Red-Hot Rebels to Face No. 14 Tennessee in SEC Quarterfinal

			OLE MISS (11-10, 4-10 SEC) vs. #14 TENNESSEE (15-6, 9-4 SEC) Friday, March 5 • Approx. 7:30 p.m. • Greenville, S.C. Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Watch • Live Stats • Listen • Championship Central Ole Miss Game Notes • Tennessee Game Notes • SEC Game Notes

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Fresh off an upset of No. 13 Arkansas in the Second Round, the streaking Ole Miss women's basketball team will meet the No. 14 Tennessee Lady Vols in the quarterfinal of the SEC Tournament on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 25 minutes following the conclusion of South Carolina-Alabama game, which should be approximately 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

TEAM FACTS

No. 11 seed Ole Miss Rebels (11-10, 4-10 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (27-55) • 121-118 career record (8th Season)

No. 3 seed #14 Tennessee Lady Vols (15-6, 9-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Kellie Harper • 2nd Season at Tennessee (36-16) • 321-224 career record (17th Season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Courtney Lyle
Color: Carolyn Peck
Sideline: Steffi Sorensen
Studio: Alyssa Lang, Andraya Carter, Andy Landers

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: 105.1 FM
Audio: TuneIn
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
Color: Lindsay King

SERIES NOTES vs. TENNESSEE

Series History
Tennessee leads, 49-8

Current Streak
Tennessee, 5

vs. Tennessee in the SEC Tournament
Tennessee leads, 5-1
• 2010: L, 76-51 (Second Round - Little Rock, Ark.)
• 1996: L, 73-51 (Second Round - Chattanooga, Tenn.)
• 1989: L, 82-60 (Semifinals - Albany, Ga.)
• 1986: W, 83-78 (Second Round - Athens, Ga.)
• 1985: L, 79-71 (Semifinals - Oxford, Miss.)
• 1980: L, 85-71 (Finals - Knoxville, Tenn.)

First Meeting
Jan. 17, 1977 • Oxford Miss,
• L, 58-56

First SEC Meeting
Jan. 8, 1983 • Oxford, Miss.
• L, 69-67

Last Meeting
Jan. 28, 2021 • Knoxville, Tenn.
• L, 68-67

Last Win
Jan. 12, 2017 • Oxford, Miss.
• W, 67-62
• First Rebel win vs. Tennessee since 1996 (snapped 28-game losing streak)

Last Win in Knoxville
Jan. 31, 1987
•W, 69-65
• Tennessee: Ranked No. 3
• Ole Miss: Ranked No. 8

SCOUTING TENNESSEE

Record
15-6, 9-4 SEC

National Rankings
AP Ranking: 14
Coaches Ranking: 16

Last Game
Feb. 28 • W, 88-54, vs. Auburn
• Top Scorer: Rennia Davis (23)

Notes
• Top Scorer: Rae Burrell (17.1)
• Top Rebounder: Rennia Davis (8.7)
• Top 3PT Shooter: Rae Burrell (.419)

