 points, 8 in the 1st Quarter. Second straight game with 7+ rebounds
• Other Rebels in double-digit scoring: Shakira Austin (12), Jacorriah Bracey (12), Mimi Reid (12), Donnetta Johnson (11)
• Three Rebels with at least four assists: Valerie Nesbitt (6), Shakira Austin (4), Mimi Reid (4)
• Sarah Dumitrescu: tore ACL late in 4th Quarter, will miss remainder of 2020-21 season. Tore the opposite ACL seven games into her true freshman season vs. Sam Houston State; was awarded medical hardship waiver by the SEC
• Quotable: "My message to the girls was that basketball is a gift, and it can be taken away from us at any point. You have to cherish it." - Coach Yo

ELECTRIC OFFENSE
Ole Miss has been playing with the pedal down since its season began on Nov. 30, riding one of the nation's most prolific offenses to a 3-0 record in the process. The Rebels rank near the top of the NCAA in several key offensive categories, including assists per game (4th, 22.3), scoring margin (5th, +42.7), shooting percentage (13th, 50.3), scoring offense (19th, 91.0 PPG) and three-point shooting percentage (31st, 40.0). Additionally, Ole Miss leads the SEC in scoring margin by a whopping 15.7 PPG, three-point shooting by 29 percentage points and assists by 4.5 per game.

Ole Miss has put up monster numbers in its first three games, eclipsing the 90-point mark twice after not doing so in an entire season since 2017-18. The Rebels followed up a 99-point season-opener vs. McNeese (the most by Ole Miss in a season-opener since 2005) with a dominant 104-point outing vs. Alcorn State, the 35th 100-point game in program history and the sixth-best win margin at Ole Miss. The 273 Rebels points scored ranks tied for the fifth-most through three games in Ole Miss history, the most being 289 scored by the 1982-83 squad that finished 26-6.

LIGHTS. OUT.
The Rebels simply couldn't miss against Alcorn State on Dec. 8, nearly breaking the school record for single-game shooting percentage. Ole Miss wound up with the second-best mark in school history at 61.5 percent, helped greatly by a 64.7 percent first-half percentage that ranked as the best since 2014 (Jan. 16, vs. Vanderbilt, 68.0), and best in non-conference since 2009 (Dec. 20, vs. Winston-Salem State, 65.6). On the season, Ole Miss is shooting an SEC runner-up 50.3 percent from the field, and the Rebels lead among schools who have played multiple games.

Single-Game FG Shooting, All-Time
1. vs. New Orleans (2004-05) - 63.1
2. vs. Alcorn State (2020-21) - 61.5
3. vs. Winston-Salem St. (2009-10) - 60.3
4. vs. Vanderbilt (1985-86) - 60.0

FROM DOWNTOWN!
The secret to Ole Miss' SEC-leading three-point percentage of 40 percent has been to ride the hot hand. Through three games, five different Rebels have hit multiple threes in a game, with Snudda Collins and Donnetta Johnson hitting three or more. Of the 24 trifectas made this season, 13 have come from the duo of Collins and Johnson, with Collins' 9 three-balls putting her third in the conference at 3.0 per contest.

DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
The Rebels have been near-impossible to score on through three games in 2020-21, owning the NCAA's second-best shooting defense at 26.8 percent and its sixth-best scoring defense at 48.3 PPG -- both of which lead the SEC. It's been an all-around team effort on the defensive side of the ball, as Ole Miss is keeping foes off the line with the 22nd-ranked three-point shooting defense (20.0 percent), the 23rd-most turnovers forced (22.7/game) and the 27th-most steals per contest at 11.3. Against McNeese State, Ole Miss held the Cowgirls to 18 percent from the field, the lowest by a Rebel opponent since 2016.

That defensive hustle has produced results, holding the first three Rebel opponents to 60 points or fewer for the first time since 2016-17. The 145 total points allowed by Ole Miss stands as the third fewest through three games in program history, with the lowest being 130 yielded by the 2016-17 squad.

OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 41 of 64 of her opponents being held to five trifectas or fewer.

