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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
#1 South Carolina
Women's Basketball Travels to Columbia to Challenge No. 1 South Carolina
2/3/2024 | Women's Basketball
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (16-5, 6-2 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 6th Season at Ole Miss (95-80) • 11th Season in Career (189-143)
No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (20-0, 8-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Dawn Staley • 16th Season at South Carolina (422-106) • 24th Season in Career (594-186)
SERIES NOTES
OLE MISS VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
With Dawn Staley at the helm at South Carolina, Ole Miss has only taken down the Gamecocks once, with its last win over South Carolina at the 2010 SEC Tournament.
All-time, South Carolina leads the series 30-17 and holds a 15-4 advantage when in Columbia. The Rebels last took down the Gamecocks on their home court in 2009.
Last year in Oxford, Ole Miss kept the Gamecocks on the ropes for 40 minutes to force overtime but came up just short, falling 64-57.
CURRENT REBELS AGAINST USC
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/25/21 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1/27/22 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2/27/22 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 3/5/22 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 2/19/23 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 3/4/23 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Average | 3.5 | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/25/21 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1/27/22 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| 2/27/22 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| 3/5/22 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| 2/19/23 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 3/4/23 | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| Average | 5.8 | 4.3 | 0.8 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/19/23 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 3/4/23 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Average | 7.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Date | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| 2/19/23 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 3/4/23 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Average | 8.5 | 5.0 | 0.0 |
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
20-0 for the second straight season, South Carolina remains at the top of the food chain in women's college basketball. Picking up five wins against opponents ranked in the top-25, the Gamecocks pace the country and the conference in multiple categories.
Owning the nation's No. 1 defense in field goal percentage, the Gamecocks have held its opponents to a clip of 30.8% from the field. South Carolina also leads the NCAA with an average of 8.6 rejections per game and is the best from shooting the three, hitting 41.7% of its shots from beyond the arc.
TEAM NOTES
LAST TIME OUT
Propelled by yet another standout performance from Marquesha Davis, Ole Miss sealed its victory over Vanderbilt from the free throw line, 67-61 from Nashville.
Tallying a season-high 25 points, Davis led all scorers as the Rebels picked up back-to-back wins in Nashville for the first time in program history.
AGAINST NO. 1
If Ole Miss were to knock off the Gamecocks it would be program's second win all-time against an opponent ranked No. 1. Sunday is Ole Miss' 21st game against the top-ranked team in the nation.
The 1977 Rebels defeated the eventual national champions then No. 1 Delta State in a tight 73-72 victory in Oxford.
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 0-2 against ranked opponents facing off against No. 22 Louisville and No. 7 LSU.
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 in its last two contests. Ole Miss currently ranks 11th nationally and second in the SEC, averaging 23.05 trips to the line per game.
The past two outings against Tennessee and at Vanderbilt, the Rebels have 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 has tallied three straight 20-point outings with 23 points against Florida, another 23 against Tennessee and a season-high 25 points at Vanderbilt.
Davis currently rides a seven game streak of scoring in double-figures, the longest of her career as well.
She is the 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 six coming during her time as a Rebel.
CLICKING AT THE RIGHT TIME
Coach Yo has stated all season that the Rebels will truly start to click and play their best basketball, coming February.
Facing multiple starting rotations this season due to injuries, the Rebels have settled on its ninth configuration of the season and have started to hit a groove.
The lineup of Marquesha Davis, Kennedy Todd-Williams, Snudda Collins, Madison Scott and Rita Igbokwe are currently 4-0.
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.
SIGHTS SET TO PARIS
Freshman Marija Avlijas is currently missing from the action, as the Belgrade, Serbia, native has returned to her home country with the hopes of making her national team for the 2024 Olympics this summer in Paris.
If Avlijas were to make the national team roster, she will travel to Brazil for the FIBA women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament from Feb. 8-11.
HEATING UP
For the first time in over two seasons, Ole Miss' offense is hitting 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 eight 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.
DEFENSE AT ITS BEST
Holding its opponents to an average of 57.4 points per game, the Rebels remain on target to potentially break the program record in scoring defense.
Last season, Ole Miss held opposing teams to 55.4 points per game ot set the program standard. With the Rebels already holding eight opponents to under 50 points in scoring, the possibility remains to break last year's record as well.
THE ROAD TO 100
Sitting at 95 wins at the helm of the Rebels, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is four 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.
NEED A DIME? MADI'S GOT YOU
Since switching on and off from the point, Madison Scott has proven to be one of the most effective guards in the SEC with five or more assists in four out of eight games this season.
In conference play, Scott currently ranks fourth with an average of 4.5 assists per game. Against LSU and Auburn, she tallied eight each to match a career best.
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 currently ranks 32nd nationally and fourth in the SEC averaging 1.9 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 remain one of the strongest defensive units in the nation, holding its opponents to a clip of 37.1% to rank 44th nationally and third in the SEC.
The Rebels have also held four of its opponents ot its lowest single-game point total of the season.
1-KTW
Draining a crisp three at South Alabama, Kennedy Todd-Williams became the latest to eclipse the 1,000 career-point club at Ole Miss. Todd-Williams is the 35th 1,000 point scorer at Ole Miss.
Todd-Williams joins teammate Madison Scott , who recently surpassed the mark earlier this season. The two are one of 343 active 1,000 career point scorers in Division I basketball.
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 21 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 fourth overall with an average of 6.3 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.
Three Rebels currently average double-figures with Snudda Collins, Marquesha Davis and Madison Scott each averaging 10.0 points per contest or more.
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.
HERE COMES THE SERBIAN SENSATION
Coming off of the bench following KK Deans going down against Michigan, freshman Marija Avlijas came in and looked like a veteran.
The Belgrade, Serbia, native, dropped a career-best 11 points against the Wolverines off of 5-of-10 shooting.
Avlijas is no stranger to the big stage after spending time on the pro-circuit in Europe and with the Serbian National Team.
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
• 164 career made three's - needs one more to crack top-five in Ole Miss history.
• 543 attempted three's - fourth all-time at Ole Miss.
MADISON SCOTT
• 1131 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.
KENNEDY TODD-WILLIAMS
• 1110 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 11.9 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 21 games this year, Davis is averaging 14.1 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.
Her performance against the Wildcats was her second consecutive double-double after recording 21 points and 14 rebounds against Howard. This is the first time since December of 2022 that Scott recorded a double-double in back-to-back games.
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 16-1.
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 140 games in her collegiate career, making 82 starts. She sits tied for 27th 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 112 of 161 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)
14-21 (66.7%)
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.
25 WINS SECURED
With the win over Stanford in the NCAA Tournament, Ole Miss notched its 25th win last season and set another historical milestone. The mark is the most wins in a single-season since the 1986-87 team reached 25 en route to a Sweet 16 berth under Van Chancellor.
Ole Miss now has a total of six 25-win seasons.
Van Chancellor's 1978-79 team holds the program record for most wins in a lone season at 31.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Ole Miss returns to the SJB Pavilion following a week on the road to host Texas A&M on Thursday (Feb. 8) for Girls and Women in Sports Day. The Rebels welcome the Aggies at 6:30 p.m. CT, streaming on SEC Network+.
