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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, December 5
Raleigh, N.C.
6 PM
Ole Miss
at
NC State
Women’s Basketball Set for SEC/ACC Challenge at NC State
12/4/2024 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – In the second edition of the SEC/ACC Challenge, No. 18 Ole Miss women's basketball will travel to Raleigh, N.C. to face off against No. 24 NC State at the Lenovo Center on Thursday night. The Rebels will look to take down the 2024 national semifinalists in the Wolfpack on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CT
TEAM FACTS
No. 18/18 Ole Miss Rebels (5-2, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 7th Season at Ole Miss (108-86) • 12th Season in Career (202-149)
No. 24/RV NC State Wolfpack (4-3, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Wes Moore • 12th Season at NC State (277-91) • 36th Season in Career (835-260)
ON THE AIR
Television: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Pam Ward
Color: Stephanie White
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
OLE MISS VS. NC STATE
Ole Miss trails the overall series to NC State, 3-1, with its only win coming in 1989. In that game, the Rebels defeated the No. 10 Wolfpack, 68-63, in the Mideast Regional semifinal round.
Much like today, defense was the staple of Ole Miss' team. Ole Miss rejected six of NC State's shots that day, tied for second-most by a Rebel team in the NCAA Tournament. Cynthia Autry had four on her own, which is also tied for the second-most by an individual in Ole Miss tournament history.
Offensively, Jackie Martin made three 3-pointers, good for a share of third-most by a Rebel in its national tournament history.
The Rebels and Wolfpack last played on Dec. 14, 2008, losing a defensive battle, 46-42.
SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK
Wes Moore leads NC State in his 12th season as head coach. He owns a 273-88 record with the Wolfpack and has never had a losing season with the program. Moore led the Wolfpack to its first ACC Conference title since 1991 in 2019-20, and repeated the success the following year.
Moore's best season was undoubtedly last season, when the Wolfpack reached its second Final Four in program history. They lost to eventual champion South Carolina.
NC State is 4-3 entering the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Wolfpack also recently traveled to Nassau, Bahamas, to compete in the Pink Flamingo Championship, where they fell to LSU in the championship round. NC State is 0-2 against SEC opponents thus far on the season.
NC State began the season ranked No. 9 by the Associated Press. After its three losses and struggles on the court, NC State is unranked. As a team, they lead the nation in fouls per game and are top 15 in turnovers per game.
Through seven games, Aziaha James has led NC State in scoring and assists, averaging 17.6 and 2.9, respectively. Saniya Rivers shoulders much of the defensive load, leading the Wolfpack in rebounds, blocks and steals.
Zoe Brooks leads the team in field goal percentage at 54.5%, fourth best in the ACC.
LAST TIME OUT
History was made at the SJB Pavilion as No. 18 Ole Miss women's basketball shut down Alabama State, 89-24.
The 65-point margin of victory is the largest in Ole Miss program history, while 24 points from the Lady Hornets tied the Rebels' program record for fewest points allowed. The Rebels previously held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 24 points in this season's home opener.
The Rebels set season highs in points in the paint (58), points off turnovers (42) and points off the bench (50). Ole Miss' trademark defense remained a key factor in the Rebel victory, collecting 20 steals off 33 turnovers by Alabama State. The last time Ole Miss forced more than 30 turnovers in a game was when it forced 30 against Sam Houston State on Nov. 26, 2019.
The Rebels held each Lady Hornet to under 10 points of scoring, which they did earlier in the year against UAPB.
The SEC Freshman of the Week Sira Thienou showed out for the home crowd, tying a career-high 16 points for the third time this season, while adding six rebounds and a career-best five assists. Additionally, she pickpocketed four steals against the Lady Hornets, also the best mark of her career.
WE AIN'T SCARED
Yolett McPhee-McCuin values the importance of playing top-tier opponents in non-conference play and it shows in the NCAA's latest NET Rankings.
Coming in at No. 18, Ole Miss is one of only five teams in the top-25 to have played at least three games against quad one or two opponents. Out of those squads, the Rebels are the only team to have played two of the top-five ranked teams in the country.
RECORD BREAKING REBS
Ole Miss has shown up and showed out in its first few home events of the 2024-25 season, allowing the fewest points in program history twice as it kept Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alabama State to just 24 points, each.
Yolett McPhee-McCuin's teams now hold the top-3 spots in the record books of the fewest points allowed in Ole Miss history.
WIDENING THE MARGIN
Ole Miss' last win in November was a convincing one. By defeating Alabama State by 65 points at the SJB Pavilion, it marks the widest margin of victory in program history and the largest in the McPhee-McCuin era.
