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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
#9 Gonzaga
Women's Basketball Opens NCAA Tournament Play Friday against No. 9 Gonzaga
3/16/2023 | Women's Basketball
Rebels Meet the Zags for the Third Time in Program History
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2023 NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND No. 8 OLE MISS (23-8, 11-5 SEC) No. 9 GONZAGA (28-4, 17-1 WCC) Friday, March 17 • 9:00 p.m. CT • Stanford, Calif. Maples Pavilion (7,392)   |
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Watch • Live Stats • Listen
Ole Miss Game Notes • Gonzaga Game Notes • SEC Game Notes • 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket |
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TEAM FACTS
No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels (23-8, 11-5 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 5th Season at Ole Miss (77-74) • 10th Season in Career (171-137)
No. 9 Gonzaga (28-4, 17-1 WCC)
Head Coach: Lisa Fortier • 9th Season at Gonzaga (233-58) • 9th Season in Career (233-58)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: ESPNU
Play by Play: Roy Philpott
Analyst: Brooke Weisbrod
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
With its 19th overall NCAA Tournament appearance, Ole Miss reaches the big dance in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2004 & 2005.
The Rebels have made it through the first weekend in over half of their appearances, reaching 10 Sweet Sixteens and then have moved on to five Elite Eights.
Slotted at an eight seed, Ole Miss heads into Stanford with a chance to advance past the first weekend to the Sweet Sixteen in Seattle.
2023 will be Ole Miss' third NCAA Tournament trip to the west coast, heading to Colorado in 1992 and Stanford in 1990.
SERIES NOTES
VERSUS GONZAGA
Prior to Friday's meeting, Gonzaga and Ole Miss have met twice before with each program taking a matchup both on neutral sites.
The two programs last met in 2010 in Hawaii where the Rebels defeated the Bulldogs in a tight 53-52 matchup. Gonzaga took the first meeting with a 66-62 win in 1993 versus Ole Miss in Provo.
Against schools from the WCC, Ole Miss is even sitting at 3-3.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
Appearing in its second straight SEC Tournament Semifinal, Ole Miss was unable to crack the code against undefeated South Carolina, falling 80-51 in Greenville.
Leading the Rebels in scoring was Madison Scott with 15 points, followed by Angel Baker with nine points and a team-high seven rebounds.
JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY
Following an 11-2 non-conference slate with losses against NCAA Tournament teams in Utah and Oklahoma, Ole Miss began SEC play red hot with a 5-0 start on the way to a historic season.
Highlighted by a 19-point comeback victory at Arkansas to conclude the month of January for its seventh SEC win, Ole Miss rattled off four more in February to hit the 11-win mark for just the second time in program history and the first under the SEC's 16-league game format.
TYIA TRIPLETON
Tyia Singleton's got range and the senior proved in the SEC Tournament Semifinals, hitting a career-high three shots from beyond the arc.
Going into the contest against the Gamecocks, Singleton had only hit a three total three's in her career.
HOT HANDS
Against the Aggies in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals, Ole Miss seemed as if they could not miss while shooting at a 50.8% clip. This marked the second highest shooting percentage this season and the best against an SEC team all year.
NOT IN TYIA'S HOUSE
No one was getting in Tyia Singleton's way in Tuscaloosa against Alabama, with the senior swatting a career-high seven rejections. All together, Ole Miss rejected a season-high nine shots.
The seven rejections from Singleton rank third in program history in single-game blocks.
COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED
From the charity stripe, Ole Miss was locked in at Alabama by shooting a perfect 12-of-12. Marquesha Davis led the way with a career-high six makes.
As a team, the perfect percentage from the line is the best for Ole Miss with 10 or more attempts since 2009 against Florida Atlantic where the Rebels also went 12-of-12.
MAKING HISTORY - ONCE AGAIN
Hitting 10 wins in SEC play against Missouri, Ole Miss reached the double-digit win mark in conference play for the second year in a row and the first time in consecutive seasons in program history.
Ole Miss has three double-digit winning seasons in conference play. The 1991-92 Rebels went a perfect 11-0 in conference while last season's squad went 10-6 in league play.
CAUSING DOUBLE-DOUBLE THE TROUBLE
There's no doubt that Madison Scott has elevated her game in her junior campaign, piecing together 10 double-doubles this season for the most in her career to date.
With her 10th double-double of the season against Mizzou, Scott reached the marker of 20 in her career. The 20 double-doubles rank 10th in program history as Scott looks to move up the record books.
DOING IT ALL
Making an impact on all facets of the court, Angel Baker is getting it done on both sides of the ball.
The reigning SEC Sixth-Woman of the year has notched six 5/5/5 games in points, rebounds and assists to stuff the stat sheet. The senior has also snagged 45 steals this season.
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. Last season's 2021-22 team shattered the program record in single-season blocks at 142 and this year's squad rose to the challenge breaking that.
