Women’s basketball opens conference play hosting Auburn

OXFORD, Miss. Ole Miss women’s basketball is set to host the Auburn Tigers at SJB Pavilion to open SEC conference play. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

team FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (11-2, 0-0 SEC)

Head coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin 5th season at Ole Miss (65-68) 10th career season (159-131)

Auburn (10-2, 0-0 SEC)

Head Coach: Johnnie Harris 2nd season at Auburn (20-20) 2nd career season (20-20)

IN THE AIR

Television/Network: SECN+
Play by Play: Jake Hromada
Analyst: Leslie Roy

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Station: 105.1 FM
Play by Play: Graham Doty

SERIES HISTORY

VERSUS AUBURN

Thursday’s meeting will be the 65th time the Rebels have taken on the Tigers. The two teams have battled back and forth since 1978, with Auburn holding a 37-27 overall lead over Ole Miss.

Ole Miss has won the last two games against Auburn. Last season, the Rebels traveled to the Plains and secured their first win at Auburn in the last seven seasons.

The Rebels lead 14-12 when the Tigers arrive in Oxford. A win Thursday would give Ole Miss a three-game winning streak against Auburn.

THE FIRST MEETING

8/12/78 – UM, 107-62, Auburn

THE LAST MEETING

2/24/22 – UM, 72-52, Auburn

THE STUDY OF TIGERS

Auburn enters the game 10-2 on the season after defeating North Florida 77-49 in its final non-conference game of the season. In head coach Johnnie Harris’ second season at Auburn, the Tigers are currently riding a seven-game winning streak heading into conference play.

Auburn ranks second in the SEC in blocks per game (6.5), assists per game (11.7), three-point percentage (38.2) and turnovers per game (22.42).

Their sharpshooter Honesty Scott-Grayson is second in the conference in three-point percentage (25-51, .490). Scott-Grayson leads Auburn from the field, making 67-of-140 field goals for a .479 average. The guard has led Auburn in scoring over the past seven games.

GROUP NOTES

THE LAST TIME

Ole Miss picked up a big road win in Philly against Temple, 75-55, to finish the non-conference season at 11-2.

Tyia Singleton (16), Madison Scott (16), Angel Baker (14) and Marquesha Davis (10) all deleted numbers in the two-digit category.

Scott and Baker didn’t stop there as both players grabbed 10 rebounds to secure the double-double. Baker had his first double-double of the season, while Scott is riding a hot streak of three straight games with a double-double.

Overall, Ole Miss shot 50.0 percent from the field and dished out a season-high 19 assists. The dishes were led by Baker and Myah Taylor each of which put five. The defense held Temple to a 35.0 shooting percentage.

At halftime against the Owls, Ole Miss had its highest first-half field goal percentage of the season at 63.3 percent.

MY OH MY MADI
Madison Scott is currently on a hot streak with three consecutive matches securing the double-double. Scott put up big numbers against Jacksonville (19 points, 17 rebounds), McNeese (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Temple (16 points, 10 rebounds).

The last time a Rebel posted three straight double-doubles for Ole Miss Shakira Austin vs. Lamar, LA Tech and Jackson State in 2021.

The junior led the Ole Miss offense all three nights, scoring in double figures for the seventh time this season and recording six double-doubles on the year.

Against Jacksonville and McNeese, Scott had a milestone full, as he not only earned new season highs in points (19) and assists (3), but also posted career bests in rebounds (17) and assists (5). ), goals (8) and free throws (8). Against McNeese, Scott secured his 500th career rebound.

Overall, Scott has led Ole Miss in rebounds (10x), points (4x) and assists (2x) this year. In 13 games for the Rebels, Scott has grabbed 5+ rebounds in 11.

MISSISSIPPI TO PHILLY

Ole Miss took on Temple in their final non-conference game of the season with six Rebels hitting a new season high.

Angel Baker (5) and Translate Collins (2) both posted season highs in assists.

Marquesha Davis tied his season high by draining two 3-pointers for Ole Miss.

Rita Igbokwe (3) and Myah Taylor (5) had an excellent night at the free throw line.

Tyia Singleton Came out hot for Ole Miss, tying his season high in blocks (3) while setting new season highs in field goals (7) and points (16).