LAST TIME OUT (vs. #13 ARKANSAS)
• Shakira Austin put on a clinic and the Rebel defense shut down one of the most explosive offenses in the nation to advance the Ole Miss women's basketball team to its first SEC Quarterfinal since 2010 after a 69-60 win over No. 13 Arkansas on Thursday evening in the Second Round of the SEC Tournament.
• Ole Miss (11-10) stifled the NCAA's sixth-best scoring offense to 24 points below its season average and the NCAA's sixth-best three-point shooting team to nearly 18 percentage points below its season average at 22.6 percent. Arkansas (19-8) shot just 32 percent overall and had to contend with a true team effort from the Rebels, who dominated on the glass, 48-34, and put up 36 points in the paint.
• However, it was the stratospheric play of Austin that lifted the Rebels on Thursday, as she dominated the game from the jump. The newly-minted First-Team All-SEC honoree ended up with 29 points and 13 rebounds, the most points by a Rebel in the SEC Tournament since 2009, the most rebounds since 2004, and she became the first with a double-double since 2009 as well.
• Donnetta Johnson added 12 points, while freshmen Jacorriah Bracey (seven points) and Caitlin McGee (six points), put in crucial minutes in their best games since Dec. 8 vs. Alcorn State.
• "That's an Arkansas team that beat UConn, you know?" said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "That is a legitimate team. They're going to be a 3 seed, and we beat 'em. My young pups, I had four freshmen on the floor at one time. We are a team that can go in the NCAA tournament and create havoc."
• First-Team All-SEC member Chelsea Dungee again put on a show for Arkansas with her 22 points, but the Rebels forced her to make tough shots and go 9-for-24 from the field. Ole Miss neutralized Arkansas' deadly three-point game that ended up finishing 7-for-31 and set the defensive tone from the opening tip.
• Back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, third ranked win of the season after beating No. 14 Kentucky on Feb. 4 (72-60) and No. 17 Kentucky on Feb. 28 (73-69). In those three wins, Ole Miss is averaging 63.0 points allowed and is holding opponents to 32.5 percent shooting.
• First trip to the SEC quarterfinal since 2010, which at the time was the Second Round of the SEC Tournament before conference expansion to 14 teams in 2013.
• First SEC Tournament win since the First Round of the 2018 Tournament over Florida (48-43).
• Most points scored in the SEC Tournament since the First Round in 2007 vs. Alabama (W, 78-49)
• First halftime lead in the SEC Tournament since 2018 in the First Round vs. Florida (26-19; won 48-43).
• Fewest points allowed to Arkansas since Feb. 28, 2016 (L, 60-49); 28 allowed in the first half the fewest allowed by Ole Miss to Arkansas since Jan. 1, 2017 (26).
• Newcomers accounted for 60 of 69 points scored (87 percent), the second straight game they have accounted for 87 percent of all scoring. Prior to Feb. 28, the last time Ole Miss cracked 80 percent was Jan. 14 vs. Missouri (96.1 percent).
• Shut down Arkansas's 6th-ranked three-point shooting offense of 40 percent on the season to just 22.6 percent on Thursday.
• Career-high 29 points for Shakira Austin, the fourth-most points ever scored by a Rebel in the SEC Tournament and the most by a Rebel since Bianca Thomas scored 31 vs. Arkansas on March 5, 2009
• 13 rebounds for Austin were the most by a Rebel in the SEC Tournament since 2004 when Tywanna Inmon hauled in 13 vs. Alabama on March 4, 2004.
• Austin is the first Rebel to record a double-double in the SEC Tournament since Shawn Goff had 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 71-65 loss to Auburn on March 6, 2009.
• 20th double-digit scoring game for Shakira Austin. Third straight game scoring in double figures in the first half. Her 16 first-half points were the most in the first half since scoring 17 vs. No. 14 Kentucky on Feb. 4.
• 10th 20-point game for Shakira Austin, her ninth against SEC opponents.
• Most points by Jacorriah Bracey (7) and Caitlin McGee (6) since their games vs. Alcorn State on Dec. 8; Bracey had career-high 12, McGee eight.

LAST TIME VS. #20 TENNESSEE (L, 68-67)
• Donnetta Johnson hit a last-second three at the buzzer, but the Rebels came up just one point short of its first win in Knoxville since 1987, falling 68-67 on Jan. 28
• Ole Miss led for first 24:43
• Tennessee erased 13-point first half deficit
• Ole Miss: 46% FG, forced 17 turnovers
• Tennessee: 11-of-11 FT in second half, 8-of-8 in the fourth quarter
• Donnetta Johnson: 19 points, 8-of-15 FG
• Shakira Austin: 16 points, 7-of-12 FG
• Snudda Collins: 13 points, 3-of-5 3PT
• Newcomers: 53 of 67 points
• Tennessee's Rennia Davis: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5-of-5 FT
• Tennessee's Rae Burrell: 17 points, 6-6 FT
• Quotable: "Heartbroken for our girls. I thought they gave everything they had. We just made some really poor, youthful mistakes in inopportune times. We had momentum going. I didn't want to give a team like that momentum. We had our opportunities. We're close. I know I sound like a broken record. I really believe it. I'm proud of our team." - Coach Yo

