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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Temple
Women's Basketball Hosts Temple Wednesday to Wrap Up Home Stretch
11/14/2023 | Women's Basketball
TEAM FACTS
No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels (1-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 6th Season at Ole Miss (80-76) • 11th Season in Career (174-139)
Temple Owls (2-1, 0-0 AAC)
Head Coach: Diane Richardson • 2nd Season at Temple (13-19) • 7th Season in Career (93-85)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play by Play: Jake Hromada
Analyst: Lindsay King
Radio: 105.1 FM
Play by Play: Graham Doty
SERIES NOTES
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Entering year two under head coach Diane Richardson, Temple was selected to finish ninth in the American Athletic Conference following a 6-10 record and 11-18 overall last season.
5th year guard Aleah Nelson leads the Owls, averaging 15.4 points per game last season and earning a spot on the Preseason All-Conference Second Team.
The Owls head south after a three-game homestand to begin their season, going 2-1 with wins over Delaware State and Bucknell.
OLE MISS VS. TEMPLE
In the series dating back to 1985, Ole Miss holds the all-time advantage against Temple 5-1. In Oxford, the Rebels lead 2-0 with the last meeting between the two programs taking place in 2018 with a 62-55 win at the SJB Pavilion.
Last season in Philadelphia, the Rebels took care of the Owls in a 75-55 victory in their final game of the non-conference slate. Four Rebels wrapped up the day in double-figure scoring, including returners in Madison Scott with 16, Tyia Singleton with 16 and Marquesha Davis with 10. Scott tacked on 10 rebounds as well.
REBELS VS. THE AMERICAN
Against the 14-team American Athletic Conference, Ole Miss holds a 57-23 advantage.
A majority of those wins have come against Memphis, with 32 wins against the foe up the road.
The Rebels have won three-straight against American opponents, including wins at Cincinnati, vs. South Florida in West Palm Beach and at Temple.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
Facing an early season test against a perennial NCAA Tournament team in Oklahoma, Ole Miss was unable to withsand a second half surage against the Sooners, falling 80-70.
Led off the bench by Snudda Collins with 15 points, Ole Miss could not slow down Skylar Vann with a game-high 24 points.
Holding a one-point lead over OU at the half ahead 39-38, a highly contested third quarter made the difference due to multiple Sooner runs.
Ole Miss could not keep pace with Oklahoma, trailing by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter, eventually falling 80-70.
FLOOR GENERAL
KK Deans has asserted herself as one of the strongest point guards out there, dropping an assist in 38 games straight, dating back to the 2021-22 season at West Virginia.
The graduate guard has accumulated 353 assists in her career, ranking 49th nationally among active players in Division I.
HOME SWEET HOME
Rebel nation has turned the SJB Pavilion into an intimidating environment for visiting teams, especially in the non-conference slate.
Ole Miss has won 20 of its last 22 games at home against non-conference visitors, dating back to the 2020 season.
DYNAMIC DUO
Now in year four together, Snudda Collins and Madison Scott feed off one another with the pair contributing to each other's success on the court.
When both Collins and Scott finish in double-figure scoring, the Rebels are bound to win at a record of
16-1.
THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
The motto of "We Defend" has not gone anywhere in the Rebel program, with Ole Miss once again reinforcing the message against Queens.
Outrebounding the Royals 55 to 28 for a rebounding margin of +27, set the tone that this team is not to be messed with off the glass.
The margin of +27 set the largest in a single-game under McPhee-McCuin and the most in a game since 2018.
It was the ninth game under McPhee-McCuin in which Ole Miss has outrebounded its opponent by 20 rebounds or more.
DIME DROPPIN' AND NOT STOPPIN'
Sharing is truly caring and against Queens, Ole Miss dished out 24 assists on 34 made field goals. Within the first quarter alone, the Rebels issued an assist on each of their six made shots.
KK Deans led the Rebels with six helpers, followed by Zakiya Stephenson with five. Eight Rebels contributed to the assist account, with Ole Miss issuing the most assists in the first game of a season under McPhee-McCuin.
