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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Kentucky
Women's Basketball Faces Last Regular Season Road Test with Trip to Kentucky
2/28/2024 | Women's Basketball
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (20-7, 10-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 6th Season at Ole Miss (99-82) • 11th Season in Career (193-145)
Kentucky Wildcats (11-17, 4-10 SEC)
Head Coach: Kyra Elzy • 4th Season at Missouri (60-57) • 4th Season in Career (60-47)
SERIES NOTES
OLE MISS VS. KENTUCKY
Ole Miss boasts four straight wins over the Wildcats dating back to 2021, and leads the all-time series 27-19.
In Lexington, Ole Miss holds a slight advantage at 12-10 and has won its last two in the Bluegrass state.
CURRENT REBELS AGAINST UK
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/4/21 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 2/28/21 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 1/23/22 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 2/13/23 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Average | 8.5 | 3.5 | 0.3 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/4/21 | 9 | 8 | 2 |
| 2/28/21 | 12 | 10 | 2 |
| 1/23/22 | 10 | 7 | 2 |
| 2/13/23 | 10 | 12 | 4 |
| Average | 10.3 | 9.3 | 2.5 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/13/23 | 14 | 10 | 0 |
| Average | 14.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/13/23 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Average | 4.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/13/23 | 11 | 2 | 1 |
| Average | 11.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/13/23 | 12 | 3 | 1 |
| Average | 12.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 |
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
At a 4-10 record in SEC play, the Wildcats have begun to find some momentum toward the latter part of the season with wins in two of their last three games.
Kentucky boasts one of the deepest benches in the SEC, averaging 21.4 points per game of production to rank third in the conference.
Ajae Petty ranks as one of the most productive players in the league, with 15 double-doubles this season for the 13th most nationally. Petty also sits at No. 3 in the SEC, draining 52.9% of her shots from the field.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
Ole Miss posted a standout defensive performance at Missouri on Monday, limiting the Tigers offense in a 66-46 victory from Columbia.
From the jump, the Rebels shut down the Tigers offense quickly in limiting Mizzou to a mere 17 points in the first half for their lowest in a half this season.
Coming off of missing the last two games due to injury, Snudda Collins didn't skip a beat with a season-tying best four three pointers and a game-high 14 points.
DEFENSE GETS DUBS
Locking down Missouri and holding the Tigers to 45 points on its home court, Ole Miss held yet another SEC opponent to under 50 points for the second time this season.
Ole Miss has now held 30 SEC opponents to under 50 points in a game throughout program history, with eight of those games coming under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.
NO THREE'S HERE
The motto of 'dictate and disrupt' from the Rebels causes havoc on other opponents offenses, and Ole Miss once again proved its power over Missouri, holding the Tigers scoreless from beyond the arc.
Since the 2011-12 season, Ole Miss is the only team to hold Missouri scoreless from three. Not only did the Rebels accomplish the feat on Monday, but did the exact same thing against the Tigers in 2022, holding Missouri 0-for-7 from deep.
KEEP SHINING QUE
Hard work from Marquesha Davis has been recognized throughout the state of Mississippi, with Davis being named as one of three finalists for the Gillom Trophy.
In honor of Rebel great, Peggie Gillom, the trophy is awarded each year to the top collegiate women's basketball player in the state of Mississippi. Ole Miss has won the last three, with Shakira Austin claiming back-to-back trophies in 2021-22 and Angel Baker in 2023.
THREE TIMES AS NICE
Reaching 20 wins with its victory over Missouri, Ole Miss has hit the mark for the third straight season and for the 21st time in program history.
Not only did the Rebels reach 20 wins, they also hit 10 wins in SEC play for the third year in a row for the first time in program history.
REJECTIONS JUST MEAN MORE
Already touted as one of the best defensive teams in the SEC, Ole Miss has had a remarkable stretch around the rim the past few seasons as well as this year with a total of 163 blocks and counting.
The 163 rejections along with a single-season program record of 174 last year, make Ole Miss one of four programs in the SEC to have 150 blocks or more the past two seasons.
GOING MADi
When a shot from Madison Scott goes up in the air, there is a high probability that it's going in. The senior currently paces the Rebels in field goal percentage with 150 or more attempts at 48.4%.
