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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Florida
Women's Basketball Ventures to Gainesville to Face Florida
2/14/2024 | Women's Basketball
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (16-7, 6-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 6th Season at Ole Miss (95-82) • 11th Season in Career (189-145)
Florida Gators (13-9, 4-6 SEC)
Head Coach: Kelly Rae Finley • 3rd Season at Florida (53-35) • 3rd Season in Career (53-35)
SERIES NOTES
OLE MISS VS. FLORIDA
Dating back to the 2022 season, Ole Miss has won its last four meetings against Florida including this season's previous match-up in Oxford, 81-70.
Thursday marks the Rebels first visit to Gainesville in over two seasons where Ole Miss defeated the Gators, 74-57.
A win by Ole Miss on Thursday would even the all-time series, as Florida currently holds a narrow advantage of 24-23.
CURRENT REBELS AGAINST UF
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 1/24/21 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 1/6/22 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 3/4/22 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 2/5/23 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/25/24 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| Average | 7.0 | 1.6 | 0.8 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 1/24/21 | 14 | 4 | 2 |
| 1/6/22 | 15 | 6 | 0 |
| 3/4/22 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| 2/5/23 | 15 | 7 | 2 |
| 1/25/24 | 16 | 3 | 2 |
| Average | 13.6 | 5.8 | 1.2 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/5/23 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 3/3/23 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| Average | 3.0 | 6.5 | 0.5 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/5/23 | 15 | 3 | 1 |
| 3/3/23 | 23 | 4 | 0 |
| Average | 19.0 | 3.5 | 0.5 |
SCOUTING THE GATORS
Winning three out of its last four, Florida is beginning to get hot toward the back end of SEC play in coming off a 20-point win at Mississippi State this past Sunday.
Scoring at an efficient pace, the Gators rank third in the SEC with an average of 76.8 points per game. Florida has the bench to back up its starting five, ranking 13th nationally with an average of 27.5 points per game from its reserves.
The duo of Leilani Correa and Aliyah Matharu rank third and fourth in the SEC in scoring, with the pair combined averaging 36.13 points per game. Matharu ranks fourth in the SEC, with an average of 2.85 steals per outing.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
Ole Miss stood strong in the first half against Texas A&M, yet could not turn things up on offense in the second half to fall 72-53 to the Aggies last Thursday.
Madison Scott led the Rebels in scoring with 15 points, while Rita Igbokwe carried Ole Miss off the glass with 10 rebounds.
Draining her 165th career three, Snudda Collins finished 4-of-8 from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points.
SNUDDA WITH THE SPLASH
Ole Miss' lone Mississippian in Snudda Collins continues to make an impact in her fourth year as a Rebel, with the Brookhaven, native draining her 165th career three against Texas A&M to move into the top-five in program history.
Collins already ranks fourth overall in three's attempted at Ole Miss with a total of 553 triples attempted.
KEEP THE GLASS CLEAN
Ranking in the top half of the SEC in rebounds per game at No. 6 with an average of 40.3 per game, Ole Miss is 16-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponents.
This year, Ole Miss has collected two games with 50 plus rebounds and 13 with 40 or more. The Rebels snagged a season-high 55 rebounds against Queens.
IN PURSUIT OF SEC WIN NO. 8
Sitting at 6-4 in conference play, Ole Miss is two wins away from hitting at least eight in SEC play for the third season in a row.
The 2021-22 Rebels won 10 and the 2022-23 team won 11 games in SEC play. Reaching the eight win milestone would be the first time in program history that Ole Miss has won eight SEC games three years in a row for the first time in program history.
AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
When it comes to facing off against ranked opponents, Ole Miss owns 90 wins against ranked teams. The Rebels picked up three of those victories last season, including two in the NCAA Tournament. Under McPhee-McCuin, the Rebels have knocked off 10 ranked opponents.
This season, Ole Miss is 0-3 against ranked opponents facing off against No. 22 Louisville, No. 7 LSU and on the road at No. 1 South Carolina.
Ole Miss has toppled 30 teams ranked the top-10, with 13 of those victories occurring while the Rebels are unranked.
THRIVING AT THE LINE
As one of the nation's top teams at reaching the free throw line, the Rebels have excelled from the charity stripe against Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Ole Miss currently ranks 13th nationally and second in the SEC, averaging 22.5 trips to the line per game.
Against Tennessee and at Vanderbilt, the Rebels shot a season-high 83.3% from the stripe. Against the Lady Vols, Ole Miss went 10-of-12 and at Vanderbilt shot 20-of-24.
QUEEN QUE
For the first time in her career, Marquesha Davis tallied three straight 20-point outings with 23 points against Florida, another 23 against Tennessee and a season-high 25 points at Vanderbilt.
She was first Rebel since Shakira Austin in 2021 to tally 20-point performances in three games in a row.
Davis has notched four 20-point games this season and seven total in her career, with all seven coming during her time as a Rebel.
WE SEE YOU RICH
Coming off the bench against Tennessee, Kharyssa Richardson was a key component of Ole Miss' win with 21 points in her 18 minutes of action.