1st Season (2018-19)
17-of-31 (54.8%)

2nd Season (2019-20)
21-of-30 (70.0%)

3rd Season (2020-21)
3-of-3 (100%)

SHARING IS CARING
The Ole Miss offense has been highly efficient through three games, and that is due in large part to its ability to share the ball. The Rebels currently lead the SEC and rank fourth nationally with an average of 22.3 assists per game, helped greatly by two games of 25 or more assists. The 26 dimes by the Rebel offense vs. Alcorn State ranks as the most since 2009. Leading that charge is starting point guard Mimi Reid, who leads the conference at 5.7 assists per game. Compounded with an average of 22.7 turnovers forced on defense against 14.3 Rebel turnovers, Ole Miss currently stands No. 2 in the conference and 15th NCAA in assist/turnover ratio at 1.6.

On the season, the Rebels are tallying an assist on 69.1 percent of their made field goals.

Percentage of FG with Assists
Game 1 (McNeese): 25-35 (71.4%)
Game 2 (Kansas): 16-25 (64.0%)
Game 3 (Alcorn): 26-40 (65.0%)
Total: 67-of-97 (69.1%)

BABY REBELS
With a slew of new faces on the Ole Miss roster, the Rebels now own the 10th- youngest roster in the nation with an average age of 19.67 as of Nov. 25. Furthermore, Ole Miss is one of just three programs nationwide with its entire roster to have two or fewer years of Division I experience at the start of the year (alongside Indiana State and Murray State).

AIN'T WASTING TIME NO MORE
The new crop of Rebels on the floor for Ole Miss this season has wasted no time in establishing their presence, scoring a combined 81.0 percent of all scoring through three games this season (221 of 273).

vs. McNeese State: 88 of 99 (88.9 percent)
vs. Kansas: 56 of 70 (80.0 percent)
vs. Alcorn State: 77 of 104 (74.0 percent)

Furthermore, the trio of Snudda Collins (43 points), Donnetta Johnson (42 points) and Shakira Austin (42 points) are all averaging more than 14 points per game and are together accounting for 46.5 percent of all season scoring this year.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss used 20 different starting lineups in 30 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. Through three games in 2020-21, Coach Yo has stuck with the same starting five: Shakira Austin, Mimi Reid, Donnetta Johnson, Taylor Smith and Madison Scott.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

NICE SHOOTIN' KID
Freshman Snudda Collins opened her Ole Miss career in historic fashion vs. McNeese State on Nov. 30, leading all scorers with 23 points off the bench with a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc to boot. The three-star signee out of Brookhaven, Mississippi was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for her efforts, and her 23 points stand as the most ever by a Rebel freshman in a season opener (in available records). Collins was the leader of a bevy of newcomers on the floor vs. the Cowgirls, who combined for 88 of the 99 total points Ole Miss scored -- the most in the Coach Yo era and the most by a Rebel squad in a season opener since 2005. Furthermore, her 23 points are the most by any Rebel in a season opener since 2017. Collins leads all Rebel scorers with 14.3 points per contest, and ranks as one of the SEC's top three-point shooters, ranking second in shooting percentage (.529) and third in threes per game (3.0).

At Brookhaven High School, Collins helped lead her team to the 5A state title game her senior season to cap off an extraordinary career that saw her average 12.0 points and end as the No. 4 ranked prospect in Mississippi.

THE WAIT IS OVER
Redshirt sophomore Donnetta Johnson waited a long time to play basketball again after sitting out 2018-19 due to NCAA transfer rules. She has quickly asserted herself as a dynamite scoring option for the Rebels, ranking second on the team with an average of 14.0 points through her first three games played. Johnson put on a show on national TV vs. Kansas, dropping a career-high 21 points and showcasing her signature ambidextrous style of shooting. Johnson had already eclipsed her career high by the 7:23 mark of the second quarter, an electric first half that helped propel Ole Miss to a 70-53 win over the Jayhawks.

Johnson played in 27 games and started eight her freshman season at Georgia in 2018-19 before transferring to Ole Miss and sitting out last season. At Georgia, Johnson sparked the Bulldogs in a historic upset over No. 13 Tennessee, which earned her SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Johnson was the No. 28 guard nationally coming out of Baldwin High School in Queens, New York.

