Women’s Basketball Hosts Historic Delta State in Lone Exhibition Friday

EXHIBITION - OLE MISS (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
vs. DELTA STATE (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Friday, October 28 • 6 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss.
SJB Pavilion
Free Admission

OXFORD, Miss. – Head women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and Co. welcome the historic Delta State Lady Statesmen program for the team's lone exhibition matchup Friday night at 6 p.m. CT from the SJB Pavilion.

The Division II Lady Statesmen are regarded as one of the most historic programs in women's basketball, claiming three straight AIAW National Championships from 1975-1977 and winning three NCAA Division II Titles in 1989, 1990 and 1992. Delta State is the only women's basketball program in NCAA Division II history with 1,000 wins.

TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 5th Season at Ole Miss (54-66) • 148-129 career record (10th Season)

Delta State Lady Statesmen (0-0, 0-0 GULF COAST)
Head Coach: Tracy Stewart-Lange • 1st Season at Delta State (0-0) • 363-248 career record (22nd Season)

SERIES NOTES
The Rebels take on the Lady Statesmen in their first exhibition contest since 2019, where Ole Miss then defeated Clark Atlanta in a 79-52 victory in Oxford.

Ole Miss holds the all-time advantage over Delta State in regular season contests, 20-12 and 7-3 in Oxford. The two programs last met during the regular season in 1986, with the Rebels defeating the Lady Statesmen 74-64 in Oxford.

Ole Miss' lone win against a No. 1 ranked team also came against the Lady Statesmen in 1977 with the unranked Rebels toppling Delta State from the Tad Smith Coliseum, 73-72.

WROTE HISTORY
The 2021-22 Rebels etched their names in the Ole Miss record books, shattering feats that few other teams had accomplished before.

• 13 game winning streak - third longest in program history
• 142 blocks - program single-season record
• 10 SEC wins - second-time in Ole Miss history
• 20th 20-win season, first since 2006-07
• Angel Baker named the SEC Sixth-Woman of the Year.

STREAK SETTERS
A season-opening loss to NCAA Tournament regular Belmont ignited a fire underneath the Rebels, as Ole Miss went on to win the remainder of its 12 non-conference games on the way to a 13-game winning streak.

The streak included a perfect non-conference road record, with the Rebels toppling Cal, Cincinnati and Hofstra on their turf.

SET THE STANDARD
The Rebels 23-9 record for an .718 winning percentage marked the program's best winning percentage not only in the four seasons under McPhee-McCuin, but the best since the 1993-1994 season where Ole Miss went 24-9.

SEC WINS JUST MEAN MORE
With its 10th SEC victory, Ole Miss tied the most in a season in the last 20 years and reached its second season in program history with double-digit wins in conference play.

The Rebels had not reached double-digit wins in SEC play since the 1991-92 season where the Rebels went 11-0 in conference play.

WHO'S BACK FOR 2022-23
Despite losing two-time First-Team SEC member Shakira Austin to the WNBA, the Rebels return a strong starting core in Madison Scott and Snudda Collins.

The 2020-21 SEC Freshman of the Year, Scott, started in all 32 games for the Rebels while Collins appeared in all 32 games with 18 starts as a sophomore. Destiny Salary boasts starting experience as well, as the junior made 10 starts last season in 25 games.

Off the bench, Angel Baker was unbeatable averaging 12.4 points per game and dropped six 20-point performances as a reserve. Her key play led to her becoming the first Rebel to be named the SEC Sixth-Woman of the Year.

WHAT'S BACK FOR 2022-23?
• Points: 927 of 2,142 (43.3%)
• Rebounds: 427 of 1,228 (34.8%)
• 3-Pointers: 76 of 102 (74.5%) – Snudda Collins accounted for 44 of 102 (43.1%)

vs. RANKED TEAMS IN 2021-22
• 57.3 PPG / 63.1 PPG allowed
• .365 FG / .403 FG allowed
• .210 3PT / .302 3PT allowed
• .651 FT
• Angel Baker: 10.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, .385 FG
• Snudda Collins: 4.8 PPG, .255 FG, .250 3FG
•Madison Scott: 7.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, .466 FG

ON NATIONAL TV IN 2021-22
• Record: 5-7
• 62.0 PPG / 64.0 PPG allowed
• .387 FG / .430 FG allowed
• .252 3PT / .315 3PT allowed
• .691 FT
• Angel Baker: 11.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, .401 FG
• Snudda Collins: 4.7 PPG, .243 FG, .246 3FG
• Madison Scott: 7.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, .420 FG

RESTOCKED AND RELOADED
Despite losing six seniors, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin retooled and reshaped the Rebels through the use of the transfer portal adding six transfers. All six carry Power-Five playing experience, while three are well versed in the grind of the SEC.