Shooting 9-of-10 from the floor, Richardson's 21 points set a new career-high and tied the best field goal percentage by a Rebel this season with 10 or more attempts.
In her first season as a Rebel, Richardson is averaging 6.8 points per outing along with 3.4 rebounds per game.
HEATING UP
For the first time in over two seasons, Ole Miss' offense hit a high stride in conference play in scoring 80 plus points in two consecutive games.
Dropping 81 points against Florida and then 80 against Tennessee marked the first time Ole Miss achieved the feat since scoring 80 plus points from Jan. 13-20, 2022 against Alabama, Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
This season, Ole Miss has reached the 80-point mark in five games.
SHOOTING IT LIGHTS OUT
For the first time since 2010, the Rebels shot over 50% in back-to-back SEC contests with a high clip against both Georgia and Florida.
Against the Bulldogs, Ole Miss shot 51.7% from the field and followed that up with a 50.8% performance against Florida.
HOTTY (KENNEDY) TODDY
Entering SEC play, Kennedy Todd-Williams has picked it up in her first season with the Rebels, reaching double-figures in scoring in five out of 10 conference games.
Against Florida, Todd-Williams notched her second-consecutive game with at least five points, five rebounds and five assists for the sixth 5/5/5 game of her career.
EXPERIENCE THROUGH AND THROUGH
Seven Rebels boast over 100 games played throughout their collegiate careers, with experience running deep through the roster.
Ole Miss is the only school in the SEC to have seven players appear in 100 plus collegiate games.
THE ROAD TO 100
Sitting at 95 wins at the helm of the Rebels, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is five wins away from hitting 100 at Ole Miss.
McPhee-McCuin would become the second coach in Ole Miss women's basketball history to reach the milestone, joining the legendary Van Chancellor who tallied 439 wins during his historic tenure in Oxford.
THRIVING IN THE THIRD
Coming out of the half proves to be a key time for the Rebel offense to thrive with Ole Miss scoring 28% of its overall points this season in the third quarter.
For individual Rebels, the third quarter also seems to be comfortable with Marquesha scoring the most points for a single player in a quarter this season for Ole Miss, with 10 points in the third against Auburn.
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME
Smashing the previous Ole Miss women's basketball attendance record of 8,958 with 9,074 fans attended Ole Miss's match-up at the SJB Pavilion against LSU.
The rise has proven the growth of women's basketball in Oxford, with the crowd beating the previous attendance record against an SEC opponent as well of 6,563 against No. 1 South Carolina last season.
IT'S ALWAYS A PARTY
Dictating and disrupting opposing teams never stops for Ole Miss as the Rebels threw a block party at Coleman Coliseum against Alabama with 12 blocks as a team.
Six Rebels combined for 12 rejections, with Rita Igbokwe leading the way with five. The 12 blocks set an Ole Miss record for the most against a team on the road.
10 NON-CON WINS SECURED
With the win over Alcorn State, Ole Miss reached 10 wins in non-conference play for the third consecutive season and the third time under McPhee-McCuin.
Ole Miss has now had five seasons with 10 or more wins in the non-conference slate in the last 10 seasons.
BE THE BANDIT
Game by game, the Rebels keep getting better on defense with Ole Miss snagging a season-best 17 steals against Alcorn State.
Kharyssa Richardson set a new career-high with four, while Kennedy Todd-Williams snagged a season-best of four as well.
KEEPIN' IT LOW
For the first time this season, Ole Miss held its opponent to under 40 points in scoring by keeping Alcorn State to 37 points. This is the sixth time under McPhee-McCuin that her team has kept its opponent under the mark.
COME AT HER
At 6-4, Rita Igbokwe has remained one of the nation's best defenders throughout her five years of collegiate play. After setting block records at Pitt, Igbokwe remains just as record breaking as a Rebel.
At UAPB, Igbokwe snagged a season-high 13 rebounds while also swatting a career-high eight rejections against the Golden Lions.
The eight blocks are the most by any SEC player this season, third most in a single-game this season in Division I women's basketball, and rank second all-time in a game at Ole Miss.
Igbokwe ranks fourth in the SEC averaging 2.0 rejections per game.
SHUTTING DOWN SHOOTERS
By dictating and disrupting, Ole Miss has held 14 out of 16 of its opponents in wins to under 40% shooting from the field.
The Rebels have also held four of its opponents ot its lowest single-game point total of the season.
DEFENSE TRAVELS
Once again, Ole Miss made sure to pack its defense for its trip to Mobile and held the Jaguars to a season-low 41 points and shortly followed up holding Alcorn State to 37 points.
This season Ole Miss has held 19 out of its 23 opponents to under its scoring average when they have faced off against the Rebels.
BOXING OUT
So far this season, Ole Miss has outrebounded two opponents with a margin of 20 or more. In the McPhee-McCuin era, the Rebels have held a margin of 20+ against 12 opponents.
The six years prior to McPhee-McCuin arriving in Oxford, the Rebels only had a 20+ margin three times.
