Ole Miss women’s basketball searching for first regular season sweep of Bulldogs since ’07

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Ole Miss returns home on Thursday (Jan. 26) to host Mississippi State in a Magnolia State showdown. In this season’s previous meeting in Starkville, the Rebels came out victorious from Humphrey Coliseum, 61-50, for the first time since 2007. Tip against the Bulldogs is set for 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (16-4, 5-2 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 5th Season at Ole Miss (70-70) • 10th Season in Career (164-133)

Mississippi State Bulldogs (15-5, 4-3 SEC)
Head Coach: Sam Purcell • 1st Season at MSU (15-5) • 1st Season in Career (15-5)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play by Play: Eric Frede
Analyst: Tamika Catchings

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

VERSUS MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Magnolia state rivalry dates back to 1975 with Ole Miss holding favor 65-38 in the series.

Prior to last season, Mississippi State had won 14 meetings in a row before Ole Miss broke the streak in the last meeting in Oxford. The Rebels have won the last two of three in the matchup, including this year’s meeting in Starkville, 61-50. The victory from Humphrey Coliseum was the Rebels first road win in the series since the 2007 season.

A win for the Rebels on Thursday would be the first regular season sweep of the Bulldogs since 2004.

Angel Baker led all scorers on Jan. 1, with 22 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Tacking on 15 points of her own was Madison Scott, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and nabbing nine rebounds.

FIRST MEETING
• 01/23/75 – UM, 90-76 – at Oxford

LAST MEETING
• 01/01/23 – UM, 61-50 – at Starkville

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State rides a three game winning streak into Thursday’s matchup, including a thrilling one point win against Kentucky this last Sunday.

Two of the SEC’s best defenses square off with Mississippi State ranking fourth overall in the conference, holding its opponents to an average of 53.95 points per game. The Bulldogs rank third in the league in scoring margin, outscoring its opponents by 19.80 points per outing.

Jessika Carter remains one of the league’s top players, averaging 15.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

TEAM NOTES 

LAST TIME OUT
Despite a fourth quarter comeback to force overtime, Ole Miss was unable to pull of the win at Auburn, falling 77-76 on Sunday night in its first SEC road loss.

A season-high performance from Angel Baker was not enough, as the senior dropped a season-high 25 points as well as grabbing a career-high 12 rebounds.

Madison Scott finished her night with 14 points, for her 10th game in a row with 10 plus points.

SCOTT STILL STREAKING
Madison Scott hasn’t cooled off the last 10 games, tallying double-digit points in each of them. Six of those games have been with 15 or more points as well.

This is the longest scoring streak of its kind for any Rebel this season and the longest scoring streak of Scott’s career. Last season, Shakira Austin recorded double-digits in 10 straight games as well.

DON’T TEST DEZ
Off the bench against Alabama, Destiny Salary made a splash with a career-high 16 points and three made three pointer’s.

The junior led the Rebels in scoring against the Crimson Tide and has recorded three outings in double-figure scoring this season.

ALL BARK. NO BITE.
Not only was the win at Georgia a key piece for the Rebels as they march through conference play, it was the first win in Athens for the program since 2010 and only the second in Ole Miss history.

TAKING IT JUST MEANS MORE SERIOUSLY
With five straight wins to open conference play, Ole Miss kicked off it’s SEC season 5-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season where that team then went on to win 24 games and reach the Elite Eight.

The 2007 Rebels started 5-0 in SEC play, before going 9-5 in the conference.

The 1991-92 Ole Miss squad owns the best SEC program record, as the Rebels went 11-0 en route to an Elite Eight appearance.

MUST PACK – DEFENSE
It’s no secret that Ole Miss thrives off its defense, yet with the win over Georgia, the Rebels picked up its third straight SEC road victory.

It’s the first time Ole Miss started 3-0 on the road within the conference and the first time since 1991-92 the Rebels have won back-to-back-to back road games against SEC foes.

WHAT’S IN THE SECRET SAUCE?
The correlation between Rebel wins and rebounding is evident, as all 16 Ole Miss wins have come when outrebounding its opponent.