It's the sixth instance of an Ole Miss team reaching the +60 mark and only the second time in history that the Rebels have achieved the feat twice in the same year. Previously, Ole Miss defeated Arkansas Pine-Bluff by 61 points in the Rebels' first victory this season. The last time an Ole Miss squad has secured two 60-point margins wins in a year was the 1982-83 season.
DIME DROPPIN' AND NOT STOPPIN'
Sharing is truly caring and against Alabama State, as Ole Miss dished out 26 assists on 35 made field goals. Kennedy Todd-Williams and Sira Thienou led the Rebels with five helpers, followed by KK Deans and Madison Scott with three. Ten Rebels contributed in total.
GOING DEEP
Running 14 players deep against Alabama State, proved that the Rebel bench will be a key factor throughout the year.
The Ole Miss bench accounted for 50 points against the Lady Hornets, with more than half of the Rebels coming off the bench adding five or more points.
129 GAMES AND COUNTING...
One of the most acclaimed Rebels in program history has met another milestone marker, as Madison Scott has officially entered the top-10 in most games played at Ole Miss.
Competing in 129 games and counting in a Rebel jersey, the graduate student is just 16 games away from surpassing Peggie Gillom, who played in 144 games, for most at Ole Miss.
TURNOVERS ON TURNOVERS
Ole Miss' defense remains its strung suit, forcing its first seven opponents of the year to make 18+ turnovers, including 33 against Alabama State.
The Rebels turned defense into offense all night versus the Lady Hornets, scoring a season-high 42 points off of ASU's turnovers.
ALL-TOURNAMENT REBS
KK Deans and Kennedy Todd-Williams were two of five student-athletes selected to the 2024 Continental Tire Baha Mar Championship All-Tournament team.
Combining for a team-high 32 points over the two games, Deans had a pair of standout performances in her first games back in the Bahamas since her season-ending injury last season in the Battle4Atlantis.
Against UConn, the graduate student boasted 17 points, including 12 in the third quarter to propel the Rebels within five points of the lead after being down 19 at the half. In the matchup versus Boston College, Deans tallied 15 points and was a perfect 6-6 from the charity line.
Todd-Williams tallied 13 points against UConn and had the best shooting night of her Ole Miss career, going 4-4 from beyond the arc, tying a career high in three-pointers in the process. Versus Boston College, Todd-Williams led the field with a season-high 17 points and five assists.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
True freshman guard Sira Thienou has wasted little time making her mark as an Ole Miss Rebel. The Bamako, Mali, native was tabbed SEC Co-Freshman of the Week on Tuesday, Nov. 26, the first such honor of her young career and the first award of its type for an Ole Miss player since Madison Scott earned the same accolade six times as a true freshman during the 2020-21 season.
Thienou scored in double figures in three straight outings for the Rebels in November, including consecutive 16-point outbursts against Jackson State (Nov. 18) and Boston College (Nov. 25). The last true freshman to record double-digit scoring efforts in three straight games was Scott herself who did it twice during her first season in Oxford.
Additionally, the last time an Ole Miss freshman had a 16-plus point performance was when Scott earned 17 against No. 18 Arkansas, on Feb. 19, 2021.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
In its matchup against Boston College, Starr Jacobs headed the charge with her first double-double in a Rebel jersey, scoring 12 points and adding 11 rebounds. The graduate student's double-double served as the 27th of her overall collegiate career and the 18th as a Division I player. Her double-double is also the first by any Rebel this season.
POWERING OVER THE POWER FOUR
The Rebels' 92 points against Boston College on Nov. 25 marked the first time Ole Miss scored at least 90 points against a Power Four opponent since outscoring LSU, 102-101, in triple overtime back on February 7, 2010. The last time the Rebels scored at least 90 points in regulation against a Power Four team was March 25, 2007, in a 90-82 win over Oklahoma.
Its convincing win also marked four-straight years beating a Power Four team by 30 or more points. In its last six victories over Power Four opponents, Ole Miss has triumphed by double digits each time for an average margin of victory of 27.33 points, including a 44-point win over Arkansas, a 37-point win over Boston College and a 30-point win over Kentucky.
STOLE THE SHOW
In typical Coach Yo fashion, Ole Miss toyed with Jackson State on Kids Day, forcing 29 turnovers and stealing the ball 20 times. It marks the most steals in a single game since securing 24 against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2016.
Seven players had multiple steals while four starters in Starr Jacobs, Sira Thienou, KK Deans and Kennedy Todd-Williams recorded three.
DEFENSE GETS DUBS
Ole Miss rejected 12 shots as a team, which is a tie for the third-most in a game in program history, the last time of which came last season against Florida. Christeen Iwuala led the Rebels in that category, blocking a career-high four shots.
UAPB failed to get a single player in double-digits, the first time an Ole Miss team has done that since the 2022-23 season against Alabama A&M.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
New season and single-game tickets for the 2024-25 Ole Miss basketball season are on sale now. To purchase or learn more about buying season or single-game tickets for women's basketball, click here or contact the Ole Miss Athletics ticket office.
