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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Tennessee
Rebels Remain on Road with Visit to Tennessee
2/1/2023 | Women's Basketball
Ole Miss Coming off of First Win at Arkansas Since 2011
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OLE MISS (18-4, 7-2 SEC) at TENNESSEE (16-8, 8-1 SEC) Thursday, Feb. 2 • 5:30 p.m. CT • Knoxville, Tenn. Thompson Boling Arena (21,678)  |
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Watch • Live Stats • Listen
Ole Miss Game Notes • Tennessee Game Notes • SEC Game Notes |
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TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (18-4, 7-2 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 5th Season at Ole Miss (72-70) • 10th Season in Career (166-133)
Tennessee Lady Volunteers (16-8, 8-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Kellie Harper • 4th Season at Tennessee (79-35) • 19th Season in Career (364-342)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play by Play: Andy Brock
Analyst: Kamera Harris
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Station: 105.1 FM
Play by Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
VERSUS TENNESSEE
The Lady Vols have held court in the series against the Rebels, leading 51-8 dating back to the first meeting in 1977.
Ole Miss last knocked off the all-time winningest program in women's college basketball in 2017, in a 67-62 win in Oxford. The Rebels have only left Knoxville with a win twice in program history, the last time being in 1987.
Rebel legend Peggie Gillom-Granderson still remains in the Tennessee record books, holding the record for most points scored against a Lady Vol squad. In 1978, Gillom-Granderson recorded a record-breaking performance with 45 points against UT in Knoxville off of 21 made field goals. The record still stands in Ole Miss history as well as the most points scored in a single outing.
FIRST MEETING
• 01/17/77 - UT, 58-56 - at Oxford
LAST MEETING
• 01/09/22 - UT, 70-58 - at Oxford
SCOUTING THE LADY VOLS
Tennessee started off SEC play with a red hot 8-0 start, before faltering against undefeated No. 3 LSU, 76-68 in Baton Rouge on Monday.
Despite losing Preseason First-Team All-SEC member Tamari Key, the Lady Vols have remained one of the most efficient offenses in the conference averaging 76.58 points per outing to rank third overall.
Mississippi State transfer Rickea Jackson currently paces the Lady Vols averaging 17.7 points per game, while Jordan Horston leads the team off the boards with 6.8 per game.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
Facing a 19-point halftime deficit at No. 24 Arkansas, Ole Miss came out of the locker room at Bud Walton Arena with renewed energy accomplishing what few programs have done in to come back for a 76-73 overtime win.
In her return to her former school, Marquesha Davis shined with a career-high 20 point outing with a season-high eight rebounds. The win over the Razorbacks was the first in Fayetteville since 2011 and the program's first overtime victory since 2019.
COMEBACK KIDS
Trailing by 19 at with 20 minutes remaining, the Rebels came together to do the unthinkable and clawed their way back against Arkanas to force overtime and defeat the Razorbacks.
The feat tied the 9th largest margin overcome in NCAA history and was the largest in program history. It also set the third largest margin overcome in an SEC game.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Back in her home state in front of friends and family, Marquesha Davis sure showed out with a career-high 20-point performance against the Razorbacks.
As an Arkansas transfer, Davis is one of 12 players in Division I this year to score 20 or more points in an outing against her former team.
300 AND MORE TO COME
Thursday's matchup at Tennessee will be the 300th career game coached by Yolett McPhee-McCuin in her 10th season at the helm of a program.
Prior to her stint in Oxford, McPhee-McCuin spent five seasons in Jacksonville leading the Dolphins to 94 wins with the program.
GO FOR DEEP -- OR DON'T
It's a proven stat that the Rebs defend the three ball well, ranking sixth in the nation while holding its opponents to 24.6% from beyond the arc.
The Rebels have limited Auburn and Texas A&M to its season lowest from three and Mississippi State and Alabama to its SEC game lowest.
HOT HANDS EQUAL DUBS
When the Rebels find themselves in a groove, the wins are bound to happen. This season when Ole Miss shoots above 40% in a game, the Rebels are bound to win at 16-0.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Dubbed as the "offensive" and "defensive" point guards by McPhee-McCuin, Angel Baker and Myah Taylor prove it on the court as one of the most experienced duos in the nation.
Ole Miss is one of 14 programs in the country to have two players with more than 134 games played each.
SWEPT. THE. SIP.
Following its first win in Starkville since 2007 on Jan. 1, Ole Miss continued to make its presence known as the top dog in the state of Mississippi with its 78-63 win on Jan. 26.
The back-to-back regular season wins against the Bulldogs marked the first regular season sweep over MSU since 2004.