TEAM NOTES

TOURNAMENT TIME
Ole Miss enters the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament as the No. 11 seed, earning its first bye since 2016-17 and its first trip to the quarterfinal since 2010 with a Friday night primetime matchup awaiting them vs. No. 14 Tennessee.

All-time, Ole Miss holds a 28-40 record in the SEC Tournament, but Tennessee holds a 5-1 edge over the Rebels in Tournament play. Friday will be the first matchup between the Rebels and Lady Vols since Ole Miss' last quarterfinal visit in 2010, when the Rebels lost, 76-51, to the Lady Vols. Ole Miss' one win in the Tournament series comes in 1986 in Athens, Georgia in the quarterfinal. Ole Miss and Tennessee have met in the semifinals or beyond three times.

The Rebels have made the SEC final twice: once in the first-ever SEC Tournament in 1980 vs. Tennessee (L, 85-71) and again in 1983 against Georgia (L, 72-69). A win on Friday would constitute the furthest Ole Miss has advanced in the SEC Tournament since 1993, when the Rebels lost to Vanderbilt in the semifinal.

COACH YO IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS
Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin owns an 8-6 all-time record in conference tournaments via her five successful seasons in the Atlantic Sun at Jacksonville University and her first two seasons with the Rebels. Under Coach Yo, the Dolphins won the 2016 ASUN title and wound up playing South Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Coach Yo led JU to three straight postseason appearances from 2016-18 (WNIT or NCAA) and the first three consecutive 20-win seasons in school history.

PROOF OF CONCEPT
A strong turnaround season for Ole Miss was rewarded thusly by the SEC coaches, with three Rebels earning all-conference honors following the conclusion of the regular season: Shakira Austin (First-Team All-SEC), Madison Scott (Freshman of the Year, All-Freshman) and Snudda Collins (All-Freshman). The three total team selections (All-SEC, All-Freshman) are the most by a Rebel squad since 1992, and trail only the 1988 team's five members and the 1990 team's four members since the All-Freshman team began in 1987.

Shakira Austin • First-Team All-SEC
Austin – a 6-5 forward from Fredericksburg, Virginia – has been dominant in her first season as a Rebel after transferring from Maryland, putting the SEC on notice with her ferocious play on both ends of the court. She is the first Rebel to earn First-Team honors since Tia Faleru did so in 2014-15. On the season, the junior Lisa Leslie Award Top-10 list member is averaging 17.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.5 blocks, 1.3 assists and is shooting 52.1 percent from the field. She has scored in double digits in all but one of her 20 games played this season, which includes nine 20-point games and nine double-doubles.

Austin has been even more lethal in SEC season, during which she has recorded seven of her nine 20-point games and eight of her nine double-doubles. Austin has rarely been cold in 2020-21, but she has two particularly torrid spans of games, including a stretch from Dec. 15 to Jan. 7 where she became the first Rebel to score 20 or more in four straight since 2009-10 (Bianca Thomas), and recently from Jan. 31 to Feb. 21 when she became the first Rebel to record five straight double-doubles in SEC games since All-American and current assistant coach Armintie Herrington did so in seven straight during the 2006-07 Elite Eight season. Austin has showed up for the big games in superb fashion, nearly averaging a double-double at 17.1 points and 9.7 boards while shooting 51.1 percent vs. seven ranked opponents.

She is currently the only active SEC player with 1,000 career points (1,026), 700 career rebounds (715) and 150 career blocks (159), and she is also the only player in the conference this season to rank within the top-15 in the SEC in field goal percentage (3rd, .521), scoring (7th, 17.9), blocks (7th, 1.5), rebounding (10th, 8.7), steals (11th, 1.7) and free throw shooting (15th, .711).

