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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, February 13
Gainesville, Fla.
5 PM
Ole Miss
7-17,0-11SEC
72
at
74
Florida
13-11,4-7SEC
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Ole Miss
14
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72
Florida
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Rebels Come Up Just Short in Heartbreaking Finish at Florida, 74-72
2/13/2020 | Women's Basketball
Ole Miss Erased 13-Point First Quarter Deficit
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ole Miss emptied its tank, clawing its way back from a 13-point first quarter deficit amid a superb offensive night, but ended up falling just short as Florida edged out a 74-72 win at Exactech Arena on Thursday night.
The Gators (13-11, 4-7 SEC) took early command of the game, opening on a 9-0 run in a blistering first quarter that saw a 7-of-8 line from the field and a 3-of-3 line from deep by the first media timeout, but that was before a resilient Rebel squad dug deep and found an offensive rhythm. Deja Cage (23 points, five rebounds, four assists), Mimi Reid (16 points, four assists, one rebound) and Taylor Smith (15 points, five rebounds) combined for 54 points tonight, 35 of which came in the second half alone.
"I'm just super proud of the group," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "They left everything out on the floor with no regrets. I just don't know many teams that would do that at this stage and under these circumstances. Tonight it did not show up on the scoreboard – we lost – but we won in a lot of areas, too, and I'm just proud of them."
However, it was a member outside that trio that sparked the Rebels in the second quarter. Freshman Jayla Alexander (seven points, two rebounds, two assists) went on a tear, scoring seven straight points to kick-start what ended up as a 14-3 Rebel run across the first two quarters. However, Alexander quickly fell into foul trouble, and a technical foul assessed to the bench helped add to the foul issues for the Rebels in the early going. The Rebel defense was able to mitigate that foul trouble, though, stifling the Gators to just 2-of-14 shooting in the second frame to allow Ole Miss to cut their lead to 35-32 at the break.
Smith was the offensive catalyst for the Rebels right out of the gate in the third quarter, scoring eight unanswered points to cut the Gator lead to 41-40. Smith ended up with 13 of her 15 points in the third quarter, including three trifectas – doubling her career total in threes entering Thursday in the third quarter alone.
Smith wasn't alone, though, as Deja Cage started to find her shot in the third frame as well, combining with Smith for 18 points that quarter. Cage would keep the pedal down in the fourth, draining back-to-back threes to give Ole Miss its first lead of the game with 8:35 to play (61-60), setting up a wild run to the finish that included four lead changes. The 23-point game by Cage was her sixth this year with at least 20 points.
It was a true team effort down the stretch with buckets from Reid – who tied a career-high with her 16 points – and Iyanla Kitchens (three points, five rebounds) helping keep pace with the Gators, as Ole Miss was able to extend to a 70-66 lead on a Kitchens layup with 2:55 to play. Florida was able to cut into that lead, though, and with 20 seconds left Lavender Briggs (23 points, eight rebounds) drained two free throws to push the Gators up two to 74-72. The Rebels had a play drawn up for the hot-handed Cage with the shot clock off, but an athletic play by Briggs on a pass forced the ball into Gator hands as time expired.
Ole Miss (7-17, 0-11 SEC) hopes to hold onto this momentum as it returns home to host No. 23 Arkansas (19-5, 7-4 SEC) in a nationally televised contest on SEC Network on Sunday, with tipoff set for 2 p.m. CT inside The Pavilion.
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
The Gators (13-11, 4-7 SEC) took early command of the game, opening on a 9-0 run in a blistering first quarter that saw a 7-of-8 line from the field and a 3-of-3 line from deep by the first media timeout, but that was before a resilient Rebel squad dug deep and found an offensive rhythm. Deja Cage (23 points, five rebounds, four assists), Mimi Reid (16 points, four assists, one rebound) and Taylor Smith (15 points, five rebounds) combined for 54 points tonight, 35 of which came in the second half alone.
"I'm just super proud of the group," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "They left everything out on the floor with no regrets. I just don't know many teams that would do that at this stage and under these circumstances. Tonight it did not show up on the scoreboard – we lost – but we won in a lot of areas, too, and I'm just proud of them."
However, it was a member outside that trio that sparked the Rebels in the second quarter. Freshman Jayla Alexander (seven points, two rebounds, two assists) went on a tear, scoring seven straight points to kick-start what ended up as a 14-3 Rebel run across the first two quarters. However, Alexander quickly fell into foul trouble, and a technical foul assessed to the bench helped add to the foul issues for the Rebels in the early going. The Rebel defense was able to mitigate that foul trouble, though, stifling the Gators to just 2-of-14 shooting in the second frame to allow Ole Miss to cut their lead to 35-32 at the break.
Smith was the offensive catalyst for the Rebels right out of the gate in the third quarter, scoring eight unanswered points to cut the Gator lead to 41-40. Smith ended up with 13 of her 15 points in the third quarter, including three trifectas – doubling her career total in threes entering Thursday in the third quarter alone.
Smith wasn't alone, though, as Deja Cage started to find her shot in the third frame as well, combining with Smith for 18 points that quarter. Cage would keep the pedal down in the fourth, draining back-to-back threes to give Ole Miss its first lead of the game with 8:35 to play (61-60), setting up a wild run to the finish that included four lead changes. The 23-point game by Cage was her sixth this year with at least 20 points.
It was a true team effort down the stretch with buckets from Reid – who tied a career-high with her 16 points – and Iyanla Kitchens (three points, five rebounds) helping keep pace with the Gators, as Ole Miss was able to extend to a 70-66 lead on a Kitchens layup with 2:55 to play. Florida was able to cut into that lead, though, and with 20 seconds left Lavender Briggs (23 points, eight rebounds) drained two free throws to push the Gators up two to 74-72. The Rebels had a play drawn up for the hot-handed Cage with the shot clock off, but an athletic play by Briggs on a pass forced the ball into Gator hands as time expired.
Ole Miss (7-17, 0-11 SEC) hopes to hold onto this momentum as it returns home to host No. 23 Arkansas (19-5, 7-4 SEC) in a nationally televised contest on SEC Network on Sunday, with tipoff set for 2 p.m. CT inside The Pavilion.
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
Team Stats
OM
UF
FG%
.491
.433
3FG%
.526
.273
FT%
.429
.655
RB
29
40
TO
16
12
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
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