Rebels Return to Road at Florida

			OLE MISS (7-16, 0-10 SEC) at FLORIDA (12-11, 3-7 SEC) Thursday, Feb. 13 • 5 p.m. • Gainesville, Fla. Exactech Arena (10,151)
Watch • Live Stats • Listen Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Florida Game Notes (PDF) • SEC Game Notes

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ole Miss women's basketball returns to the road, heading to the Sunshine State to take on the Florida Gators for a Thursday night matchup.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (7-16, 0-10 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (16-38) • 110-101 career record (7th Season)

Florida Gators (12-11, 3-7 SEC)
Head Coach: Cam Newbauer • 3rd Season at Florida (31-53) • 110-99 career record (7th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Kyle Crooks
Color: Brittany Davis

SERIES AT A GLANCE
At Oxford: Florida leads 12-7
At Gainesville: Tied 9-9
At Neutral Sites: Ole Miss leads 3-1
Longest UM Streak: 8 (1979-1992)
Longest UF Streak: 11 (1993-2002)
Biggest UM Win: 24 (1/16/88 - at Gainesville)
Biggest UF Win: 29 (2/17/00; 2/5/12)
Most UM Points: 101 (3/8/78 - at Starkville)
Most UF Points: 86 (2/7/99 - at Oxford)
Last 10 Meetings: UM leads 6-4

SERIES NOTES vs. FLORIDA

Series History
Florida leads, 22-19

Current Streak
Florida, 1

First Meeting
March 8, 1979
• W, 101-78, in Auburn, Ala.
• First Round of AIAW Region III Tournament
• One of five games in Ole Miss history in which the Rebels scored 100 points or more against a current or future SEC school
• Third-most points scored by Ole Miss over a current or future SEC school, second-most in regulation (scored 107 vs. Auburn on Dec. 8, 1978)

First SEC Meeting
Feb. 12, 1986
• W, 61-55, in Gainesville

Last Meeting
March 6, 2019
• L, 64-57
• First Round of 2019 SEC Tournament
• Crystal Allen: 22 points
• Florida: 14-0 fastbreak, 22-8 off turnovers

Last Time in Gainesville
Jan. 21, 2018
• L, 61-60
• Florida: opened 4th Quarter on 14-0 run, erasing a 13-point deficit

Last Win
Jan. 20, 2019
• W, 76-66, in Oxford
• Shandricka Sessom: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 5-8 3PT
• La'Karis Salter: career-high 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
• Crystal Allen: 14 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 9-9 FT

Last Win in Gainesville
Feb. 6, 2017
• W, 84-75

SCOUTING FLORIDA

Record
12-11, 3-7 SEC

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

Last Game
L, 49-43, vs. Georgia
• Top Scorer: Zada Williams (13)
• 8 lead changes
• Florida led in lead-time, 19:21-18:40
• Led 23-15 at halftime, out-scored 34-20 in second half
• Both teams shot a combined 29.5 percent overall, 10.0 percent from three
• Georgia: 12-2 second chance points

Notes
• RPI: 133
• Beat No. 13 Kentucky on Feb. 2 (70-62) in Lexington
• Shooting .400, allowing .400
• Shooting .285 from three, allowing .302
• Rebounding Margin: +4.0
• Scoring Margin: -0.8
• 5th SEC in rebounding (40.4/game)
• Ranks in the NCAA top-50 in: fewest fouls per game (6th, 13.4), fewest total fouls (15th, 309)

FLORIDA PLAYERS TO WATCH

#3 Lavender Briggs
• 13.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.1 APG
• .382 FG, .333 3PT, .580 FT
• Leads SEC in minutes (35.0/game)
• 10th SEC in scoring (13.8 PPG)

#1 Kiara Smith
• 12.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.3 SPG
• .394 FG, .293 3PT, .663 FT
• 2nd SEC in minutes (34.5/game)

#12 Zada Williams
• 10.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG
• .620 FG, .394 FT
• 8th SEC in rebounding (7.4/game)

LAST TIME OUT (at VANDERBILT)
The Ole Miss women's basketball team could not overcome a big first-half run by Vanderbilt, falling to the Commodores, 63-47, at Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday evening.

Both teams were about evenly matched on the stat sheet, but a 19-2 run in the first quarter and big games from Chelsie Hall (21 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals) and Koi Love (17 points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal) helped Vanderbilt (13-10, 3-7 SEC) keep its edge as the Rebels made a second-half charge.

Ole Miss (7-16, 0-10 SEC) shot 48.1 percent in that back half and were led by strong outings from Jayla Alexander (13 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two assists, two steals) and Dominique Banks (11 points, three rebounds, one assist, three blocks), but also committed 22 turnovers and were out-rebounded, 46-36.

For Alexander, this marks her second career game with at least seven assists. In SEC play, Alexander is averaging 3.2 dimes per game after averaging only 2.1 in non-conference play. Banks, who now owns 51 blocks on the year, is on pace to end up with the third-most blocks in a single-season with 64 at her average of 2.2 rejections per game.

Also recording solid games were Deja Cage (nine points, one rebound, one assist, two steals) and Mimi Reid (five points, four rebounds, five assists).

TEAM NOTES

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss has used 17 different starting lineups in 23 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.

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

OFF THE LINE
Ole Miss has proved difficult to damage from distance, ranking fourth in the SEC at an opposing three-point percentage of 28.4 while holding opponents to five or fewer three-pointers in 17 of 23 games this season.

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 34 of 54 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 0-14 when trailing at halftime and 0-1 when tied at the break.

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).

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

DYNAMIC DUO IN SEC PLAY
Rebel junior Deja Cage and freshman Jayla Alexander have been the driving force for Ole Miss in conference play, currently combining for 50.1 percent of all Rebel points scored in SEC season. Additionally, the tandem have drained 37 of 46 Ole Miss threes in conference play, which comes to 80.4 percent. Individually during SEC season, Cage is averaging 12.4 points and 2.2 threes, while Alexander is averaging 9.5 points per game.

OH MY, SHE'S ON FIRE!
Junior Deja Cage has been a dynamic scorer for the Rebels, recording 15 different double-digit games and five 20-point games through 23 contests this season. Cage has also been one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the league, ranking fourth in threes per game (2.1).

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.

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 ranking second among SEC freshman on the year in minutes per game (31.1) and leading all SEC freshmen in conference play (34.9).

Alexander has become a staple in the starting lineup for Ole Miss, starting each of the last 12 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 10 double-digit games, including four of her last six that were highlighted by a 16-point outing against Missouri on Jan. 19 and a 15-point game against Alabama.

BANKS WITH THE REJECTION
Junior Dominique Banks is on pace for a historical season defensively. At her average of 2.2 blocks per game, she is on pace to rank on the Ole Miss single-season record in blocks with 64. Banks is currently the NCAA's 28th-best in blocks per game and No. 23 overall in total blocks (51).

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.

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 33.0 percent three-point shooter. In her career, 85.9 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.

In her career, Lewis owns 31 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).

TWO NEW FACES
Ole Miss welcomed 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, and earned her first start at Auburn (22 minutes, 4 points, 3 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.

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

Crystal Allen

Dominique Banks

Deja Cage

Torri Lewis

Caitlin McGee

Tootie Rankin

Mimi Reid

La'Karis Salter

Shandricka Sessom

The University of Mississippi Athletics