BALL DON'T LIE
Ole Miss garnered national attention when it added ESPN's No. 1 rated transfer in April, Shakira Austin of Maryland. Austin was a significant contributor on two Big Ten championship teams at Maryland in 2019 and 2020, averaging 10.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, while shooting 47.2 percent overall in 66 games and 47 starts during her two years with the Terrapins. Austin shattered the Maryland single-season blocks record her freshman season with 89, earning her a spot on both the Big Ten Defensive Team and All-Freshman team, and followed that up with a slot on the 2020 All-Big Ten Second Team after ranking No. 1 nationally in 2019-20 in advanced analytic On-Court Forced Turnover Rate (via Pivot Analysis). Coming out of Riverdale Baptist, Austin was ESPN's No. 3 overall prospect and a McDonald's All-American.

Through three games with the Rebels, Austin has been a focal point of the offense and defense, averaging 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

BIG FISH
Five-star signee Madison Scott hit the court for the first time in an Ole Miss jersey on Nov. 30, helping lead an impressive charge of newcomers with her 15 points. Scott followed that up with a superb effort on the glass vs. Kansas, cleaning up 10 boards while chipping in six points. She was crucial in a dominant fourth quarter for the Rebels, during which she nabbed half of her 10 rebounds. She picked up her next game against Alcorn State with the same intensity, scoring eight of her 13 in the first quarter in a Rebel rout of the Lady Braves.

Scott, the No. 13 national prospect out of Bishop McNamara in Maryland, is the first McDonald's All-American in Ole Miss women's basketball history (and just the second overall). Scott had a prolific career at Bishop McNamara, which was capped off by a senior season in which she was named the Washington Post Metro Player of the Year after notching a line of 13.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.8 steals and a .570 shooting percentage her senior season.

OLD GUARD
Redshirt junior Mimi Reid returns as the Rebel with the most experience in 2020-21, with 57 career starts to her name. The Bronx native has finished each of her first two seasons at Ole Miss ranked in the top-10 in the SEC in assists, finishing last season seventh at 4.1 per game, and she has showed no signs of slowing down in 2020-21 as she currently leads the SEC at 5.7 dimes per contest (31st NCAA).

Reid also flashed some scoring aptitude late in the year as well, averaging 15.4 points and shooting 43.6 percent overall in a five-game stretch from Feb. 13-27 last year. In all five games Reid scored in double digits (she had never done so in three straight prior to 2019-20) and her offensive prowess was highlighted by a career-high 21 points at Tennessee on Feb. 27, the first time she had broken 20 points in her career. Furthermore, Reid hit 18 straight free throws across four games from Feb. 16-27, ending up with a 19-of-22 (.864) line in that stretch.

BUCKETS GALORE!
Fellow five-star signee Jacorriah Bracey was a superb scorer at Thomas E. Edwards High School in Drew, Mississippi, averaging a sublime 31.2 points and 6.3 assists per game throughout her entire career. She finished off her high school career with an out-of-this-world senior year, recording 35.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists en route to a 3A state runner-up finish and Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year honors.

Bracey eclipsed the double-digit line for the first time in her career vs. Alcorn State, pouring in 12 points off the bench.

OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS
Junior Taylor Smith was always known for her smooth mid-range jumper, but she recently developed that just a few feet backward into a deadly three-point shot late last season. With just three trifectas in her career entering a Feb. 13 contest at Florida, Smith drained three from beyond the arc -- including two in a row -- to help stimulate what ended up as an electric outing for the Rebel offense. Smith kept it up against No. 23 Arkansas, going a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc and hitting all six of her first shots, ending with 17 points. Smith followed that up with a 3-of-7 three-point shooting effort at Missouri as part of her career-high 21 points. In a five-game stretch from Feb. 13-27, Smith averaged 13.6 points and 2.0 threes per game, while shooting .456 overall and .526 from three. Prior, she was only averaging 4.7 points.

DUMITRESCU OUT FOR SEASON
Redshirt freshman Sarah Dumitrescu suffered another devastating knee injury vs. Alcorn State on Dec. 8, ending her season prematurely for the second consecutive season. Dumitrescu tore her left ACL late in the fourth quarter against the Lady Braves in excruciating fashion, a heartbreaking setback for the Romanian native who tore her right ACL on Nov. 26, 2019 vs. Sam Hosuton State, ending her true freshman campaign just seven games into the slate.

