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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, January 11
Oxford, Miss.
5 PM
Ole Miss
vs
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Mississippi State
Women’s Basketball Hosts Mississippi State in Magnolia State Matchup
1/10/2026 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – The two Mississippi rivals will meet for the 109th time in program history, as Ole Miss women's basketball welcomes Mississippi State on Sunday, January 11. Tipoff at the SJB Pavilion will be at 5 p.m. CT, airing on SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
No. 18/17 Ole Miss Rebels (15-3, 2-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (140-98) • 13th Season in Career (234-161)
Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-3, 1-2 SEC)
Head Coach: Sam Purcell • 4th Season at MSU (81-38) • 4th Season in Career (81-38)
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Sam Gore
Color: Tamika Catchings
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's matchup marks the 109th edition of the fabled rivalry between the Rebels and Bulldogs. The Rebels hold a commanding lead over the Bulldogs in the series with a 69-39 record. The rivals' have played the most games against each other in their history, and is the only series for both teams north of 100 matchups.
Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is 6-7 in the series during her tenure in Oxford. Ole Miss dominated the early days of the rivalry, winning 48 of the first 50 matches against Mississippi State, including a 33-game win streak from 1982 through 1997. Mississippi State went on a nearly 10-year winning streak against Ole Miss, before Ole Miss snapped it in 2022. The Rebels have won six of the last eight matchups in its wake.
The Rebels swept last season's series, winning once in Starkville and once in Greenville at the SEC Tournament. In the regular season matchup, all-time Rebel Madison Scott and freshman phenom Sira Thienou stole the show. Scott led the way offensively, scoring a career-high 30 points. Meanwhile, Thienou nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine steals. That is the most by a Rebel since Armintie Price had 12 against Illinois on Dec. 2, 2006.
In the first round of the SEC Tournament, Scott and Thienou once again had strong outings. They were two of four players to score double figures, the others being Kennedy Todd-Williams and Christeen Iwuala. Scott and Todd-Williams scored 20 each, while Thienou and Iwuala had 13 and 11, respectively. With the win, head coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin recorded her fourth consecutive 20-win season, putting her alongside Van Chancellor as the only coaches in program history to have such a streak. In both games against the Bulldogs, the Rebels forced at least 20 turnovers in each.
There have been some historical feats against the Bulldogs, including in 1985 when the Rebels dished out 35 assists, the most in a single game in program history. Individual Rebels have had legacy-defining performances against the Bulldogs, including Sandra Wells dropping a then program record 13 assists in 1978, Armintie Price hauling in 20 rebounds in 2006 and Bianca Thomas draining seven triples in 2009.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Sam Purcell leads Mississippi State in his fourth season at the helm of the program. He's guided the Bulldogs to an 81-38 overall record in his four years in Starkville, including a 14-3 (1-2 SEC) record entering Sunday's game. He's the only coach in MSU history to have three consecutive 20-win seasons to begin a tenure. Much of MSU's success has been at home, where it is 11-1. The Bulldogs have only played in three true road matches, where they are 1-2. They are currently on a two-game losing streak, falling to Oklahoma and Tennessee in its last two times out.
Defense has been a mainstay of MSU's game plan all season, particularly in the post. The Bulldogs rank fourth in the SEC and 14th nationally in blocks per game with 5.5, mostly off the back of freshman forward Madison Francis. She's averaging a conference-best 3.06 per game, which places second nationally. Francis is also a capable scorer, averaging 13.6 points per game from several areas of the floor, including from beyond the arc.
Alongside Francis is Favour Nwaedozi, who also averages 13.6 points per game. Nwaedozi is highly efficient from the floor, shooting a .577 clip through 16 games this season. That mark is sixth-best in the SEC. She is also the team's top rebounder, hauling in 10.2 per game. She's had seven double-doubles so far this season.
Destiney McPhaul runs the point for MSU, and excels at taking care of the ball and finding open shooters. She boasts a 2.24 assist/turnover ratio while averaging 3.8 assists per game. She adds 12.3 points per game as well. The rest of the projected starting five, Trayanna Crisp and Chandler Prater, are averaging 8.9 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
Jaylah Lampley has been an effective offensive option off the bench. The freshman is averaging 10.6 points per game, making her the fifth Bulldog north of a 10 points average for the season. Lampley, Francis and Nataliyah Gray have proven to be a solid freshman signing class for Purcell. They came in as the 10th ranked signing class in the nation, making it MSU's second-highest class in program history.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 18/17 Ole Miss earned a statement road victory by toppling No. 5/5 Oklahoma in a tight 74-69 victory on Thursday evening at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
Ole Miss' victory ended Oklahoma's 13-game winning streak, while holding the Sooners to some of their lowest statistical outputs of the season. The Sooners scored less than 70 points for only the second time this season, had their second-worst field goal percentage and second-fewest rebounds of the season.
