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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Howard
Women's Basketball Opens Battle4Atlantis with Howard on Saturday
11/17/2023 | Women's Basketball
TEAM FACTS
No. 23/25 Ole Miss Rebels (2-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 6th Season at Ole Miss (81-76) • 11th Season in Career (175-139)
Howard Bison (1-3, 0-0 MEAC)
Head Coach: Ty Grace • 9th Season at Howard (122-114) • 12th Season in Career (176-145)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: FloHoops
Play by Play: Evan Stockton
Analyst: Lexi Ayala
Radio: 105.1 FM
Play by Play: Graham Doty
SERIES NOTES
SCOUTING THE BISON
The first HBCU to participate in the Battle4Atlantis, Howard travels to the Bahamas at 1-3 with its lone win coming against Mount St. Mary's.
Selected to finish second in the MEAC, Howard also boasts the reigning MEAC Player of the Year and the 2023-24 Preseason Player of the Year in guard Destiny Howell. Senior Kaniyah Harris and fifth-year Iyanna Warren were named Preseason MEAC All-Conference as well.
Through four games, redshirt-freshman Tyana Walker leads the Bison with 14.0 points per game. Warren joins her averaging double-digit points as well, with 10.0 per game.
OLE MISS VS. HOWARD
Saturday's matchup against the Bison marks the first between the two schools in program history.
REBELS VS. THE MEAC
Against opponents from the MEAC, Ole Miss is 3-0 with victories against Delaware State, Morgan State and last its last game against a MEAC school in Norfolk State in 2018.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
Ole Miss came out hot and ready to roll against Temple on Wednesday night, riding a 24-point first quarter to an 80-63 victory over the Owls.
It was a collaborative effort with 13 Rebels hitting the floor, and five ending the night in double-figure scoring. Point guard KK Deans pieced together her most complete game of the season with 16 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
In her first start as a Rebel, Kharyssa Richardson came to play with a career-high tying 16 point outing.
Rita Igbokwe added to her career block count, with four rejections and a season-high 10 points. A smooth shooting night from Marquesha Davis led her to 13 points off of 6-of-9 shooting from the field.
HOMECOMING QUEENS
No strangers to the Bahamas, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and freshman Rhema Collins are back in their native country.
McPhee-McCuin, a native of Freeport, has established herself as a Bahamian legend due to her playing and now coaching career. She was the first female from the Bahamas to sign a letter of intent to play Division I basketball.
Her lore only grew greater as her coaching career bloomed as an assistant to Jacksonville and now at Ole Miss. At the national level, she has served a stint for the women's national team as its head coach and last summer became the first woman in Bahamian history to coach at the men's national level serving as an assistant with the Bahamas Men's Senior National Team during World Cup qualifiers.
Collins is the second Bahamian to play at Ole Miss under McPhee-McCuin, joining Valerie Nesbitt (2021). A native of Nassau, Collins prepped at The Webb School in Tennessee prior to joining the Rebels this past summer.
MTE TIME
Under McPhee-McCuin, Ole Miss has found success in early season multi-team events and claimed a tournament win at the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational Powered by Cal in November of 2021
Ole Miss overpowered San Diego State and Cal in Berkeley to claim its first tournament title since the Rebels won the 2014 Nugget Classic in Denver.
SHOTS UP AND ON POINT
While the Rebels were smoothly spreading the ball around against Temple, Ole Miss was draining its shots at a high percentage. 51.8% on the game to be exact.
A big first quarter in which the Rebs shot 10-15 from the field for a clip of 66.7%, aided the team to record its highest field goal percentage against a non-conference opponent since Ole Miss shot 53.7% at Cincinnati in December of 2021.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
In its last two outings, five players have scored in double-figures for Ole Miss in a rare occurrence for the program.
The Rebels last had five players in double-digit scoring once during the 2021-22 season, happening against Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
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. So far this season, she has had five or more assists in each game.
The graduate guard has accumulated 361 assists in her career, ranking 47th 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 21 of its last 23 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 124 games in her collegiate career, making 75 starts. She sits tied for 18th 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%)
RANKED AND REARING TO GO
In putting the nation on notice, Ole Miss entered the season with its highest preseason rankings in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll since 1995.
In the AP Poll, Ole Miss came in at No. 12 to also earn its highest ranking in the Poll since 1992 and the fifth highest to start a season. The Rebels begin the season ranked for the 17th time in school history.
After ending last season at No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, the Rebels start this season at No. 16 for their highest slot in the poll since No. 15 in 1995.
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
• 146 career made three's - needs 18 more to crack top-five in Ole Miss history.
KK DEANS
• 1300 career-points - 200 to 1,500.
MADISON SCOTT
• 955 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
• 953 career-points - 47 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 146 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)
2-3 (66.7%)
RITA IGBLOCKWE
A defensive force around the rim against South Carolina in Oxford, Rita Igbokwe's six rejections set a season-high for the senior.
Igbokwe hit 200 in her career in the SEC Quarterfinals. She currently ranks seventh in active blocks nationally with a total of 210.
25 WINS SECURED
With the win over Stanford in the NCAA Tournament, Ole Miss notched its 25th win last season and set another historical milestone. The mark is the most wins in a single-season since the 1986-87 team reached 25 en route to a Sweet 16 berth under Van Chancellor.
Ole Miss now has a total of six 25-win seasons.
Van Chancellor's 1978-79 team holds the program record for most wins in a lone season at 31.
IT JUST MEANS MORE DEFENSE
To open the NCAA Tournament, the Ole Miss defense continued to play at the high-level McPhee-McCuin upholds it to, keeping both Gonzaga and Stanford to under 50 points each.
For the third time last season season, Ole Miss held opponents under the mark in back-to-back games. In total, the Rebels have kept eight total opponents to under 50-points in scoring.
The Rebels are just one of two teams in the NCAA Tournament this season to hold both opponents in the first and second rounds to under 50 points in scoring.
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.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Ole Miss will face either Arizona or Memphis in its second game at the Battle4Atlantis on Sunday, Nov. 19. The Rebels second game will stream on FloHoops with time to be announced.