Brooke Moore
• Will sit out the 2022-23 season due to injury
•Spent two seasons at Auburn, before transferring to Purdue
• Averaged 10.3 points per game, as a senior, ranking 10th in the nation in scoring among players with fewer than three starts
• Set a career-high in the First Round of the 2022 WNIT, with 27 points against Southern Illinois

Myah Taylor
• Graduate transfer from Mississippi State
• Left Starkville ranked sixth in total assists (445), third in assists per game (3.9) and eighth in total steals (195)
• As a senior, Led the SEC in assists per game (5.5), ranking 19th overall nationally
• Helped MSU lead the SEC in 2021-22 and rank fifth in the NCAA in fewest turnovers (340)

Marquesha Davis
• Transferred from Arkansas with two years of eligibility remaining
• Appeared in seven games as a junior before deciding to transfer, scoring a season-high 11 points against Sam Houston
• Scored in double-figures four times as a junior, including a career-high 15 points twice
• Honored as a First-Team All-USA Arkansas Girls Basketball selection as a senior out of Springdale High School

Tyia Singleton
• Transferred from Rutgers with two years of eligibility remaining
• Led the Scarlet Knights in blocks for two straight seasons, ranking 10th in the Big Ten as a redshirt junior with 1.0 per game
• Matched a career best last season with 13 rebounds at Nebraska
• Two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree

Elauna Eaton
• Transferred after two seasons at Arkansas alongside Marquesha Davis
• Appeared in 28 games as a redshirt freshman, earning two starts
• Scored a season-high 15 points and seven rebounds against UAPB
• Rated as the No. 9 guard and the No. 41 overall player in the nation out of Nettleton High School

Rita Igbokwe
• Transferred from Pitt with two years of eligibility left
• Played in 30 games as a junior, starting in 26
• Blocked 68 shots ranking 20th in the nation and third in the ACC in 2021-22
• Set a Pitt freshman record, with 60 blocked shots with 17 multi-block games

NEW KID IN TOWN
Not only did McPhee-McCuin make moves in the transfer portal, she also signed one freshman who looks to make an early impact in Oxford.

Ayanna Thompson
• Rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 8 player in Texas by ESPN out of Desoto High School
• Member of the 28-2 team in 2021, winning Desoto's first 6A State Title in program history
•McDonald's All-America honoree

FLOOR GENERAL
Following her standout career in Starkville, Taylor the Mississippi product continues to garner respect nationwide by being named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Watch-List as one of the top point guards in the country.

FRESH FACES TO THE BENCH
New faces are abundant for the Rebels on the court but can be seen on the bench as well with the addition of assistant coaches Bojan Jankovic and Jaida Williams with both joining Ole Miss during the offseason.

The two carry an abundance of basketball knowledge, with Jankovic coming to Oxford from Louisiana Tech and Williams joining the Rebels following a head coaching stint at Coastal Carolina.

Bojan Jankovic
•Boasts over 25 years of coaching experience throughout college and the international circuit
•Earned a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics as an assistant coach with the Serbian Women's National Team
•Spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Louisiana Tech, tutoring LA Tech post players
•Previous stops include, Wyoming, Oral Roberts, Centenary, University of the Ozarks and Texas A&M Commerce

Jaida Williams
•Joined the Rebels following nine seasons at the helm of Coastal Carolina
•Led the Chanticleers to a program record 25 victories in 2019-20 and was named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year
•Carried the Chanticleers to its first posteason appearance, accepting an invitation to play in the 2019 Women's Basketball Invitational
• Prior stops include stints as an assistant coach at Wake Forest, UC Santa Barbara, and South Florida

AN ANGEL IS ON OUR SIDE
After making a splash on the national stage, dropping 26 points in a NCAA Tournament First Round upset over Arkansas while at Wright State, the work didn't stop for Angel Baker when she arrived in Oxford last season.

A spark plug off the bench for the Rebels, Baker recorded six 20 point outings as a reserve en route being named the SEC Sixth-Woman of the Year. Baker also became the only Rebel in the 21st century to record five 20-point outings off the bench.

A season-high 24-point performance against Texas Tech at the West Palm Beach Invitational earned her SEC Co-Player of the Week honors after shooting 11-of-13 against the Lady Raiders.

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
Coach Yo always preaches the importance of packing defense and last season the Rebels did just that, holding a program record 10 opponents under 50 points.

Against Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss refused to let up on the Lady Techsters holding them to just a mere 2 points in the second quarter, the fewest allowed in a quarter since the women's game moved to the format in 2015-16.

GAME CHANGER
Following a season writing history with the Rebels, Yolett McPhee-McCuin decided to write a little bit of her own after serving as an assistant coach with the Bahamas Senior Men's National Team during FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

The Freeport, Bahamas, native became the first woman to ever coach at the men's senior national level, following a stint of serving as the head coach for the Bahamas Senior Women's National Team from 2014 through 2017.

Ole Miss opens the regular season a week from Monday on Nov. 7 against Kennesaw State at 5 p.m. streaming on SEC Network +.

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

Angel Baker

Snudda Collins

Marquesha Davis

Elauna Eaton

Rita Igbokwe

Brooke Moore

Destiny Salary

Madison Scott

Tyia Singleton

Myah Taylor

Ayanna Thompson

The University of Mississippi Athletics