Madison Scott • Freshman of the Year, All-Freshman
Scott – a 6-1 forward from Indian Head, Maryland – is just the fourth Rebel to ever win SEC Freshman of the Year, and the first for Ole Miss since Herrington won in 2003-04. Other winners include Clara Jackson in 1990-91 and Kimsey O'Neal in 1986-87. Furthermore, Scott's combination with Collins on the All-Freshman team ties this year's team with 1988 for the most All-Freshman honorees (Teena Bender, Jackie Martin-Glass).

Scott came into Ole Miss with high expectations as the program's first McDonald's All-American, and did not disappoint in 2020-21. The former five-star No. 13 overall prospect ended the regular season leading all SEC freshmen in both scoring (10.5 PPG) and rebounding (7.4 RPG), with her rebounding total also ranking 13th nationally among freshmen. Scott was the motor for the Rebels on the glass all season long, recording six double-digit rebound games, five double-doubles and 11 games with at least seven boards. Scott was efficient from the field as well, ending at an impressive 59.4 percent.

She was a regular mainstay in the weekly awards throughout the season, winning SEC Freshman of the Week six times. After her sixth and final win on Monday, Scott joined an exclusive club of six-time winners in conference history alongside current SEC Player of the Year Rhyne Howard (8x, 2019) and Mizzou great Sophie Cunningham (6x, 2016).
Snudda Collins • All-Freshman
Collins – a Brookhaven, Mississippi product – took her freshman campaign by the reigns from the jump in her first game and didn't let up, becoming the conference's top freshman three-point shooter. She opened that first game vs. McNeese State with 23 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting, the most points by any Rebel in their freshman debut (in available records). Collins ended the regular season averaging 7.2 points and 2.6 rebounds, while shooting a blistering 42.5 percent from beyond the arc at a 37-of-87 clip. Collins' 1.9 threes per game leads all SEC freshmen and ranks 10th overall, and her three-point percentage ranks fourth among all freshmen nationwide in 2020-21.

Throughout her freshman year, Collins hit multiple threes in 10 games and three or more in eight – with seven of those 10 multiple trey games coming during SEC play. Collins was recently crucial for Ole Miss in a 73-69 upset at No. 17 Kentucky, hitting several late threes, including one that essentially sealed the game with less than a minute to play. Collins won SEC Freshman of the Week twice herself, and when combined with Scott's six honors and Austin's Co-Player of the Week award from Feb. 9, the 2020-21 Rebel team shattered the single-season program record for total honors with nine.

SEASON. SWEEP.
The Rebels shocked the Wildcats for a second time in the month of February, taking down a ranked Kentucky squad yet again to complete the season sweep with a 73-69 victory on Feb. 28. The sweep was the first for Ole Miss over Kentucky in program history, and it helped improve Coach Yo's record over the Wildcats to 3-1 -- with all three of those wins coming while Kentucky was ranked.

In those two games, Ole Miss:
• Out-scored UK by a +8.0 margin
• Out-rebounded UK by a +8.0 margin
• Shot .459, held UK to .326
• Shot .429 from 3PT, held UK to .256
• Shakira Austin: 21.5 PPG, 12.0 RPG, .517 FG
• Donnetta Johnson: 13.0 PPG, .478 FG
• Madison Scott: 10.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, .455 FG

Game Two Notes • Feb. 28 • Lexington, Ky.
• Overcame 11-point first half deficit; 17-0 run across both halves
• Shot 44 percent overall and 21-of-25 from the free throw line
• Held Kentucky to 33 percent; held to less than 35 percent shooting in both games vs. Ole Miss
• Shakira Austin: 22 points, 12 rebounds; ninth double-double, had it in the first half alone
• Donnetta Johnson: 14 points
• Madison Scott: 12 points, 10 rebounds; fifth career double-double
• Snudda Collins: 12 points, four 3PM (all in second half)