Superstar Cotie McMahon paced the Rebels in scoring for the 11th time this season, dropping 22 points. McMahon also led the team with four assists, her fifth time doing that this season. Sira Thienou also had a strong outing behind McMahon, as they became the first Rebel duo with 20-plus points in a single game this season. Thienou had a season-high 20 points to complement McMahon and shot a staggering 75 percent from the floor on 12 attempts. Latasha Lattimore provided a spark off the bench on both ends of the court. She had 13 points, a team-leading nine rebounds and three blocks.
TOPPLED THE TOP FIVE
With a statement 74-69 win over No. 5 Oklahoma, it marked the fourth time under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin that the Rebels have bested an AP top 10 team, and the second time doing so against a top five team, the last being a 54-49 victory over No. 5 Stanford on March 19, 2023 during the second round of the NCAA Tournament. All-time, it marked Ole Miss' 14th time defeating a top five team, and the third time this century.
Superstar Cotie McMahon paced the Rebels in scoring for the 11th time this season, dropping 22 points and led the team with four assists. Sira Thienou also had a strong outing behind McMahon, as they became the first Rebel duo with 20-plus points in a single game this season. Thienou had a season-high 20 points to complement McMahon and shot a staggering 75 percent from the floor on 12 attempts.
SHE'S THE mcMAHON
Cotie McMahon has provided a spark to the Ole Miss offense in her first season in Oxford, She has scored at least 10 points in each of Ole Miss' first 18 games this season, surpassing Nikki Byrd for the longest such streak in recent memory, who started the 2011-12 season with 17 consecutive games of double-digit points. She will now set her sights on Bianca Thomas, who scored at least 10 points in the first 19 games in 2009-10.
Nine of those double-digit games have been north of 20 points, which is the most by a Rebel through 18 games since the 2009-10 season when Bianca Thomas had 12. The last Rebel to have 20-plus points in nine games during a season was Shakira Austin in 2021-22.
NO FLY ZONE
As a team, Ole Miss has rejected 93 shots so far this season for an average of 5.2 blocks per game. The Rebels are on pace for 165 blocks this season at their current pace, which would be the third most in program history. All 12 Rebels has earned at least one block so far this season.
Latasha Lattimore leads the Rebels with 41 total blocks, ranking third in the SEC and 15th in the nation. She is currently on a 12 consecutive game streak with at least one block, marking the longest such streak by a Rebel since Dominique Banks had a 17-game streak during the 2019-20 season.
FREE THROW STREAKIN'
Debreasha Powe has proven to be very reliable at the free throw line, having yet to miss at the spot this season with 17 attempts. Dating back to last year when Powe was at Mississippi State, she has made 22 straight free throws. The last time a Rebel had this many consecutive free throws made was Crystal Allen during the 2018-19 season, who had an astonishing 47 free throws.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
Season and single game tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are on sale now. Click here to secure yours today or visit OleMissTix.com.
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. 18/17 Ole Miss Rebels (15-3, 2-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (140-98) • 13th Season in Career (234-161)
Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-3, 1-2 SEC)
Head Coach: Sam Purcell • 4th Season at MSU (81-38) • 4th Season in Career (81-38)
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Sam Gore
Color: Tamika Catchings
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday's matchup marks the 109th edition of the fabled rivalry between the Rebels and Bulldogs. The Rebels hold a commanding lead over the Bulldogs in the series with a 69-39 record. The rivals' have played the most games against each other in their history, and is the only series for both teams north of 100 matchups.
Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is 6-7 in the series during her tenure in Oxford. Ole Miss dominated the early days of the rivalry, winning 48 of the first 50 matches against Mississippi State, including a 33-game win streak from 1982 through 1997. Mississippi State went on a nearly 10-year winning streak against Ole Miss, before Ole Miss snapped it in 2022. The Rebels have won six of the last eight matchups in its wake.
The Rebels swept last season's series, winning once in Starkville and once in Greenville at the SEC Tournament. In the regular season matchup, all-time Rebel Madison Scott and freshman phenom Sira Thienou stole the show. Scott led the way offensively, scoring a career-high 30 points. Meanwhile, Thienou nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine steals. That is the most by a Rebel since Armintie Price had 12 against Illinois on Dec. 2, 2006.
In the first round of the SEC Tournament, Scott and Thienou once again had strong outings. They were two of four players to score double figures, the others being Kennedy Todd-Williams and Christeen Iwuala. Scott and Todd-Williams scored 20 each, while Thienou and Iwuala had 13 and 11, respectively. With the win, head coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin recorded her fourth consecutive 20-win season, putting her alongside Van Chancellor as the only coaches in program history to have such a streak. In both games against the Bulldogs, the Rebels forced at least 20 turnovers in each.
There have been some historical feats against the Bulldogs, including in 1985 when the Rebels dished out 35 assists, the most in a single game in program history. Individual Rebels have had legacy-defining performances against the Bulldogs, including Sandra Wells dropping a then program record 13 assists in 1978, Armintie Price hauling in 20 rebounds in 2006 and Bianca Thomas draining seven triples in 2009.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Sam Purcell leads Mississippi State in his fourth season at the helm of the program. He's guided the Bulldogs to an 81-38 overall record in his four years in Starkville, including a 14-3 (1-2 SEC) record entering Sunday's game. He's the only coach in MSU history to have three consecutive 20-win seasons to begin a tenure. Much of MSU's success has been at home, where it is 11-1. The Bulldogs have only played in three true road matches, where they are 1-2. They are currently on a two-game losing streak, falling to Oklahoma and Tennessee in its last two times out.