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
TEAM FACTS
No. 18/18 Ole Miss Rebels (5-2, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 7th Season at Ole Miss (108-86) • 12th Season in Career (202-149)
No. 24/RV NC State Wolfpack (4-3, 0-0 ACC)
Head Coach: Wes Moore • 12th Season at NC State (277-91) • 36th Season in Career (835-260)
ON THE AIR
Television: ESPN2
Play-by-Play: Pam Ward
Color: Stephanie White
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
OLE MISS VS. NC STATE
Ole Miss trails the overall series to NC State, 3-1, with its only win coming in 1989. In that game, the Rebels defeated the No. 10 Wolfpack, 68-63, in the Mideast Regional semifinal round.
Much like today, defense was the staple of Ole Miss' team. Ole Miss rejected six of NC State's shots that day, tied for second-most by a Rebel team in the NCAA Tournament. Cynthia Autry had four on her own, which is also tied for the second-most by an individual in Ole Miss tournament history.
Offensively, Jackie Martin made three 3-pointers, good for a share of third-most by a Rebel in its national tournament history.
The Rebels and Wolfpack last played on Dec. 14, 2008, losing a defensive battle, 46-42.
SCOUTING THE WOLFPACK
Wes Moore leads NC State in his 12th season as head coach. He owns a 273-88 record with the Wolfpack and has never had a losing season with the program. Moore led the Wolfpack to its first ACC Conference title since 1991 in 2019-20, and repeated the success the following year.
Moore's best season was undoubtedly last season, when the Wolfpack reached its second Final Four in program history. They lost to eventual champion South Carolina.
NC State is 4-3 entering the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Wolfpack also recently traveled to Nassau, Bahamas, to compete in the Pink Flamingo Championship, where they fell to LSU in the championship round. NC State is 0-2 against SEC opponents thus far on the season.
NC State began the season ranked No. 9 by the Associated Press. After its three losses and struggles on the court, NC State is unranked. As a team, they lead the nation in fouls per game and are top 15 in turnovers per game.
Through seven games, Aziaha James has led NC State in scoring and assists, averaging 17.6 and 2.9, respectively. Saniya Rivers shoulders much of the defensive load, leading the Wolfpack in rebounds, blocks and steals.
Zoe Brooks leads the team in field goal percentage at 54.5%, fourth best in the ACC.
LAST TIME OUT
History was made at the SJB Pavilion as No. 18 Ole Miss women's basketball shut down Alabama State, 89-24.
The 65-point margin of victory is the largest in Ole Miss program history, while 24 points from the Lady Hornets tied the Rebels' program record for fewest points allowed. The Rebels previously held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 24 points in this season's home opener.
The Rebels set season highs in points in the paint (58), points off turnovers (42) and points off the bench (50). Ole Miss' trademark defense remained a key factor in the Rebel victory, collecting 20 steals off 33 turnovers by Alabama State. The last time Ole Miss forced more than 30 turnovers in a game was when it forced 30 against Sam Houston State on Nov. 26, 2019.
The Rebels held each Lady Hornet to under 10 points of scoring, which they did earlier in the year against UAPB.
The SEC Freshman of the Week Sira Thienou showed out for the home crowd, tying a career-high 16 points for the third time this season, while adding six rebounds and a career-best five assists. Additionally, she pickpocketed four steals against the Lady Hornets, also the best mark of her career.
WE AIN'T SCARED
Yolett McPhee-McCuin values the importance of playing top-tier opponents in non-conference play and it shows in the NCAA's latest NET Rankings.
Coming in at No. 18, Ole Miss is one of only five teams in the top-25 to have played at least three games against quad one or two opponents. Out of those squads, the Rebels are the only team to have played two of the top-five ranked teams in the country.
RECORD BREAKING REBS
Ole Miss has shown up and showed out in its first few home events of the 2024-25 season, allowing the fewest points in program history twice as it kept Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alabama State to just 24 points, each.
Yolett McPhee-McCuin's teams now hold the top-3 spots in the record books of the fewest points allowed in Ole Miss history.
WIDENING THE MARGIN
Ole Miss' last win in November was a convincing one. By defeating Alabama State by 65 points at the SJB Pavilion, it marks the widest margin of victory in program history and the largest in the McPhee-McCuin era.
It's the sixth instance of an Ole Miss team reaching the +60 mark and only the second time in history that the Rebels have achieved the feat twice in the same year. Previously, Ole Miss defeated Arkansas Pine-Bluff by 61 points in the Rebels' first victory this season. The last time an Ole Miss squad has secured two 60-point margins wins in a year was the 1982-83 season.