Game One Notes • Feb. 4 • Oxford, Miss.
• Rebels snapped a six-game slide with an emotional 72-60 upset over No. 14/15 Kentucky, the second time in the Coach Yo era that the Rebels have taken down a nationally ranked Wildcat squad.
• Ole Miss dominated glass, 49-34, and points in the paint, 42-20
• Led for 34:23
• Shakira Austin was crucial for the Rebels, scoring 21 points and 12 rebounds
• Ole Miss allowed 26 points to Kentucky star Rhyne Howard, but the Rebels as a team chipped in on defense to stymie UK to just 6-of-26 from beyond the arc
• First win over a ranked team since winning at No. 16 Kentucky on Jan. 13, 2019 (55-49)
• First home win over a ranked team since beating No. 25 Oregon on Dec. 14, 2016 (83-67)
• Largest SEC win since beating Texas A&M on Feb. 26, 2017 (62-49)
• Largest win over Kentucky since Feb. 22, 2001 (75-54, in Lexington)
• Largest win over Kentucky in Oxford since Jan. 2, 1997 (83-52)

vs. RANKED TEAMS IN 2020-21
• Record: 3-5
• 63.6 PPG / 66.9 PPG allowed
• .406 FG / .391 FG allowed
• .287 3PT / .284 3PT allowed
• .746 FT
• +5.1 rebounding
• Shakira Austin: 18.6 PPG, 10.1 RPG, .529 FG
• Donnetta Johnson: 12.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, .368 FG
• Madison Scott: 8.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, .439 FG

ON NATIONAL TV IN 2020-21
• Record: 4-4
• 64.0 PPG / 61.6 PPG allowed
• .418 FG / .371 FG allowed
• .320 3PT / .320 3PT allowed
• .788 FT
• +4.5 rebounding
• Shakira Austin: 17.3 PPG, 8.9 RPG, .500 FG
• Donnetta Johnson: 12.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, .350 FG
• Valerie Nesbitt: 8.9 PPG, 3.3 APG, .491
• Madison Scott: 8.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, .455 FG

BRUTAL FINAL STRETCH
The Rebels are looking to finish strong in the eyes of various postseason tournament committees, but the stretch Ole Miss had to ride the last month was not smooth. Since Jan. 28 and through the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss has played seven ranked teams in nine games -- including five in a row from Feb. 19 to March 4, with a sixth in a row on deck vs. No. 14 Tennessee. Those nine teams hold an average NET rating of 24.0 and a combined record of 117-45 (.722). In that stretch, the Rebels are 4-5 with wins over No. 14 Kentucky (72-60), at Alabama (67-62), at No. 17 Kentucky (73-69) and vs. No. 13 Arkansas in the Second Round of the SEC Tournament (69-60).

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 few seasons in Oxford. Coach Yo's Rebels have gone up against 21 nationally ranked squads, 20 of which have come in SEC play. Ole Miss now has four wins against in that stretch: a 55-49 upset over No. 16 Kentucky in Lexington on Jan. 13, 2019 (the first ranked road win by a Rebel team since 2011 and first at UK since 2007), a 72-60 win over No. 14 Kentucky on Feb. 4, 2021, another one at No. 17 Kentucky on Feb. 28, 2021 and vs. No. 13 Arkansas in the Second Round of the SEC Tournament (69-60).

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)

vs. Ranked Schools (Third Year)
#14 MSU - Jan. 10, 2021 (L, 60-56)
#20 Tennessee - Jan. 28, 2021 (L, 68-67)
#14 Kentucky - Feb. 4, 2021 (W, 72-60)
#18 Arkansas - Feb. 19, 2021 (L, 84-74)
#5 Texas A&M - Feb. 21, 2021 (L, 66-55)
#5 South Carolina - Feb. 25, 2021 (L, 68-43)
#17 Kentucky - Feb. 28, 2021 (W, 73-69)
#13 Arkansas - March 4, 2021 (W, 69-60)