PUCKETT OUT FOR SEASON
Ole Miss received heartbreaking news during the preseason, with redshirt junior Andeija Puckett going down with a season-ending knee injury after sitting out all of 2019-20 due to NCAA transfer rules. Puckett transferred to Ole Miss from Cincinnati, where she contributed for two seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Puckett played in all 35 games for the Bearcats in 2018-19, averaging 4.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game for a Cincinnati team that advanced to the WNIT quarterfinal. Coming out of Griffin High School in her native Georgia, Puckett was rated a three-star recruit by ESPN after a prolific high school career that saw her leave Griffin as its all-time leader in scoring (1,330) and rebounds (790).

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

YEAR THREE FOR COACH YO
Ole Miss enters the third season of the Coach Yo era with Yolett McPhee-McCuin at the helm in 2020-21.

McPhee-McCuin took over a Rebel program her first year that had just four returners and willed it to outperform all the preseason polls that picked Ole Miss unanimously to finish last. Coach Yo followed that up by signing the SEC's No. 1 recruiting class in 2019, highlighted by five-star signees Madison Scott and Jacorriah Bracey, and improved by the addition of ESPN's No. 1 rated transfer in 2020, Shakira Austin.

COACH YO VS. THE TOP-25
Being in the SEC means facing some of the toughest schools in the nation, and Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has had a tough road through her first two seasons in Oxford. Coach Yo's Rebels have gone up against 13 nationally ranked squads in two years at Ole Miss, 12 of which have come in SEC play. Ole Miss has one win against those 12, a 55-49 upset over No. 16 Kentucky in Lexington on Jan. 13, 2019, which marked the first ranked road win by a Rebel team since 2011 and the first win at UK overall since 2007.

vs. Ranked Schools (First Year)
#2 UConn - Nov. 22, 2018 (L, 90-50)
#16 Kentucky - Jan. 13, 2019 (W, 55-49)
#6 MSU - Jan. 27, 2019 (L, 80-49)
#20 Texas A&M - Feb. 3, 2019 (L, 72-60)
#12 S. Carolina - Feb. 7, 2019 (L, 76-42)
#6 MSU - Feb. 21, 2019 (L, 88-60)

vs. Ranked Schools (Second Year)
#10 Texas A&M - Jan. 6, 2020 (L, 79-35)
#23 Tennessee - Jan. 9, 2020 (L, 84-28)
#9 MSU - Jan. 26, 2020 (L, 80-39)
#1 S. Carolina - Jan. 30, 2020 (L, 87-32)
#23 Arkansas - Feb. 16, 2020 (L, 108-64)
#14 Kentucky - Feb. 20, 2020 (L, 94-52)
#9 MSU - March 1, 2020 (L, 84-59)

RELOADED FOR 2020-21
Ole Miss welcomes a revamped roster for the 2020-21 season, which includes six newcomers (four freshmen, two transfers), as well as three who sat out last season in Donnetta Johnson (Georgia transfer), Andeija Puckett (Cincinnati transfer) and Caitlin McGee, who enrolled at Ole Miss one year early in 2010-20.

TOP OF THE CHARTS
The Rebels signed the SEC's No. 1 ranked recruiting class in 2019, who will hit the floor for the first time in an Ole Miss jersey this Monday. Five-star signees Madison Scott (No. 13 overall) and Jacorriah Bracey (No. 48 overall) highlighted the group, and were bolstered by three-star prospects Snudda Collins (No. 4 in Mississippi) and Caitlin McGee.

WHAT RETURNS IN 2020-21
Scoring: 42.0% (23.8 of 56.6 PPG)
Three-Pointers: 18.8% (31 of 165)
Rebounds: 44.6% (12.3 of 27.6 RPG)
Assists: 56.2% (7.0 of 12.4 APG)
Blocks: 15.0% (0.4 of 2.7 BPG)
Steals: 53.6% (3.9 of 7.3 SPG)
Minutes: 46.8% (94.0 of 200.8 MPG)

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

Shakira Austin

Jacorriah Bracey

Snudda Collins

Sarah Dumitrescu

Donnetta Johnson

Caitlin McGee

Valerie Nesbitt

Andeija Puckett

Mimi Reid

Madison Scott

Taylor Smith

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