GOING DEEP
Running 11 players deep against Queens, proved that the Rebel bench will be a key factor throughout the year.
Boosted by Collins with 17 points, the Ole Miss bench accounted for 46 points against the Royals. Four Rebels added five or more points as well.
PAINT PARTY ANYONE?
The Rebels sure made themselves comfortable on the interior against Queens, racking up 50 points in the paint.
Anchored by the presence of Rita Igbokwe, Kharyssa Richardson and Madison Scott, the Rebels look to continue its damage in the paint as the season progresses.
STEADY GOING SLIM
After choosing to return to the Rebels this off-season and utilize her sixth season of eligibility, Tyia Singleton is now one of the most tenured players in Division I women's basketball.
Singleton has appeared in 123 games in her collegiate career, making 75 starts. She sits tied for 21st nationally in active games played.
ON TO THE NEXT
Following an electrifying NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16 which captivated the country with its upset of No. 1 seeded Stanford on its home court, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and Co. are looking to what's next in the 2023-24 season.
The Rebels are primed and poised to compete to earn its third consecutive appearance to the NCAA Tournament and its 20th in program history.
GUESS WHO'S BACK?
In spite of the losses of leaders in Angel Baker and Myah Taylor, the Rebels bring back a strong core of starters in Marquesha Davis, Madison Scott and Tyia Singleton as well as extra depth coming off the bench with Snudda Collins, Elauna Eaton, Rita Igbokwe and Ayanna Thompson.
WHAT'S BACK FOR 2023-24?
• Points: 1,521 of 2,334 (65.1%)
• Rebounds: 1,091 of 1,421 (76.8%)
• Assists: 169 of 419 (40.3%)
• Blocks: 155 of 174 (89.0%)
• 3-Pointers: 101 of 164 (61.5%) – Snudda Collins accounted for 55 of 164 (33.5%)
NO. 4 BUT WANTING MORE
In both the SEC Coaches and the Media Polls, Ole Miss was chosen to finish No. 4 in the conference for the third consecutive year in a row.
Yet another finish in the top-five of the SEC, would give the rebels its third straight finish as one of the best in the SEC for the first time since 1985-1988.
MILESTONE WATCH
SNUDDA COLLINS
• 144 career made three's - needs 20 more to crack top-five in Ole Miss history.
KK DEANS
• 1284 career-points - 216 to 1,500.
MADISON SCOTT
• 951 career-points - would become 29th player to score 1,000 points at Ole Miss.
• 22 career double-doubles - currently sits at No. 10 at Ole Miss.
KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS
• 950 career-points - 50 away from 1,000.
MY OH MADI
The development of Madison Scott since her arrival on campus has been undeniable, with the McDonald's All-American out of Bishop McNamara proving her progress each season.
Year three proved to be the best yet, with the rising senior earning Second Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive accolades as a junior. Totaling a team leading 11 double-doubles in 2022-23, Scott was also the Rebels' most efficient shooter with a team leading .510 field goal percentage.
Scott enters year four in Oxford touted as one of the best in the conference, earning First Team All-SEC acclaim by the league's coaches and a spot on the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List as one of the nation's top forwards.
PORTAL U
Developing talent is a key component of Coach Yo's vision, with the sixth year coach turning Ole Miss into a hotspot for those looking to grow and for a new home.
Seven Rebels on this season's roster made their way to Ole Miss after hitting the court at a previous school.
McPhee-McCuin hit the portal this offseason once again in search of fresh talent to infuse into the Rebel program, picking up three Power Five transfers, including two of ESPN's Top-15 available.
• Graduate transfer out of Florida, spent three seasons at West Virginia.
• Leading scorer for the Gators in 2022-23 with 14.1 points per game.
• Rated as the No. 14 available transfer by ESPN.
• All-Big 12 Honorable Mention as a junior at WVU.
• Transferred from Auburn following her freshman campaign.
• Appeared in 28 games for the Tigers, starting in 27.
• Led AU in rejections with a total of 23 blocks.
• Former AAU teammate with Rita Igbokwe.
• Joined the Rebels following three seasons at North Carolina.
