The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, March 5
Greenville, S.C.
5 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Auburn
No. 23 Women’s Basketball Faces Auburn in Second Round of SEC Tournament
3/5/2026 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball will meet Auburn in the second round of the 2026 SEC Tournament on Thursday, March 5. Tipoff at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena will be at 5 p.m. CT, streaming on SEC Network.
TEAM FACTS
No. 24/23 Ole Miss Rebels (21-10, 8-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (146-105) • 13th Season in Career (240-168)
Auburn Tigers (15-16, 3-13 SEC)
Head Coach: Larry Vickers • 1st Season at AU (15-16) • 11th Season in Career (192-115)
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Tiffany Greene
Color: Carolyn Peck
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 70th matchup between Ole Miss and Auburn in a series that dates to 1978. Auburn leads the series 37-32, but Ole Miss has claimed victory in six of the last seven matchups. Auburn has maintained the advantage in neutral site games against Ole Miss, holding a 7-5 overall record outside of home and away venues, but the Rebels last win did come in neutral territory.
The Rebels claimed the first five games of the series from 1978-83. Arguably its best performance against Auburn came in the first matchup of the series on Dec. 8, 1978, when Ole Miss claimed a 107-62 victory. It was the third 100-point outing by the Rebels that season. In that game, the Rebels drained 47 field goals, which stands as the fifth-most in a single game in program history and the most by Ole Miss against an SEC opponent.
The Rebels have dominated the past two outings against the Tigers. In Ole Miss' second game in Birmingham following Winter Storm Fern, the Rebels took home a 71-45 victory. Cotie McMahon and Christeen Iwuala paved the way for Ole Miss, as McMahon led the team with 20 points. Iwuala had a double-double, her ninth of the season, with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
In last season's competition, the Rebels won, 85-58. Ole Miss didn't allow a single 3-pointer from Auburn in the game as Sira Thienou and Kennedy Todd-Williams combined for 12 steals together. KK Deans and Todd-Williams were Ole Miss' top scorers for the day, scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively. Eleven of Todd-Williams' points came from the free throw line, where she didn't miss any of her attempts.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Larry Vickers is in his first season leading Auburn's women's basketball program. He previously held a successful stint as Norfolk State's head coach, leading the Spartans on one of their most successful periods in program history. This is his first-time coaching at the Power Four level.
Vickers has guided Auburn to a 15-16 overall record, with a 3-13 mark against SEC foes in his first year with the program. The Tigers began the season 8-0 and their most impressive win has come against No. 21 Alabama, when Auburn claimed a narrow 58-54 win. Auburn is coming off a 50-49 win over 10th-seeded Texas A&M in the first round of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament as the No. 15. seed.
Freshman guard Harissoum Coulibaly has been Auburn's leading scorer this season, averaging 10.7 points per game. Guard Kaitlyn Duhon and forward Khady Leye are just behind Coulibaly with 9.9 and 9.3 points per game, respectively. Leye is also Auburn's leading rebounder with 5.2 per game, and is coming off an 11-point, 15 rebound outing in the preliminary round.
Thievery highlights Auburn's defensive efforts, as it averages 11.1 steals per game. That's fourth in the SEC entering this tournament. Duhon and Coulibaly are mostly to thank for that, as they average a combined 4.7 steals per game between the two of them. Duhon has secured 95 total steals this season, which is tops in the SEC and 10th in the country. In turn, Auburn forces 19.80 turnovers per game, putting it fourth in the conference in that mark.
LAST TIME OUT
Ole Miss dropped the regular season finale to Texas A&M, 66-58, Sunday afternoon at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi.
Cotie McMahon paced the Rebels with 19 points and nine rebounds, both team highs against the Aggies. McMahon has reached double-digit scoring marks 29 times this season. The most recent Rebel to have that many such games was Bianca Thomas in 2009-10.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Cotie McMahon has been named the 2026 SEC Newcomer of the Year and recognized as a First Team All-SEC honoree.
This marks the third consecutive year McMahon has been named to a conference postseason first team, as she earned All-Big Ten First Team recognition the past two seasons. It is also the second individual conference honor the senior has won, as she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023.
McMahon is the first Rebel to be selected to the First Team All-SEC since Madison Scott and Marquesha Davis in 2024. She is the first Ole Miss player in program history to win Newcomer of the Year, as this is only the second season the SEC has recognized the award.