SHARING IS CARING
The Ole Miss offense has been highly efficient, and that is due in large part to its ability to share the ball. The Rebels currently rank fifth in the SEC with an average of 14.6 assists per game, helped greatly by five games of 20 or more assists and seven of at least 19. Since 1995, Ole Miss has had a max of six games with 20 assists or more, doing so twice in consecutive seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10. The Rebels own two of the five best assist outings in the SEC this year, with a 26-assist game vs. Alcorn State and a 25-assist contest vs. McNeese State. The 26 dimes by the Rebel offense vs. Alcorn ranks as the most since 2009. Ole Miss tallied 20 in three consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 13-20, 2009.

On the season, the Rebels are tallying an assist on 55.5 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%)
Game 4 (MVSU): 21-33 (63.6%)
Game 5 (Jackson St.): 20-27 (74.1%)
Game 6 (George Mason): 10-of-26 (38.5%)
Game 7 (LSU): 17-of-24 (70.8%)
Game 8 (Auburn): 19-of-22 (86.5%)
Game 9 (at #14 MSU): 5-of-22 (22.7%)
Game 10 (vs. Mizzou): 23-of-29 (79.3%)
Game 11 (at UGA): 9-of-23 (39.1%)
Game 12 (vs. Florida): 19-of-28 (67.9%)
Game 13 (at #20 Tenn.): 9-of-27 (33.3%)
Game 14 (at LSU): 9-of-24 (37.5%)
Game 15 (vs. #14 Kentucky): 15-of-27 (55.6%)
Game 16 (at Alabama): 11-of-26 (42.3%)
Game 17 (at #18 Arkansas): 8-of-27 (29.6%)
Game 18 (vs. #5 Texas A&M): 14-of-22 (63.6%)
Game 19 (at #5 S. Carolina): 5-of-16 (31.3%)
Game 20 (at #17 Kentucky): 11-of-24 (45.8%)
Game 21 (vs. #13 Arkansas): 12-of-24 (50.0%)
Total: 304-of-548 (55.5%)

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 76.3 percent of all scoring this season (1134 of 1487).

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)
vs. MVSU: 66 of 86 (76.7 percent)
vs. Jackson St.: 65 of 89 (73.0 percent)
at George Mason: 53 of 64 (82.8 percent)
vs. LSU: 51 of 69 (73.9 percent)
vs. Auburn: 43 of 62 (69.4 percent)
at #14 MSU: 38 of 56 (67.9 percent)
vs. Mizzou: 74 of 77 (96.1 percent)
at Georgia: 36 of 57 (63.2 percent)
vs. Florida: 39 of 68 (57.4 percent)
at #20 Tenn.: 53 of 67 (79.1 percent)
at LSU: 49 of 66 (74.2 percent)
vs. #14 Kentucky: 49 of 72 (68.1 percent)
at Alabama: 53 of 67 (79.1 percent)
at #18 Arkansas: 50 of 74 (67.6 percent)
vs. #5 Texas A&M: 39 of 55 (70.9 percent)
at #5 South Carolina: 31 of 43 (72.1 percent)
at #17 Kentucky: 64 of 73 (87.7 percent)
vs. #13 Arkansas: 60 of 69 (87 percent)

Furthermore, the quartet of Shakira Austin (387 points), Donnetta Johnson (252 points), Madison Scott (181 points) and Snudda Collins (147 points) are together accounting for 65.0 percent of all season scoring this year.

LEAVIN' EM IN THE DUST
Ole Miss has gotten the upper hand from the jump on the offensive end, including six wire-to-wire wins. On the year, the Rebels have led for 60.6 percent of all game time this season in 850 total minutes played. Additionally, Ole Miss has led for 43.0 percent of all game time vs. SEC opponents season (SEC Tournament included).