31 games in, Ole Miss has rejected 164 shots this season to set the single-season program record and with the postseason underway soon, that number is expected to grow.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
The Rebels did a great job of holding on to the ball against the Gamecocks, only surrendering nine turnovers to the No. 1 team in the land in Oxford.
Nine turnovers tied the lowest on the season, and set a new low mark for Ole Miss in SEC play.
TAKING IT OVERTIME
For the third time in game this season, Ole Miss took No. 1 South Carolina and for the first time at home since 2021.
Three overtime games is the most in a single-season for Ole Miss since 2013-14. All-time Ole Miss is 23-26 in games headed into overtime. The Rebels are 14-7 when extra time is needed at home.
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 10th in active blocks nationally with a total of 205.
REBEL NATION SHOWING UP AND SHOWING OUT
The energy inside the SJB Pavilion on Sunday was unmatched, with Rebel nation showing up to set a single-SEC game record attendance of 6,563 fans on Feb. 19.
It smashed the previous record set in 1988 against Tennessee with 5,404 fans in the Tad Smith Coliseum.
THE NAME OF OUR GAME
'We Defend' is the name of our game, as Ole Miss is one of the nation's top defensive teams holding its opponents to an average of 56.8 points per game.
This season, Ole Miss has held all but three opponents below its scoring average.
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.
TRY TO SHOOT YOUR SHOT
As one of the top defenses in the conference, it's no shock that Ole Miss was able to dictate and disrupt two straight opponents.
In back-to-back outings, Ole Miss held Florida and then Kentucky to under 30% shooting from the field. UF shot at a 24.1% clip, while UK was held to 26.3%.
The feat is the first time in the 21st century Ole Miss has held two-consecutive SEC opponents to under 30% from the field.
CAN'T TOUCH THIS (LITERALLY)
The defensive prowess from Ole Miss was untouchable against Florida, holding the Gators to shoot 13-of-54 from the field at a 24.1% clip.
Holding the Gators to that mark is the lowest the Rebels have held any SEC opponent to within the last 20 seasons.
AB2K
Eclipsing the 2,000 career-point milestone against Kentucky, Angel Baker accomplished what few in Ole Miss history have done.
Baker is one of four 2,000 career-point scorers to don a Rebel uniform joining Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Jennifer Gillom and Armintie Price.
Baker also then became one of 23 active players in Division I with over 2,000 career points scored.
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.
Last year, Ole Miss tallied 10 wins at home while this season the Rebels reached a total of 14.
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.
GO FOR DEEP -- OR DON'T
It's a proven stat that the Rebs defend the three ball well, ranking 9th in the nation while holding its opponents to 25.5% 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 21-1.
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 at home against Mississippi State, with the junior draining a career-high tying five three's off the bench.
With 52 made triples this season and 184 attempts, Collins is climbing her way up the Ole Miss history charts. Collins is 17 made three's away from ranking in the top-five in a single-season.
SHARING IS CARING
Dropping 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.
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.
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 22 out of 23 of Ole Miss wins have come when outrebounding its opponent.
Through 16 games in SEC play, Ole Miss outrebounded its opponents by an average of +7.1 boards per game.
WE DEFEND LIKE NO OTHER
By locking down the Aggies and holding Texas A&M to only 38 points in Bryan-College Station, 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 98 of 141 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)
26-31 (83.8%)
THE BEST KIND OF THIEVERY
No wonder Ole Miss was able to keep Texas A&M at bay on the road, the Rebels racked up a season-high 14 steals as a team. Ole Miss has recorded double-digit steals in eight 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 15.1 points per game.
Appearing in 152 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.
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 10 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 552. Taylor currently leads the SEC in active career assists.
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.
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 23 times this season and obtained 10 double-doubles overall for this year.
Overall, Scott has led Ole Miss in rebounds (17x), points (6x), and assists (5x) so far this year. Out of the Rebels' 31 games, Scott has had 5+ rebounds in 24 of them.
#WEDEFEND
Ole Miss is catching national attention in its defensive efforts. The Rebel defense currently ranks 25th in the nation in scoring defense, holding teams to only 56.8 points. The Rebels also rank 12th in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to an average of 35.5 percent.
Ole Miss is 20-0 when holding its opponent to 60 points and under.
TAYLOR DROPPING DIMES AND TAKING NAMES
Grad transfer Myah Taylor is in high rankings among the Southeastern Conference as the No. 1 active career leader in assists (552). Taylor leads the category with a margin of +107 assists.
The Mississippi-native is also first in the SEC active career leaders for steals with 242 in her career.
TURNOVER TURN UP
Ole Miss has forced a cumulative number of 512 turnovers against its opponents this season. Out of those 512, the Rebels have secured 481 points off turnovers so far this season, averaging 15.5 points off turnovers a game.
TURN UP THE DEFENSE
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.
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 14-3 in those games.
Baker currently has 96 career outings in double-digits while Scott has 50.
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.