NO FLY ZONE
As a team, Ole Miss has rejected 155 shots so far this season for an average of 5.0 blocks per game. The Rebels are on pace for 170 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 68 total blocks, ranking third in the SEC and 11th in the nation, tying for the second most in a single season in program history, trailing Promise Taylor who swatted 82 shots during the 2017-18 season. Lattimore surpassed the 50-block mark for the year, marking two of the last three seasons Ole Miss has had at least one player reach that defensive standard.
Lattimore has 12 games this season in which she has tallied at least three blocks. The last Rebel to have that many games with a trio of blocks was Promise Taylor, who had 14 in 2017-18. Additionally, Lattimore tallied a 12 consecutive game streak with at least one block this season from the George Mason game on November 29, 2025 to the Oklahoma game on January 8, 2026, marking the longest such streak by a Rebel since Dominique Banks had a 17-game streak during the 2019-20 season.
SHE'S THE mcMAHON
Cotie McMahon has provided a spark to the Ole Miss offense in her first season in Oxford. She now has 17 games of at least 20 points this season. It's tied with Peggie Gillom (who did it twice) for the third most in a single season by any Rebel ever and is the most since Bianca Thomas had 19 such games in 2009-10. Thomas' mark ranks second in program history. McMahon has reached double-digit scoring marks 29 times this season. The most recent Rebel to have that many such games was Thomas in 2009-10.
McMahon joins Angel Baker and Armintie Price-Herrington as the only Rebels ever to have at least 2000 points, 600 rebounds and 300 assists in their career. She also has surpassed 700 rebounds for her overall career, making her and Ole Miss legend Price-Herrington the only Rebels to ever accumulate 2,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists in their overall career. She's one of only two active SEC student-athletes with that career stat line as well.
McMahon also reached the 600-point mark for the overall season, making her the seventh Rebel all-time to ever do so. At 615 points this season, she's also the first Rebel since Thomas in 2009-10 to reach that statistical achievement.
McMahon likes to share the love, as the five times that she has earned a double-double in a game, another Rebel has earned the same feat. Alongside McMahon, Christeen Iwuala earned double-doubles against Southern and Memphis, Latasha Lattimore earned two against Wofford and Tennessee, and Sira Thienou notched a double-double versus Missouri.
McMahon scored at least 10 points in each of Ole Miss' first 19 games this season, tying Thomas for the longest such streak in recent memory by a Rebel, who started the 2009-10 season with 19 consecutive games of double-digit points.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
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. 24/23 Ole Miss Rebels (21-10, 8-8 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (146-105) • 13th Season in Career (240-168)
Auburn Tigers (15-16, 3-13 SEC)
Head Coach: Larry Vickers • 1st Season at AU (15-16) • 11th Season in Career (192-115)
ON THE AIR
Television: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Tiffany Greene
Color: Carolyn Peck
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 70th matchup between Ole Miss and Auburn in a series that dates to 1978. Auburn leads the series 37-32, but Ole Miss has claimed victory in six of the last seven matchups. Auburn has maintained the advantage in neutral site games against Ole Miss, holding a 7-5 overall record outside of home and away venues, but the Rebels last win did come in neutral territory.
The Rebels claimed the first five games of the series from 1978-83. Arguably its best performance against Auburn came in the first matchup of the series on Dec. 8, 1978, when Ole Miss claimed a 107-62 victory. It was the third 100-point outing by the Rebels that season. In that game, the Rebels drained 47 field goals, which stands as the fifth-most in a single game in program history and the most by Ole Miss against an SEC opponent.
The Rebels have dominated the past two outings against the Tigers. In Ole Miss' second game in Birmingham following Winter Storm Fern, the Rebels took home a 71-45 victory. Cotie McMahon and Christeen Iwuala paved the way for Ole Miss, as McMahon led the team with 20 points. Iwuala had a double-double, her ninth of the season, with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
In last season's competition, the Rebels won, 85-58. Ole Miss didn't allow a single 3-pointer from Auburn in the game as Sira Thienou and Kennedy Todd-Williams combined for 12 steals together. KK Deans and Todd-Williams were Ole Miss' top scorers for the day, scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively. Eleven of Todd-Williams' points came from the free throw line, where she didn't miss any of her attempts.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Larry Vickers is in his first season leading Auburn's women's basketball program. He previously held a successful stint as Norfolk State's head coach, leading the Spartans on one of their most successful periods in program history. This is his first-time coaching at the Power Four level.
Vickers has guided Auburn to a 15-16 overall record, with a 3-13 mark against SEC foes in his first year with the program. The Tigers began the season 8-0 and their most impressive win has come against No. 21 Alabama, when Auburn claimed a narrow 58-54 win. Auburn is coming off a 50-49 win over 10th-seeded Texas A&M in the first round of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament as the No. 15. seed.
