Rebels Open Road Swing at Vanderbilt

			OLE MISS (7-15, 0-9 SEC) at VANDERBILT (12-10, 2-7 SEC) Sunday, Feb. 9 • 4 p.m. • Nashville, Tenn. Memorial Gymnasium (14,326)
Watch • Live Stats • Listen Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • Vanderbilt Game Notes • SEC Game Notes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Ole Miss women's basketball kicks off a two-game road swing with a nationally televised tilt at Vanderbilt, with tipoff set for 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network this Sunday (Feb. 9).

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (7-15, 0-9 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (16-37) • 110-100 career record (7th Season)

Vanderbilt Commodores (12-10, 2-7 SEC)
Head Coach: Stephanie White • 4th Season at Vanderbilt (40-73) • 40-73 career record (4th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Brenda VanLengen
Color: Andraya Carter

OLE MISS RADIO

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE
At Oxford: Ole Miss leads 14-9
At Nashville: Vanderbilt leads 18-3
At Neutral Sites: Vanderbilt leads 6-0
Longest UM Streak: 3 (1985-87)
Longest VU Streak: 11 (1997-2004)
Biggest VU Win: 37 (1/3/95 - at Nashville)
Biggest UM Win: 24 (1/29/85 - at Nashville)
Most UM Points: 85 (2/6/78 - at Nashville)
Most VU Points: 91 (1/3/95 - at Nashville)
Last 10 Meetings: Vanderbilt leads 8-2

SERIES NOTES vs. VANDERBILT

Series History
Vanderbilt leads, 33-17

Current Streak
Ole Miss, 1

First Meeting
Feb. 6, 1978
• W, 85-64, in Nashville
• First of just three Rebel wins in Nashville

First SEC Meeting
Dec. 3, 1983
• W, 82-72

Last Meeting
Feb. 14, 2019
• W, 65-60

Last Time in Nashville
Jan. 24, 2019
• L, 80-68

Last Win in Nashville
Jan. 8, 1987
• W, 77-73

SCOUTING VANDERBILT

Record
12-10, 2-7 SEC

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

Last Game
L, 70-62, at Auburn
• Top Scorers: Koi Love (22), Mariella Fasoula (17), Chelsie Hall (11)
• Shot .491, allowed .387
• Auburn: 18-of-20 FT
• Vanderbilt: 22 turnovers

Notes
• RPI: 104
• Shooting .435, allowing .395
• Shooting and allowing .299 from three
• Scoring Margin: +2.8 PPG
• Rebounding Margin: +5.8
• Ranks in the NCAA top-50 in: shooting (50th, .435), total rebounds (31st, 923), rebounds per game (31st, 42.0)

VANDERBILT PLAYERS TO WATCH

#23 Love Koi
• 13.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG
• .486 FG
• 10th SEC in shooting (.486)
• 11th SEC in scoring (13.9 PPG)
• In SEC-play: top-10 in scoring (7th, 15.3 PPG) and rebounding (9th, 6.6/game)

#34 Mariella Fasoula
• 13.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.0 BPG, .530 FG
• 6th SEC in shooting (.530)
• 11th SEC in rebounding (6.8/game)
• 12th SEC in scoring (13.9 PPG)

LAST TIME OUT (vs. ALABAMA)
The Ole Miss women's basketball team put together a strong team effort in a wild game that featured 18 lead changes, but Alabama was able to edge out a 57-56 win thanks to a late fourth quarter run at The Pavilion on Feb. 2.

The Crimson Tide (13-9, 3-6 SEC) started the game 0-13 from beyond the arc, but they were able to find their stride at just the right time, hitting three trifectas in a row to erase what had been the largest Ole Miss lead of the game. The Rebels to that point had played a complete game, turning 16 Alabama turnovers into 18 points and shooting 40.7 percent overall and 56.3 percent from three on an SEC season-high nine treys. However, the Tide were able to remain in the ballgame thanks to a significant 17-9 advantage on the offensive glass that translated to 24 second-chance points, as well as a 14-of-17 clip from the charity stripe compared to a 3-of-3 line for the Rebels.

