Angel Baker, Rebel defense come alive in 61-50 win at Mississippi State

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss women’s basketball team improved to 2-0 in SEC play with an impressive 61-50 win on the road against Mississippi State Sunday night.

The win, highlighted by a monster second-half defensive performance, marked the first time the Rebels have beaten the Bulldogs in Starkville since 2007.

(Click here for box score.)

Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has built her team on defending at a high level, and Sunday’s win was a defining performance for the development of her defense.

Down 29-26 at the half, the Rebels outscored Mississippi State 35-21 in the second half, including giving up a mere six points in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss held the Bulldogs to 27% shooting in the second half and 35% shooting for the game.

The Rebel defense also recorded 10 steals, leading to 18 fast break points. They also outrebounded the Bulldogs 37-36, including 30-26 on the defensive boards. This defensive rebounding margin was 16-8 in favor of the Rebels in the second half.

The Ole Miss offense started off slowly, including shooting 3-17 from the three-point line in the first half. The team had averaged 18 three-point attempts per game, so the commitment to the three-ball was unusual for the offense. However, the Rebel offense settled down in the second half.

The Rebel offense relied on the two-point shot in the second half, which allowed them to get into a better rhythm offensively. They shot 50% from the field (14-28) in the second half as opposed to 35% (11-31) in the first half. They also went 2-5 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Guard Angel Baker was the focal point on offense for the Rebels. She scored 22 points on 9-17 FGs, including 12 points in a third-quarter explosion. Baker continues to be the primary scorer for the Rebels. She also rounded out a double-double with 10 rebounds. 

And Baker says she’s got it, now with 20 points and an Ole Miss lead of 47-44! pic.twitter.com/gZJ9NjLbl7

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) January 2, 2023

Forward Madison Scott was the other scorer in the double-digits for the Rebels with 15 points on 7-10 FGs. She was one rebound short of a double-double with nine.

Here are the updated SEC standings following Sunday’ games:

The Current SEC Women’s Standings: pic.twitter.com/sEYju0aecj

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) January 2, 2023

Next Up:

The Rebels (13-2, 2-0 SEC) will be back in Oxford this Thursday (Jan. 5) against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Tipoff at the SJB Pavilion is set for 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.

(Feature image credit: Ole Miss Women’s Basketball)