SINGLETON SHOWDOWN
Tyia Singleton didn’t hold back in his final non-conference game of the season as he shot in double figures for the fourth time this season.

Singleton shot 50 percent from the field (7-14) and grabbed three blocks, two assists and four rebounds.

OFF THE BOARDS

Ole Miss is currently 15th in offensive rebounding. He has made 211 offensive plays this season and averaged 16.2 points.

Madison Scott leads the Rebels in rebounding, averaging 9.3 boards per game. Scott has grabbed double-digit rebounds in four of Ole Miss’ last five games.

#WEDEFEND

Ole Miss is drawing national attention for its defensive efforts. The Rebels’ defense is currently 12th in the country in scoring defense, holding teams to just 52.8 points. The Rebels also ranked 19th in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to an average of 34.5 percent.

Ole Miss is 11-0 when holding opponents to 60 points or less.

ROTATE THE JOBS

Three Rebels scored in double figures in Ole Miss’ final home game this season Madison Scott (18), Translate Collins (14) and Marquesha Davis (14) everyone gets two-digit numbers. 10 of 11 Rebels secured points on the board for Ole Miss.

The Rebels had a bonus on the line as they added 26 points on free throws. Ole Miss converted 19 points off turnovers.

In the second quarter, Ole Miss’ defense held McNeese to a dominant 7.1 shooting percentage, allowing just four points from the Cowgirls.

Invincible NON-CON ATIN

By defeating the Cowgirls on Saturday, Ole Miss picked up its 14th straight win at home against a non-conference opponent. It dates back to last season and marked a perfect home record for the 2022-23 season.

It is the first time under McPhee-McCuin that the Rebels have won 14 consecutive non-conference home games, and Ole Miss has accomplished the feat for the first time since the 2017-18 season.

Overall, in the Coach Yo era, Ole Miss has a 32-8 home record against non-conference teams.

AHEAD

Wednesday against Jacksonville Madison Scott and Tyia Singleton each secured a double-double to give Ole Miss a 66-52 victory over the Dolphins.

Scott and Singleton led as much offense together, both combining for more than half of Ole Miss’ points.

Scott set a new season high in points (19) and a career high in rebounds (17) with his fourth double-double of the season. Singleton also matched his career high in rebounds (15) along with 12 points, giving him his second double-double of the year.

The last time Ole Miss had two players hit double figures in one game was against Mississippi State on the 16th. January 2022, where Shakira Austin (21 points, 10 rebounds) and Donetta Johnson (12 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles.

CHILDREN’S DAY, THE BEST DAY

The annual Kids Day is Ole Miss women’s basketball’s favorite day of the year, bringing with it high intensity and loud cheers.

The iconic Kid Day crowd did not disappoint, setting a new Ole Miss women’s basketball program overall record of 8,958.

Ole Miss has a perfect 19-0 record against opponents when the kids arrive at SJB Pavilion.

SHARP SHOOTER TURNED
Translate Collins has grabbed double-digit goals in four of the last six games.

Against Jacksonville State, Collins went 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and dropped 17 points against the Gamecocks, scoring his 500th career point.

Collins had back-to-back games of making five 3-pointers against Alabama A&M and No. 23 Oklahoma. Collins got off to a hot start from behind the arc against Alabama A&M, shooting 5-of-8 from three. Collins scored 22 points against the Bulldogs, a new season high for the junior.

In Norman against No. 23 Oklahoma, Collins went 5-12 from behind the arc, securing 16 points against the Sooners.

Overall, Collins has taken 27 shots from beyond the arc this season.

BAKER IN HIS SENTENCE
Angel Baker played three consecutive games and scored at least 18 points. Baker has reached double figures in scoring eight times this season.

Baker tied an Ole Miss career high with 25 points (11-16 FG) against Southern Miss.

Baker was the first 20-point scorer for the Rebels since dropping 23 points against South Dakota in last season’s NCAA Tournament game.

TURN TURN UP

Ole Miss has committed a cumulative 237 turnovers against opponents this season. Of those 237, the Rebels have scored 275 points off turnovers so far this season, averaging 21.2 points per game.

NEXT

The Rebels head to Starkville to take on in-state rival Mississippi State on January 1st. The game will tip off at 5:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.