SNUDDA SQUAD
No doubt Snudda Collins was feeling herself on Thursday against Mississippi State, with the junior draining a career-high tying five three's off the bench.
With 45 made triples this season and 148 attempts, Collins is climbing her way up the Ole Miss history charts. Collins is 21 made three's away from ranking in the top-five in a single-season.
SHARING IS CARING
Dropping a 20 dimes against Mississippi State, the Rebels showed that sharing the ball proved to be an extreme benefit. The 20 assists were the most in an SEC game by the Rebels this season.
Three Rebels combined for 18 of those 20 dimes, with Angel Baker, Madison Scott and Myah Taylor dishing out six apiece.
The last time Ole Miss had three Rebels with five or more dimes, was last season against Texas A&M from the SJB Pavilion.
MILESTONE WATCH
Angel Baker
• 1964 career points - 36 from 2000
Rita Igbokwe
• 182 career blocks - 19 from 200
THE ROAD TO 20 WINS
22 games into the season, Ole Miss' 18 wins have it two away from hitting yet another historic milestone.
Ole Miss has not had back-to-back 20 win seasons since the 1993-94 & 1994-95 seasons.
Those teams respectively tallied 24 & 21 wins en route to two straight NCAA tournament appearances.
SCOTT STILL STREAKING
Madison Scott hasn't cooled off the last 12 games, tallying double-digit points in each of them. Six of those games have been with 15 or more points as well.
This is the longest scoring streak of its kind for any Rebel this season and the longest scoring streak of Scott's career. Last season, Shakira Austin recorded double-digits in 10 straight games as well.
DON'T TEST DEZ
Off the bench against Alabama, Destiny Salary made a splash with a career-high 16 points and three made three pointer's.
The junior led the Rebels in scoring against the Crimson Tide and has recorded three outings in double-figure scoring this season.
ALL BARK. NO BITE.
Not only was the win at Georgia a key piece for the Rebels as they march through conference play, it was the first win in Athens for the program since 2010 and only the second in Ole Miss history.
TAKING IT JUST MEANS MORE SERIOUSLY
With five straight wins to open conference play, Ole Miss kicked off it's SEC season 5-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season where that team then went on to win 24 games and reach the Elite Eight.
The 2007 Rebels started 5-0 in SEC play, before going 9-5 in the conference.
The 1991-92 Ole Miss squad owns the best SEC program record, as the Rebels went 11-0 en route to an Elite Eight appearance.
MUST PACK - DEFENSE
It's no secret that Ole Miss thrives off its defense, yet with the win over Georgia, the Rebels picked up its third straight SEC road victory.
It's the first time Ole Miss started 3-0 on the road within the conference and the first time since 1991-92 the Rebels have won back-to-back-to back road games against SEC foes.
WHAT'S IN THE SECRET SAUCE?
The correlation between Rebel wins and rebounding is evident, as all 18 Ole Miss wins have come when outrebounding its opponent.
Through nine games in SEC play, Ole Miss has outrebounded its opponents by an average of +8.4 boards per game.
WE DEFEND LIKE NO OTHER
By locking down the Aggies and holding Texas A&M to only 38 points, Ole Miss once again proved why "We Defend" is at the heart of its program.
The 38 points are the fewest points allowed against an SEC team in program history and the only time in program history holding a conference opponent under 40 points.
OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 92 of 135 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)
19-22 (86.3%)
THE BEST KIND OF THIEVERY
No wonder Ole Miss was able to keep Texas A&M at bay, the Rebels racked up a season-high 14 steals as a team. Ole Miss has recorded double-digit steals in seven games this season.
COME AT THE VET
As one of the most experienced players currently in Division I basketball, Angel Baker sure plays like it as she leads the Rebels averaging 15.0 points per game.
Appearing in 143 games throughout her collegiate career, Baker ranks 11th among active players in career games played.
DYNAMIC DUO
All 17 points scored in the first quarter against Vanderbilt came from the combined duo of Angel Baker and Madison Scott as the pair went on to combine for a total of 39 points.
39 points between Baker and Scott are the most in a single-game by the two in their two seasons together in Oxford.
JUNIOR JUMPS
It's extremely evident that both juniors Snudda Collins and Madison Scott made great strides in the offseason headed into their third seasons in the Oxford, and those numbers are reflected on the court.
Collins
• 2021-22: 5.9 ppg
• 2022-23: 10.6 ppg
• 79.6% increase
Scott
• 2021-22: 9.6 ppg
• 2022-23: 12.0 ppg
• 25.0% increase
• 2021-22: 6.0 rpg
• 2022-23: 8.9 rpg
• 48.3% increase
DON'T LET THE REBS GET HOT: FROM DEEP
Not only was Angel Baker hot from deep against Vanderbilt with a season-high four triples, multiple Rebels felt it from deep going 8-of-16 from beyond the arc.