2020-21 Lead/Trail
Total Minutes: 850:00
Ole Miss Lead Time: 515:23
Ole Miss Trail Time: 291:02
Time Tied: 42:53
Percentage Led: 60.6%

2020-21 Lead/Trail (SEC Season)
Total Minutes: 650:00
Ole Miss Lead Time: 279:48
Ole Miss Trail Time: 290:10
Time Tied: 39:02
Percentage Led: 43.0%

BABY REBELS
With a slew of new faces on the Ole Miss roster, the Rebels 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).

OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 52 of 82 opponents being held to five or fewer.

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

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

3rd Season (2020-21)
14-of-21 (66.7%)

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

1,000 POINTS FOR SHAKIRA
Shakira Austin eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career late in the game at No. 5 South Carolina on Feb. 25, making her the 31st Rebel to ever surpass the milestone in an Ole Miss jersey. With her performance, she is now the only active player in the SEC with 1,000 career points (1,055), 700 career rebounds (728) and 150 career blocks (162). Austin tallied up 668 points in two seasons at Maryland. Austin ranks third in blocks among current SEC players behind Aifuwa's 189 and Georgia's Jenna Staiti with 176.

AUSTIN NAMED TO LISA LESLIE TOP-10 LIST
Rebel junior and reigning SEC Player of the Week Shakira Austin has earned national attention after making the first cutoff list for the Lisa Leslie Award on their Top-10 list, released on Feb. 5. Austin joins South Carolina's Aliyah Boston -- the 2020 winner -- as the lone SEC representatives on the Top-10 list.

2021 Lisa Leslie Award Top-10 Candidates
Queen Egbo, Baylor
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn
Ayoka Lee, Kansas State
Elissa Cunane, NC State
Janelle Bailey, North Carolina
Shakira Austin, Ole Miss
Nancy Mulkey, Rice
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Kamilla Cardoso, Syracuse
Charli Collier, Texas

SHAKIRA ON A TEAR
Ole Miss junior Shakira Austin has been simply unstoppable in 2020-21, but she has been sublime in SEC play. In conference action, Austin ranks fourth in shooting percentage (.522) and is averaging 17.9 points. She recently went on a five-game rip of consecutive double-doubles, the first Rebel to do so in five straight SEC games since All-American Armintie Price clipped off seven in a row during her senior year in 2006-07. In that stretch, Austin had games of 12-12 at LSU, 21-12 vs. No. 14 Kentucky, 25-13 at Alabama, 17-11 at No. 18 Arkansas and 16-10 vs. No. 5 Texas A&M, and during she didn't missed often, shooting 62.7 percent.

This isn't the first dominant stretch for the junior, who was especially effective in a six-game stretch from Dec. 15 to Jan. 14. In that span, Austin scored 20 points or more in five of the six games, averaging 20.5 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 50 percent overall, 33 percent from beyond the arc and 78 percent from the free throw line.

In that stretch were four straight 20-point games vs. Jackson State (22; Dec. 15), George Mason (24; Dec. 19), LSU (20; Jan. 4) and Auburn (25; Jan. 7), making her the first Rebel to do so in four straight since Bianca Thomas did twice during the 2009-10 season. After being stymied at No. 14 Mississippi State, Austin came back with a vengeance vs. Missouri, dropping a career-high 26 points.

BALL DON'T LIE
Ole Miss garnered national attention when it added ESPN's No. 1 rated transfer in April, Shakira Austin of Maryland, and as a Rebel she has not disappointed. Austin leads all Rebels and ranks eighth in the SEC with 17.9 points per game and third with a 52.1 percent clip from the field, while also chipping in 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists per game. The Preseason All-SEC honoree and Lisa Leslie Award Watch List member has especially been a dominant force down low for the Rebels, recording multiple blocks in nine games -- pushing her career total to games with multiple blocks to 35. Austin has also been in double-digits in 19 of her of her first 20 games as a Rebel, making her new career total 54. She recently recorded her 24th career double-double and ninth as a Rebel at No. 17 Kentucky.

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. 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.