DIME DROPPIN' AND NOT STOPPIN'
Sharing is truly caring and against Alabama State, as Ole Miss dished out 26 assists on 35 made field goals. Kennedy Todd-Williams and Sira Thienou led the Rebels with five helpers, followed by KK Deans and Madison Scott with three. Ten Rebels contributed in total.
GOING DEEP
Running 14 players deep against Alabama State, proved that the Rebel bench will be a key factor throughout the year.
The Ole Miss bench accounted for 50 points against the Lady Hornets, with more than half of the Rebels coming off the bench adding five or more points.
129 GAMES AND COUNTING...
One of the most acclaimed Rebels in program history has met another milestone marker, as Madison Scott has officially entered the top-10 in most games played at Ole Miss.
Competing in 129 games and counting in a Rebel jersey, the graduate student is just 16 games away from surpassing Peggie Gillom, who played in 144 games, for most at Ole Miss.
TURNOVERS ON TURNOVERS
Ole Miss' defense remains its strung suit, forcing its first seven opponents of the year to make 18+ turnovers, including 33 against Alabama State.
The Rebels turned defense into offense all night versus the Lady Hornets, scoring a season-high 42 points off of ASU's turnovers.
ALL-TOURNAMENT REBS
KK Deans and Kennedy Todd-Williams were two of five student-athletes selected to the 2024 Continental Tire Baha Mar Championship All-Tournament team.
Combining for a team-high 32 points over the two games, Deans had a pair of standout performances in her first games back in the Bahamas since her season-ending injury last season in the Battle4Atlantis.
Against UConn, the graduate student boasted 17 points, including 12 in the third quarter to propel the Rebels within five points of the lead after being down 19 at the half. In the matchup versus Boston College, Deans tallied 15 points and was a perfect 6-6 from the charity line.
Todd-Williams tallied 13 points against UConn and had the best shooting night of her Ole Miss career, going 4-4 from beyond the arc, tying a career high in three-pointers in the process. Versus Boston College, Todd-Williams led the field with a season-high 17 points and five assists.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
True freshman guard Sira Thienou has wasted little time making her mark as an Ole Miss Rebel. The Bamako, Mali, native was tabbed SEC Co-Freshman of the Week on Tuesday, Nov. 26, the first such honor of her young career and the first award of its type for an Ole Miss player since Madison Scott earned the same accolade six times as a true freshman during the 2020-21 season.
Thienou scored in double figures in three straight outings for the Rebels in November, including consecutive 16-point outbursts against Jackson State (Nov. 18) and Boston College (Nov. 25). The last true freshman to record double-digit scoring efforts in three straight games was Scott herself who did it twice during her first season in Oxford.
Additionally, the last time an Ole Miss freshman had a 16-plus point performance was when Scott earned 17 against No. 18 Arkansas, on Feb. 19, 2021.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
In its matchup against Boston College, Starr Jacobs headed the charge with her first double-double in a Rebel jersey, scoring 12 points and adding 11 rebounds. The graduate student's double-double served as the 27th of her overall collegiate career and the 18th as a Division I player. Her double-double is also the first by any Rebel this season.
POWERING OVER THE POWER FOUR
The Rebels' 92 points against Boston College on Nov. 25 marked the first time Ole Miss scored at least 90 points against a Power Four opponent since outscoring LSU, 102-101, in triple overtime back on February 7, 2010. The last time the Rebels scored at least 90 points in regulation against a Power Four team was March 25, 2007, in a 90-82 win over Oklahoma.
Its convincing win also marked four-straight years beating a Power Four team by 30 or more points. In its last six victories over Power Four opponents, Ole Miss has triumphed by double digits each time for an average margin of victory of 27.33 points, including a 44-point win over Arkansas, a 37-point win over Boston College and a 30-point win over Kentucky.
STOLE THE SHOW
In typical Coach Yo fashion, Ole Miss toyed with Jackson State on Kids Day, forcing 29 turnovers and stealing the ball 20 times. It marks the most steals in a single game since securing 24 against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2016.
Seven players had multiple steals while four starters in Starr Jacobs, Sira Thienou, KK Deans and Kennedy Todd-Williams recorded three.
DEFENSE GETS DUBS
Ole Miss rejected 12 shots as a team, which is a tie for the third-most in a game in program history, the last time of which came last season against Florida. Christeen Iwuala led the Rebels in that category, blocking a career-high four shots.
UAPB failed to get a single player in double-digits, the first time an Ole Miss team has done that since the 2022-23 season against Alabama A&M.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
New season and single-game tickets for the 2024-25 Ole Miss basketball season are on sale now. To purchase or learn more about buying season or single-game tickets for women's basketball, click here or contact the Ole Miss Athletics ticket office.
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
Players Mentioned
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