If the trend continues for Scott, she will become the second Rebel in Ole Miss women's basketball history to lead the team in field goal percentage for four seasons in a row.
HELP A FRIEND OUT
We all know that sharing is caring, and against Georgia the Rebels tied their SEC best in assists with 19 dimes on 28 made field goals.
The Rebels have dished out 10 or more assists in nine SEC games to date this season.
STAYING ON BRAND
Holding Georgia to a mere three points in the second quarter in Oxford and 15 points in the half, the Rebels stuck to their roots as a defensive brand of basketball.
The 15 points in half tied the fewest allowed against an SEC team since 2015-16.
CARDIAC REBS
Forcing overtime for the second game in-a-row against Mississippi State, Ole Miss found itself playing in extra time in back-to-back games for the first time in program history.
Not only did the Rebels force extra time, but the two wins are Ole Miss first back-to-back overtime wins in school history.
Ole Miss is now 25-26 in overtime games and 15-7 against opponents when at home.
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
A win against Georgia provided Ole Miss with its 10th victory of the season at home. The Rebels had not won 10 or more games at home for three seasons in a row since the 2006-09 campaigns.
Ole Miss now has 26 seasons with 10 or more wins at home.
WHEN IN DOUBT, MADI'S GOT IT COVERED
Down by eight with five minutes to play against Mississippi State, Madison Scott scored nine points in the fourth quarter and hit a last second layup for Ole Miss to send the game to overtime against the Bulldogs.
Scott's efforts against Mississippi State and Florida earned her SEC Co-Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and the second time in her career after averaging 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on the week.
With the honor, Scott is the first Rebel to earn multiple SEC Player of the Week honors since Armintie Price during the 2006-07 campaign.
THREE-HEADED MONSTER
The trio of Marquesha Davis, Madison Scott and Kennedy Todd-Williams, popped off against Florida and Mississippi State with the three combining for 60.0 points per game against Florida and Mississippi State.
The three currently average 35.3 points per game for the Rebels, with Davis leading the way at 13.9 points per game.
STEPPING IT UP
Shooting at an efficient 10-of-14 from the floor in Gainesville, Madison Scott notched a new career-high with 27 points. Scott also grabbed 12 rebounds for her 26th career double-double.
Scott's 27 points tied the most by a Rebel in a single game since Shakira Austin also scored 27 points against Florida in the 2022 SEC Tournament.
DIRTY GLASS? WE'LL CLEAN IT
The Rebels could not be stopped off the boards against Florida, out-rebounding the Gators, 55 to 27 for a total margin of +28.
The margin is the fourth time Ole Miss has out-rebounded an SEC opponent by 20 or more rebounds since 2000 and the highest mark in the 21st century.
WE LOVE FREE BASKETBALL
Forcing overtime on the road at Florida and going on a tear in the final five minutes to win by 10, Ole Miss picked up its largest overtime victory since taking down Central Michigan in Oxford in 2007. It was also Ole Miss' largest road overtime win since defeating Arkansas in Fayetteville in 2007.
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. With 172 made triples, she is 11 away from moving to the top-four.
Collins already ranks fourth overall in three's attempted at Ole Miss with a total of 563 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 41.1 per game, Ole Miss is 20-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponents.
This year, Ole Miss has collected three games with 50 plus rebounds and 16 with 40 or more. The Rebels snagged a season-high 55 rebounds against Queens and at Florida.
10 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Sitting at 10-4 in conference play, Ole Miss has reached at least eight wins in SEC play for the third season in a row and hit 10 in a row against Mizzou.
The 2021-22 Rebels won 10 and the 2022-23 team won 11 games in SEC play. Reaching the 10 win milestone is the first time in program history that Ole Miss has won 10 SEC games three years in a row for the first time in program history.
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 ninth nationally and second in the SEC, averaging 23.1 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 six 20-point games this season and nine total in her career, with all nine 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 6.0 points per outing along with 3.1 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 in January.
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 nine out of 14 conference games.
Against Florida in Oxford, Todd-Williams notched her second-consecutive game with at least five points, five rebounds and five assists and boasts seven 5/5/5 games in 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 99 wins at the helm of the Rebels, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is one win 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 27% 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.