Snudda Collins, Marquesha Davis, Elauna Eaton, and Ayanna Thompson each added a triple to contribute to the most made three's by the Rebels against an SEC team since 2020.
The Rebels followed this up against Mississippi State at home, draining nine overall three's.
BALLIN' OFF THE BOARDS
There's no doubt that the motto "We Defend" rings true throughout the Ole Miss program, as this squad has been cleaning up off the boards all season.
Ole Miss has outrebounded nine opponents by a 15+ margin this year, the most in a single year within the last 20 seasons.
WON BIG IN VEGAS
Ole Miss rung in the New Year in a big way with its first win over Mississippi State in Starkville in 15 seasons.
Around the rim, Rita Igbokwe and the Rebels went to work with a season-high nine blocks as a team with Igbokwe swatting a season-high four shots.
The Rebel defense held the Bulldogs to its lowest point total in the matchup since 2008, holding MSU to 50 points.
500 AND COUNTING
With two assists against Mississippi State in Starkville, Myah Taylor eclipsed the 500 career assist mark and continues to add to her total of 524. Taylor currently leads the SEC in active career assists.
RIGHT ON TARGET
Through nine games in conference play Madison Scott fourth in the SEC, draining .545 percent of her shots. On the season, Scott leads the Rebels in field goal percentage at .528.
Scott went 5-of-7 from the field against Auburn for 13 points, 7-of-10 at Mississippi State for 15 points and 8-of-11 against Vanderbilt for 17 points.
The junior shot .486 percent from the field last season through 32 games.
THE YO EFFECT
Five years 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
SEC STATEMENT
In Ole Miss' first SEC game of the 2022-23 season, the Rebels held nothing back as they lead for the entirety of the game against the Auburn Tigers. With the 79-47 win, Ole Miss earned its largest margin victory in SEC play since February 11, 2007 when the Rebels defeated Alabama 84-43.
The Rebels held Auburn to a 25.0 field goal percentage. That is the lowest the Ole Miss defense has held a team in SEC play since January 6th, 1990 where the Rebels held Alabama to a 19.3 field goal percentage.
NOT A SCRATCH
The Auburn Tigers went 0-for-10 from 3-point range, a season-best for the Rebel defense.
Last season, Ole Miss accomplished perfect beyond the arch defense three times in conference play.
BAKER = BUCKET
Angel Baker was key for Ole Miss as she was unstoppable from the beginning by putting up 13 points in just the first quarter against Auburn – the most points in a quarter by Baker this season.
With 22 points against the Bulldogs and then Vanderbilt, Baker stretched her double-digit scoring streak to four straight games and her 11th game with 10 or more points this season.
MY OH MY MADI
Madison Scott earned double-doubles in three straight games to finish the non-conference season, putting up big numbers against Jacksonville (19 points, 17 rebounds), McNeese (18 points, 10 rebounds), and Temple (16 points, 10 rebounds).
The last time a Rebel had three straight double-doubles for Ole Miss was Shakira Austin versus Lamar, LA Tech, and Jackson State in 2021.
The junior grabbed double-digits 16 times this season and obtained eight double-doubles overall for this year.
Overall, Scott has led Ole Miss in rebounds (16x), points (6x), and assists (5x) so far this year. Out of the Rebels' 20 games, Scott has had 5+ rebounds in 18 of them.
DEFENSE LEAD BY DESTINY
Destiny Salary was an added bonus off the bench for Ole Miss in its SEC opener versus Auburn. Salary led the defense to achieve a new career-high in rebounds with 10 boards.
The junior also added four points, three assists, and two steals to the mix to play a key part in the Ole Miss victory.
OFF THE BOARDS
Ole Miss currently ranks 17th in the nation in offensive rebounds, putting up 334 offensive boards so far this season and averaging 15.2 off the glass.
Madison Scott leads for the Rebels in rebounds, averaging 8.9 boards a game.
#WEDEFEND
Ole Miss is catching national attention in its defensive efforts. The Rebel defense currently ranks 22nd in the nation in scoring defense, holding teams to only 55.0 points. The Rebels also rank 18th in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to an average of 35.4 percent.
Ole Miss is 16-0 when holding its opponent to 60 points and under.
TAYLOR DROPPING DIMES
Grad transfer Myah Taylor is in high rankings among the Southeastern Conference as the No. 1 active career leader in assists (524). Taylor leads the category with a margin of +112 assists.