Freshman guard Harissoum Coulibaly has been Auburn's leading scorer this season, averaging 10.7 points per game. Guard Kaitlyn Duhon and forward Khady Leye are just behind Coulibaly with 9.9 and 9.3 points per game, respectively. Leye is also Auburn's leading rebounder with 5.2 per game, and is coming off an 11-point, 15 rebound outing in the preliminary round.
Thievery highlights Auburn's defensive efforts, as it averages 11.1 steals per game. That's fourth in the SEC entering this tournament. Duhon and Coulibaly are mostly to thank for that, as they average a combined 4.7 steals per game between the two of them. Duhon has secured 95 total steals this season, which is tops in the SEC and 10th in the country. In turn, Auburn forces 19.80 turnovers per game, putting it fourth in the conference in that mark.
LAST TIME OUT
Ole Miss dropped the regular season finale to Texas A&M, 66-58, Sunday afternoon at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi.
Cotie McMahon paced the Rebels with 19 points and nine rebounds, both team highs against the Aggies. McMahon has reached double-digit scoring marks 29 times this season. The most recent Rebel to have that many such games was Bianca Thomas in 2009-10.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Cotie McMahon has been named the 2026 SEC Newcomer of the Year and recognized as a First Team All-SEC honoree.
This marks the third consecutive year McMahon has been named to a conference postseason first team, as she earned All-Big Ten First Team recognition the past two seasons. It is also the second individual conference honor the senior has won, as she was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2023.
McMahon is the first Rebel to be selected to the First Team All-SEC since Madison Scott and Marquesha Davis in 2024. She is the first Ole Miss player in program history to win Newcomer of the Year, as this is only the second season the SEC has recognized the award.
NO FLY ZONE
As a team, Ole Miss has rejected 155 shots so far this season for an average of 5.0 blocks per game. The Rebels are on pace for 170 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 68 total blocks, ranking third in the SEC and 11th in the nation, tying for the second most in a single season in program history, trailing Promise Taylor who swatted 82 shots during the 2017-18 season. Lattimore surpassed the 50-block mark for the year, marking two of the last three seasons Ole Miss has had at least one player reach that defensive standard.
Lattimore has 12 games this season in which she has tallied at least three blocks. The last Rebel to have that many games with a trio of blocks was Promise Taylor, who had 14 in 2017-18. Additionally, Lattimore tallied a 12 consecutive game streak with at least one block this season from the George Mason game on November 29, 2025 to the Oklahoma game on January 8, 2026, marking the longest such streak by a Rebel since Dominique Banks had a 17-game streak during the 2019-20 season.
SHE'S THE mcMAHON
Cotie McMahon has provided a spark to the Ole Miss offense in her first season in Oxford. She now has 17 games of at least 20 points this season. It's tied with Peggie Gillom (who did it twice) for the third most in a single season by any Rebel ever and is the most since Bianca Thomas had 19 such games in 2009-10. Thomas' mark ranks second in program history. McMahon has reached double-digit scoring marks 29 times this season. The most recent Rebel to have that many such games was Thomas in 2009-10.
McMahon joins Angel Baker and Armintie Price-Herrington as the only Rebels ever to have at least 2000 points, 600 rebounds and 300 assists in their career. She also has surpassed 700 rebounds for her overall career, making her and Ole Miss legend Price-Herrington the only Rebels to ever accumulate 2,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists in their overall career. She's one of only two active SEC student-athletes with that career stat line as well.
McMahon also reached the 600-point mark for the overall season, making her the seventh Rebel all-time to ever do so. At 615 points this season, she's also the first Rebel since Thomas in 2009-10 to reach that statistical achievement.
McMahon likes to share the love, as the five times that she has earned a double-double in a game, another Rebel has earned the same feat. Alongside McMahon, Christeen Iwuala earned double-doubles against Southern and Memphis, Latasha Lattimore earned two against Wofford and Tennessee, and Sira Thienou notched a double-double versus Missouri.
McMahon scored at least 10 points in each of Ole Miss' first 19 games this season, tying Thomas for the longest such streak in recent memory by a Rebel, who started the 2009-10 season with 19 consecutive games of double-digit points.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballPRESSER: Yolett McPhee-McCuin (Texas A&M Postgame)
Sunday, March 01
HIGHLIGHTS: Women's Basketball vs. Texas A&M (3/1/26)
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HIGHLIGHTS: Women's Basketball vs. Florida (2/26/26)
Thursday, February 26
PRESSER | Yolett McPhee-McCuin - Postgame at Florida (02-26-26)
Thursday, February 26