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 second 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 seventh in the SEC averaging 1.7 rejections per game.
SHUTTING DOWN SHOOTERS
By dictating and disrupting, Ole Miss has held 16 of its opponents to under 40% shooting from the field.
The Rebels have also held five 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 is the sixth time under McPhee-McCuin that her team has kept its opponent under the mark.
This season Ole Miss has held 23 out of its 27 opponents to under its scoring average when they have faced off against the Rebels.
BOXING OUT
So far this season, Ole Miss has outrebounded three opponents with a margin of 20 or more. In the McPhee-McCuin era, the Rebels have held a margin of 20+ against 13 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 fourth 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.
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.
WE LOVE NO. 1
Despite leaving the islands with a trophy, Ole Miss lost starting point guard KK Deans for the season.
After suffering a non-contact knee injury in the opening minutes against Michigan, Deans will undergo season ending surgery.
The graduate transfer had been averaging 9.3 points and led the Rebels with 3.8 assists per game. Deans reached double-figure scoring in three games, including a season-high 16 points against Temple.
According to ESPN, Deans was rated as one of ESPN's Top-15 available transfers. Through 114 career appearances, the Greensboro, N.C., native had been averaging 11.6 points per game and accumulated 365 assists.
MVP! MVP! MVP!
Showing up and showing out in the Bahamas, Madison Scott was dominant throughout all three games at the Battle4Atlantis, averaging 13.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
Her stellar performance earned the senior the tournament's most valuable player and all tournament team honors. In the opener against Howard, Scott dropped a career-high tying 21 points and was electric off the glass with a season-high 14 rebounds against the Bison.
The SEC recognized Scott's efforts as well, with her earning SEC Co-Athlete of the Week Honors. The accolade was the first SEC Athlete of the Week honors for Ole Miss since Angel Baker earned the award in December of 2021 and the first of Scott's career.
DICTATE AND DISRUPT
It should be well known by now the goals of the Ole Miss defense to dictate and disrupt and the Rebels sure made Arizona and Michigan uncomfortable, holding the two programs to under 50 points at 47 and 49.
In yet another defensive clinic in the Battle4Atlantis Championship game against Michigan, Ole Miss held yet another Power Five team under 50 points in the second straight game for the first time in program history.
MILESTONE WATCH
SNUDDA COLLINS
• 172 career made three's - No. 5 all-time in Ole Miss history.
• 563 attempted three's - fourth all-time at Ole Miss.
• 913 - 87 points away from reaching 1,000 career.
MARQUESHA DAVIS
• 937 career points - 63 points away from hitting 1,000 in her career.
RITA IGBOKWE
• 254 career blocks.
• 97 blocks at Ole Miss - 19 from top-five in program history
• 48 blocks this season - 12 from top-four in a single-season at Ole Miss.
MADISON SCOTT
• 1236 career-points became the 29th player to score 1,000 points at Ole Miss.
• 72 career games in double-digit scoring - one from No. 10 at Ole Miss.
• 26 career double-doubles - currently sits tied for No. 8 at Ole Miss.
• 320 career free-throws made - 14 away from top-five at Ole Miss.
• 83 assists this season - 17 away from first 100 assist season in career.
• 102 career blocks - 13 away from top-five at Ole Miss.
KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS
• 1186 career-points - 35th 1,000 career-point scorer at Ole Miss.
• 60 assists this season - 12 away from a personal career single-season best.
FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE QUE
Ever since cracking the starting lineup midway 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 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in her Ole Miss career.
Against No. 7 LSU , Davis put on a then season-best performance with 24 points. In 27 games this year, Davis is averaging 13.9 points per contest.
Her play in the Bahamas earned her Battle4Atlantis All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 12.7 points throughout the tournament.
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 10 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 17-2.
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.
STEADY GOING SLIM
After choosing to return to the Rebels this offseason 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 147 games in her collegiate career, making 84 starts. She sits tied for 29th nationally in active games played.
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 120 of 176 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)
17-27 (62.9%)
WHAT'S NEXT?
One regular season game remains for the Rebels as they return home on Sunday (March 3) to take on Arkansas and honor five seniors.
Tip from the SJB Pavilion against the Razorbacks is set for 3:00 p.m. CT, airing nationally on SEC Network.