BLOCK TO THE TOP
Swatting 14 shots against MVSU, Ole Miss set a new single-game program record against the Devilletes.
The 14 blocks also marked a new SJB Pavilion record, shattering the previous of nine.
Ole Miss' massive performance with 14 rejections are the third most in Division I women's basketball this season.
The Rebels have had six games in the McPhee-McCuin era with double-figure blocks.
Nationally, Ole Miss ranks ninth overall with an average of 6.0 rejections per game and second in the SEC.
SUPER-TEAM
The victory against Mississippi Valley State was truly a collective effort, with six Rebels ending their night in double-digit scoring.
The effort marked the first game since Dec. 2 of 2020 where six Rebels reached the mark.
Two Rebels currently average double-figures with Marquesha Davis and Madison Scott each averaging 10.0 points per contest or more.
QUE FOR THREE
At Southern Miss, Marquesha Davis started off very hot from beyond the arc. Within the first three minutes alone, Davis drained three triples.
The three triples set a new career-high for Davis, as the senior's range continues to expand.
SHE'S A FRESHMAN!
Against Louisville, freshman Zakiya Stephenson sure made her presence known with a career-high six assists and three steals against the Cardinals.
Stephenson is the first Rebel since 2019-20 to dish out five or more assists in multiple games.
POINTS ARE HARD TO STEAL FROM US
For the third consecutive game in a row, once again Ole Miss held its opponent to under 50 points in scoring against Little Rock. Out of 21 games this season, Ole Miss has kept eight of its opponents under the threshold.
This is the third time in program history the Rebels have held three straight opponents under 50 points and the second under McPhee-McCuin. The 2021-22 Rebels and the 1990-91 teams are the only others that have held its opponents to the mark.
BATTLE. WON.
In her home country of the Bahamas, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin had herself quite the homecoming with Ole Miss defeating Howard, Arizona and Michigan to claim the 2023 Bad Boy Mowers Battle4Atlantis Championship.
In the championship game against Michigan, Ole Miss shut down the Wolverine offense and came together as a team to win, 60-49.
Off the bench, Marija Avlijas led the Rebels in scoring with a career-high 11 points. Madison Scott joined her in double-figures with 10 points. 10 Rebels made their way into the scoring column, with 12 hitting the court for Ole Miss.
The title is the second tournament win under McPhee-McCuin after winning the 2021 Raising the B.A.R. Invitational Powered by Cal in Berkeley.
MILESTONE WATCH
SNUDDA COLLINS
• 165 career made three's - No. 5 all-time in Ole Miss history.
• 553 attempted three's - fourth all-time at Ole Miss.
• 897 - 103 points away from reaching 1,000 career.
MARQUESHA DAVIS
• 871 career points - 129 points away from hitting 1,000 in her career.
RITA IGBOKWE
• 250 career blocks.
• 93 blocks at Ole Miss - 23 from top-five in program history
• 44 blocks this season - 16 from top-four in a single-season at Ole Miss.
MADISON SCOTT
• 1163 career-points became the 29th player to score 1,000 points at Ole Miss.
• 25 career double-doubles - currently sits at No. 9 at Ole Miss.
• 303 career free-throws made - 31 away from top-five at Ole Miss.
KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS
• 1125 career-points - 35th 1,000 career-point scorer at Ole Miss.
FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE QUE
Ever since cracking the starting lineup mid-way through last season, Marquesha Davis has blossomed as one of Ole Miss' stars.
Her calm demeanor has proven to be a key factor for the Rebels, averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in her Ole Miss career.
Against No. 7 LSU , Davis put on a then season-best performance with 24 points. In 23 games this year, Davis is averaging 13.5 points per contest.
Her play in the Bahamas earned her Battle4Atlantis All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 12.7 points throughout the tournament.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE, MADI'S CAUSING TROUBLE
Notching her 25th career double-double against Tennessee with 15 points and 12 rebounds, Madison Scott now sits ninth at Ole Miss in the category.
WE DEFEND LIKE NO OTHER
An intense defensive battle against Arizona once again proved how dangerous the Ole Miss defense is, only allowing 47 points against a potent Wildcat offense.
Ole Miss followed up this performance, holding Michigan to 49 points.
The Rebels have now held their last two Pac-12 opponents to under 50-points in scoring, keeping Stanford to 49 last year in the NCAA Tournament.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Ole Miss has now held nine Power Five opponents under 50 points.
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.
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 24 of its last 27 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 16-2.
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. Ole Miss followed up this performance as well against MVSU, dropping 50 points from the inside.
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 143 games in her collegiate career, making 84 starts. She sits tied for 32nd 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.
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.
OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 113 of 163 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)
15-23 (65.2%)
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?
Ole Miss comes back to Oxford on Sunday (Feb. 18) to welcome Mississippi State in the second meeting of the Magnolia State rivalry.
The Rebels search to avenge their loss from earlier this season in Starkville and even the score at 3:00 p.m. CT, streaming on SEC Network +.