"Great game. Tough loss. Just incredibly proud of my group," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "After the loss that we had last game (vs. No. 1 South Carolina), the whole program, myself included, we were in a really down place. Today I just talked to them about life. Adversity is going to hit and you have to be able to respond."

Ole Miss (7-15, 0-9 SEC) responded right out of the gate, going toe-to-toe with the Tide during a first half in which the Rebels shot 50 percent and recorded eight of its 10 steals, with the contest knotted up 30-30 at the break. The Rebels put together an excellent third quarter coming out of halftime, winning 18-12 to take a 48-42 lead after stifling the Crimson Tide offense to 25 percent shooting while Ole Miss went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

The Rebels kept the pedal down in the early stages of the fourth quarter, extending to its largest lead of the game with 9:04 to play after Torri Lewis (six points, one rebound, one assist, one steal) nailed her second three of the game to give Ole Miss a 51-44 lead. It was at this point, however, that the Alabama offense rose to the occasion in a big way. Jasmine Walker (eight points, three rebounds, two steals, one assist, one block) hit the first of three consecutive threes for the Tide to spark what ended up as a 13-3 run to erase the Rebel lead.

Ole Miss was able to retake the lead after the fourth three of the day by freshman Jayla Alexander (15 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals) gave the Rebels a 54-53 lead with 5:38 to play. It was short-lived, though, as Alabama took it right back for good with an Ariyah Copeland (11 points, five rebounds, two blocks) layup at 4:57.

Rebel sophomore Iyanla Kitchens (two points, six rebounds, two steals, one assist) was able to cut the Tide lead to one at 1:44 to play at 57-56. However, Ole Miss was unable to convert on each of its two possessions in the final stretch, with a drawn-up play for Alexander rendered inert by an offensive foul called on Deja Cage (15 points, five rebounds, three assists) and a last-second, full-court heave coming up short as time expired.

"We wanted Deja (Cage) to drive and get to the paint because we felt like everybody would have collapsed," McPhee-McCuin said. "Jayla (Alexander) was coming around to get it. I wanted us to force a rotation with the drive. It's just unfortunate because I think we could have made something happen from it."

Cage was one of two Rebels with 15 points on Sunday alongside Alexander. Combined, the duo scored 30 points and were 7-of-11 from three (Ole Miss was 9-of-16 overall). For Cage, this marked her 15th double-digit game of the season and her 14th with multiple threes. Lewis also hit multiple treys on the day, her 31st career game in which she has done so.

The Rebels also received a career outing from junior Tootie Rankin, who was starting for the second time in her career after transitioning from working as a student manager earlier this season. Rankin scored a career-high eight points and also had two steals and a block in the effort.

"(Tootie) has just been a breath of fresh air," McPhee-McCuin said. "When I talk about the type of people from a character standpoint that I want in this program, you're looking at her right there. Someone that is grateful for the opportunity, gives 100 percent, 100 percent of the time every single day. She loves competing, she wants to be in the moment, and that's the future. This year, when you talk about foundation, that's the characteristic that we want."

TEAM NOTES

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss has used 17 different starting lineups in 22 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, with Vanderbilt not far off at 104.

OFF THE LINE
Ole Miss has proved difficult to damage from distance, ranking fifth in the SEC at an opposing three-point percentage of 28.2 while holding opponents to five or fewer three-pointers in 16 of 22 games this season.

Just five 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 33 of 53 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 0-13 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).

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

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 22 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.

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 (30.9).

Alexander has become a staple in the starting lineup for Ole Miss, starting each of the last 11 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 nine double-digit games, including a 16-point outing against Missouri on Jan. 19 and a 15-point game against Alabama.

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

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 63. Banks is currently the NCAA's 30th-best in blocks per game and No. 22 overall in total blocks (48).

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 33.1 percent three-point shooter. In her career, 86.5 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).

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

Iyanla Kitchens

Torri Lewis

Caitlin McGee

Tootie Rankin

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