The Mississippi-native also is 2nd in the SEC active career leaders for steals with 232 career steals.
FORWARD PROGRESS
Against Jacksonville, Madison Scott and Tyia Singleton both secured double-doubles to give Ole Miss the 66-52 victory over the Dolphins.
Scott and Singleton equally led the offense together, both combining for more than half of Ole Miss' points.
Scott put together a new season-high in points (19) and a career-high in rebounds (17) for her fourth double-double of the season. Singleton also updated her career-high in rebounds (15) along with 12 points to give her a second double-double this year.
The last time Ole Miss had two players gain double-doubles in one game was against Mississippi State on January 16, 2022 where Shakira Austin (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Donnetta Johnson (12 points, 10 rebounds) both grabbed double-doubles.
KIDS DAY, BEST DAY
The annual Kids Day is Ole Miss women's basketball's favorite day of the year as it brings high intensity along with high pitched screams.
The iconic Kids Day crowd didn't disappoint, setting a new overall Ole Miss women's basketball program record attendance of 8,958.
Ole Miss holds a perfect 19-0 record against opponents when the kids arrive to the SJB Pavilion.
TURNOVER TURN UP
Ole Miss has forced a cumulative number of 382 turnovers against its opponents this season. Out of those 382, the Rebels have secured 398 points off turnovers so far this season, averaging 18.0 points off turnovers a game.
RECORD BREAKING REBS
Ole Miss women's basketball is writing their name in the record books, as they've broken two program records this season.
Against Alabama A&M, Ole Miss used a powerful defensive effort to break the program record for single-game points allowed in a decisive 74-28 victory.
The previous record was 30 points allowed against Mississippi Valley State in 2016.
The Rebels held the Bulldogs to zero players in double-digit scoring, the first time since that same MVSU game back in 2016.
After holding the Southern Miss Eagles to seven points in the first half, the Rebels broke the record for the fewest points allowed in a single half in Ole Miss women's basketball history in a dominant 92-46 win.
At the half, Ole Miss held a 48-7 lead against the Eagles. The 41-point margin ranks tied as the fourth-highest scoring margin in a half.
DEFENSIVE BATTLE AGAINST THE UTES
The Rebel defense continued to show out as they held No. 17 Utah to its then lowest scoring total of the season at 69 points. The Utes came into the game averaging 100.2 points per game and were the second-best scoring offense in the nation.
With Ole Miss' defense, it forced the Utes to drop their scoring average by 6 points.
NOT IN OUR HOUSE
In Ole Miss' 11 home games of this season, the Rebels have blocked 58 shots at the SJB Pavilion this season.
Together Tyia Singleton (28) and Rita Igbokwe (25) have combined for over half of Ole Miss' 106 blocks this year.
WELCOME TO THE PARTY RITA
Pitt transfer Rita Igbokwe made a statement in the second half against SEMO, tallying 10 points and three rejections as well as grabbing three rebounds.
The Jonesboro, Georgia, native ranks in the top-15 nationally in active career blocks with a total of 181.
As a team, the Rebels are averaging 4.8 blocks per game.
DANGEROUS DUO
When both Angel Baker and Madison Scott get going, the two are an unstoppable duo together.
Dating back to last season, when both score in double-figures the Rebels are 12-2 in those games.
Baker currently has 91 career outings in double-digits while Scott has 47.
MILESTONE-ACHIEVED
After hitting a milestone mark at Ole Miss with her 50th win at the helm of the Rebels coming against Texas A&M in February, McPhee-McCuin reached yet another career defining mark against SEMO.
The fifth-year coach of the Rebels hit the 150 win mark in her career and her 56th victory at Ole Miss. In her five seasons at Jacksonville State, McPhee-McCuin amassed a record of 94-63.
ANY TIME. ANY PLACE.
The Rebels were a powerful force on the road last season, as with the victory at Missouri, the Rebels moved to 8-1 on the road to set the most wins away from home for the program in the 21st century.
The win at Auburn tied the most road wins in a season since 1993-94 at nine.
HERE TO THRIVE
Coming off of a record-breaking season and its best winning percentage since 1993-94, the Rebels are back to prove that last season set the standard.
Highlighted by its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 seasons, Ole Miss returns five from last season's squad including the trio of Snudda Collins, Madison Scott and the reigning SEC-Sixth Woman of the Year Angel Baker.
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.
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.
UP NEXT
Ole Miss makes its way home for a Sunday (Feb. 5) matinee against the Florida Gators. The nationally televised game on ESPNU is set to tip at 3 p.m. CT.