• Touted as the No. 11 available transfer by ESPN.
• Named Second-Team All-ACC as a junior, ranking second in scoring for the Tar Heels with 13.4 points per game.
• Led Carolina in triples in 2022-23 with a total of 52 makes from beyond the arc.
THE FRESHMEN FIVE
Experience is abundant through the Rebel roster, yet McPhee-McCuin scoured the globe to bring in some of the best talent worldwide with five freshmen joining Ole Miss.
• Ranked as the third best player coming out of Europe by WorldWide Hoops in the class of 2023.
• Represented Serbia at the 2023 U18 Women's European Championship, averaging 20.6 points per game.
• Named the MVP at the 2021 FIBA U16 European Challengers after scoring 25.2 points per game.
• Second Bahamian under McPhee-McCuin at Ole Miss, joining Valerie Nesbitt.
• Integral part in The Webb School winning back-to-back Tennessee Division II-A State Championships in 2021 and 2022.
• Played for the Bahamas at the 2019 Centrobasket U17 Women's Championship.
• Three-sport athlete out of Bonner Springs, lettering in volleyball, basketball and track.
• Averaged 23 points and eight rebounds per game as a junior.
•Two-time Kansas 5A State discus champion.
• Led Princess Anne to back-to-back 5A State Championships in 2021 and 2022.
• Ranked as the No. 29 player in Virginia by MaxPreps.
• Rated as a four-star prospect and the No. 88 player in the nation by ESPN's HoopGurlz.
• Standout at Greenville, averaging 18.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 6.7 blocks as a junior.
• Earned South Carolina All-State accolades in 2021 and 2022.
• Touted as a four-star prospect and the No. 99 player in the country by ESPN's HoopGurlz.
THE YO EFFECT
Now entering year six into Yolett McPhee-McCuin's guidance at the helm of the Rebels, she is already responsible for two of the program's best starts in the last 30 seasons.
Through the first 18 games:
• 1991-92: 17-1
• 1994-95: 15-3
• 2021-22: 16-2
• 2022-23: 16-2
OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 102 of 145 opponents being held to five or fewer.
1st Season (2018-19)
17-of-32 (53.1%)
2nd Season (2019-20)
21-of-30 (70.0%)
3rd Season (2020-21)
14-of-22 (63.6 %)
4th Season (2021-22)
22-of-31 (70.9%)
5th Season (2022-23)
29-34 (85.2%)
6th Season (2023-24)
2-2 (100%)
DON'T BE SHOCKED
Rebel history proved right once again as with every second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Ole Miss has won all 11 of those games to advance to the Sweet 16.
The win over Stanford pushed Ole Miss to a perfect 11-0 in Round of 32 games in the tournament.
TOURNEY RECORDS SHATTERED
In its first NCAA Tournament win in 16 seasons, Ole Miss made it a memorable one breaking multiple program single-game tournament records.
The 23-point win over the Zags tied the largest in program history in an NCAA Tournament game, as well as holding the Zags to a big dance low of 48 points.
Carried by Collins' hot hands, the Rebels drained an NCAA game high seven three-pointers, while on the boards grabbed a high of 51 rebounds.
THE BLOCK PARTY NEVER STOPS
The Rebels have proved that defense gets it done in the Coach Yo era and continued to defend around the rim this season as well. The 2021-22 team shattered the program record in single-season blocks at 142 and last year's squad rose to the challenge breaking that.
Through 34 games, Ole Miss rejected 174 shots last to set the single-season program record.
20 WINS AND COUNTING
By hitting the 20-win mark against Kentucky, Ole Miss hit another major milestone as a program with back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1993-94 & 1994-95.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The comfort of the SJB Pavilion has been welcoming to the Rebels this season, with Ole Miss reaching double-digit wins at home two consecutive years in a row for the first time since the 2007-08 & 2008-09 seasons.
In 2021-22 Ole Miss tallied 10 wins at home while the 2022-23 Rebels reached a total of 14.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Rebels venture to the Bahamas for the 2023 Battle4Atlantis Tournament for three games. Ole Miss takes on Howard in Game One on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on FloHoops.