Defense has been a mainstay of MSU's game plan all season, particularly in the post. The Bulldogs rank fourth in the SEC and 14th nationally in blocks per game with 5.5, mostly off the back of freshman forward Madison Francis. She's averaging a conference-best 3.06 per game, which places second nationally. Francis is also a capable scorer, averaging 13.6 points per game from several areas of the floor, including from beyond the arc.
Alongside Francis is Favour Nwaedozi, who also averages 13.6 points per game. Nwaedozi is highly efficient from the floor, shooting a .577 clip through 16 games this season. That mark is sixth-best in the SEC. She is also the team's top rebounder, hauling in 10.2 per game. She's had seven double-doubles so far this season.
Destiney McPhaul runs the point for MSU, and excels at taking care of the ball and finding open shooters. She boasts a 2.24 assist/turnover ratio while averaging 3.8 assists per game. She adds 12.3 points per game as well. The rest of the projected starting five, Trayanna Crisp and Chandler Prater, are averaging 8.9 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
Jaylah Lampley has been an effective offensive option off the bench. The freshman is averaging 10.6 points per game, making her the fifth Bulldog north of a 10 points average for the season. Lampley, Francis and Nataliyah Gray have proven to be a solid freshman signing class for Purcell. They came in as the 10th ranked signing class in the nation, making it MSU's second-highest class in program history.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 18/17 Ole Miss earned a statement road victory by toppling No. 5/5 Oklahoma in a tight 74-69 victory on Thursday evening at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
Ole Miss' victory ended Oklahoma's 13-game winning streak, while holding the Sooners to some of their lowest statistical outputs of the season. The Sooners scored less than 70 points for only the second time this season, had their second-worst field goal percentage and second-fewest rebounds of the season.
Superstar Cotie McMahon paced the Rebels in scoring for the 11th time this season, dropping 22 points. McMahon also led the team with four assists, her fifth time doing that this season. Sira Thienou also had a strong outing behind McMahon, as they became the first Rebel duo with 20-plus points in a single game this season. Thienou had a season-high 20 points to complement McMahon and shot a staggering 75 percent from the floor on 12 attempts. Latasha Lattimore provided a spark off the bench on both ends of the court. She had 13 points, a team-leading nine rebounds and three blocks.
TOPPLED THE TOP FIVE
With a statement 74-69 win over No. 5 Oklahoma, it marked the fourth time under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin that the Rebels have bested an AP top 10 team, and the second time doing so against a top five team, the last being a 54-49 victory over No. 5 Stanford on March 19, 2023 during the second round of the NCAA Tournament. All-time, it marked Ole Miss' 14th time defeating a top five team, and the third time this century.
Superstar Cotie McMahon paced the Rebels in scoring for the 11th time this season, dropping 22 points and led the team with four assists. Sira Thienou also had a strong outing behind McMahon, as they became the first Rebel duo with 20-plus points in a single game this season. Thienou had a season-high 20 points to complement McMahon and shot a staggering 75 percent from the floor on 12 attempts.
SHE'S THE mcMAHON
Cotie McMahon has provided a spark to the Ole Miss offense in her first season in Oxford, She has scored at least 10 points in each of Ole Miss' first 18 games this season, surpassing Nikki Byrd for the longest such streak in recent memory, who started the 2011-12 season with 17 consecutive games of double-digit points. She will now set her sights on Bianca Thomas, who scored at least 10 points in the first 19 games in 2009-10.
Nine of those double-digit games have been north of 20 points, which is the most by a Rebel through 18 games since the 2009-10 season when Bianca Thomas had 12. The last Rebel to have 20-plus points in nine games during a season was Shakira Austin in 2021-22.
NO FLY ZONE
As a team, Ole Miss has rejected 93 shots so far this season for an average of 5.2 blocks per game. The Rebels are on pace for 165 blocks this season at their current pace, which would be the third most in program history. All 12 Rebels has earned at least one block so far this season.
Latasha Lattimore leads the Rebels with 41 total blocks, ranking third in the SEC and 15th in the nation. She is currently on a 12 consecutive game streak with at least one block, marking the longest such streak by a Rebel since Dominique Banks had a 17-game streak during the 2019-20 season.
FREE THROW STREAKIN'
Debreasha Powe has proven to be very reliable at the free throw line, having yet to miss at the spot this season with 17 attempts. Dating back to last year when Powe was at Mississippi State, she has made 22 straight free throws. The last time a Rebel had this many consecutive free throws made was Crystal Allen during the 2018-19 season, who had an astonishing 47 free throws.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
Season and single game tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are on sale now. Click here to secure yours today or visit OleMissTix.com.
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.
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