RARIFIED COMPANY
Ole Miss freshman and SEC Freshman of the Year Madison Scott's sixth SEC Freshman of the Week honor put her into a special group of three players in SEC history to have won the honor at least six times.

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky (2019) – 8 *
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri (2016) – 6 *
Madison Scott, Ole Miss (2021) – 6*
Candace Parker, Tennessee (2006) – 5 *
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee (2008) – 5 *
C'eira Ricketts, Arkansas (2009) – 5 *
Jasmine James, Georgia (2010) – 5
Danielle Ballard, LSU (2013) – 5
Alaina Coates, South Carolina (2014) – 5 *
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina (2015) – 5 *
Jordan Lewis, Alabama (2017) – 5
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (2020) – 5 *

* = Won SEC Freshman of the Year

YOUNG GUNS
Ole Miss had a lot of hype entering 2020-21 due to its SEC top-ranked recruiting class, but the young Rebels have backed that up with superb play. Ole Miss has received a program-record eight SEC Freshman of the Week honors this season -- two from Snudda Collins and five from Madison Scott -- and combined with Shakira Austin's Player of the Week honor on Feb. 9 broke the Ole Miss program record for total weekly honors in a season, topping the old mark of six set by the 2006-07 Elite Eight team (four Players of the Week, two Freshmen).

MADI CRASHING THE BOARDS
Four-time- SEC Freshman of the Week Madison Scott put on a rebounding clinic at LSU on Jan. 31, hauling in a career-high 16 boards to go along with 12 points for her second career double-double (she now has four). Her 16 rebounds stand as the most by a Rebel since Bretta Hart recorded 18 vs. Western Kentcuky on Dec. 12, 2015. Furthermore, it was the most rebounds by a Rebel in an SEC game since Feb. 13, 2014 (Tia Faleru, at Kentucky, 16) and the most by a Rebel freshman since Feb. 6, 2011 (Pa'Sonna Hope, vs. LSU, 16). Scott leads all SEC freshmen and is tied for 13th nationally among freshmen in rebounding this season at her average of 7.4 per game.

NICE SHOOTIN' KID
Two-time SEC Freshman of the Week Snudda Collins has been a serious three-point threat for the Rebels in the early going of her career, leading all SEC freshmen and ranking 10th overall at 1.9 threes per game. Additionally, Collins' three-point percentage of 42.5 ranks fifth among all freshmen nationally. Collins has hit three trifectas or more in a game eight times this season, highlighted by a five three-pointer outing in her Ole Miss debut vs. McNeese State on Nov. 30. Collins lit the net on fire, leading all scorers with 23 points off the bench with a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc to boot. 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 were the most by any Rebel in an opener since 2017. 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 dynamic scoring option for the Rebels, ranking second on the team with an average of 12.0 points. Johnson has put on a show on national TV twice this season, dropping a career-high 25 points at No. 14 Mississippi State and 21 vs. Kansas, showcasing her ambidextrous style of shooting in both contests. Johnson followed up her career day vs. MSU with a 20-point performance vs. Missouri, her first consecutive 20-point games in her career.

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.

OLD GUARD
Redshirt junior Mimi Reid returns as the Rebel with the most experience in 2020-21, with 65 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 ranks second in the SEC at 4.4 dimes per contest and leads in assist/turnover ratio. Reid has three of the top-five single-game assist totals in the SEC in 2020-21, including a 10-assist performance vs. LSU for her fourth career double-digit assist game.

Reid has also flashed some scoring aptitude since late last year, scoring 14 points vs. No. 14 Kentucky and 16 at No. 18 Arkansas, and last year she averaged 15.4 points and shooting 43.6 percent overall in a five-game stretch from Feb. 13-27. In all five games in that stretch 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.

BIG FISH
Five-star signee Madison Scott was the No. 13 national prospect out of Bishop McNamara in Maryland, and 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.

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

Donnetta Johnson

Caitlin McGee

Valerie Nesbitt

Mimi Reid

Madison Scott

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