Through seven games in SEC play, Ole Miss has outrebounded its opponents by an average of +7.7 boards per game.

WE DEFEND LIKE NO OTHER
By locking down the Aggies and holding Texas A&M to only 38 points, Ole Miss once again proved why “We Defend” is at the heart of its program.

The 38 points are the fewest points allowed against an SEC team in program history and the only time in program history holding a conference opponent under 40 points.

OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 91 of 133 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)
18-20 (90.0%)

THE BEST KIND OF THIEVERY
No wonder Ole Miss was able to keep Texas A&M at bay, the Rebels racked up a season-high 14 steals as a team. Ole Miss has recorded double-digit steals in seven games this season.

COME AT THE VET
As one of the most experienced players currently in Division I basketball, Angel Baker sure plays like it as she leads the Rebels averaging 15.2 points per game.

Appearing in 141 games throughout her collegiate career, Baker ranks 11th among active players in career games played.

DYNAMIC DUO
All 17 points scored in the first quarter against Vanderbilt came from the combined duo of Angel Baker and Madison Scott as the pair went on to combine for a total of 39 points.

39 points between Baker and Scott are the most in a single-game by the two in their two seasons together in Oxford.

JUNIOR JUMPS
It’s extremely evident that both juniors Snudda Collins and Madison Scott made great strides in the offseason headed into their third seasons in the Oxford, and those numbers are reflected on the court.

Collins

• 2021-22: 5.9 ppg

• 2022-23: 10.6 ppg

• 79.6% increase

Scott

• 2021-22: 9.6 ppg

• 2022-23: 11.8 ppg

• 25.0% increase

• 2021-22: 6.0 rpg

• 2022-23: 9.0 rpg

• 50.0% increase

DON’T LET THE REBS GET HOT: FROM DEEP
Not only was Angel Baker hot from deep against Vanderbilt with a season-high four triples, multiple Rebels felt it from deep going 8-of-16 from beyond the arc.

Snudda Collins, Marquesha Davis, Elauna Eaton, and Ayanna Thompson each added a triple to contribute to the most made three’s by the Rebels against an SEC team since 2020.

BALLIN’ OFF THE BOARDS
There’s no doubt that the motto “We Defend” rings true throughout the Ole Miss program, as this squad has been cleaning up off the boards all season.

Ole Miss has outrebounded eight opponents by a 15+ margin this year, the most in a single year within the last 20 seasons.

WON BIG IN VEGAS
Ole Miss rung in the New Year in a big way with its first win over Mississippi State in Starkville in 15 seasons.

Around the rim, Rita Igbokwe and the Rebels went to work with a season-high nine blocks as a team with Igbokwe swatting a season-high four shots.

The Rebel defense held the Bulldogs to its lowest point total in the matchup since 2008, holding MSU to 50 points.

500 AND COUNTING
With two assists against Mississippi State, Myah Taylor eclipsed the 500 career assist mark and continues to add to her total of 516. Taylor currently leads the SEC in active career assists.

RIGHT ON TARGET
Through seven games in conference play Madison Scott fifth in the SEC, draining .551 percent of her shots. On the season, Scott leads the Rebels in field goal percentage at .529.

Scott went 5-of-7 from the field against Auburn for 13 points, 7-of-10 at Mississippi State for 15 points and 8-of-11 against Vanderbilt for 17 points.

The junior shot .486 percent from the field last season through 32 games.

THE YO EFFECT
Five years into Yolett McPhee-McCuin‘s guidance at the helm of the Rebels, she is already responsible for two of the program’s best starts in the last 30 seasons.

Through the first 18 games:

• 1991-92: 17-1

• 1994-95: 15-3

• 2021-22: 16-2

• 2022-23: 16-2

SEC STATEMENT
In Ole Miss’ first SEC game of the 2022-23 season, the Rebels held nothing back as they lead for the entirety of the game against the Auburn Tigers. With the 79-47 win, Ole Miss earned its largest margin victory in SEC play since February 11, 2007 when the Rebels defeated Alabama 84-43.

The Rebels held Auburn to a 25.0 field goal percentage. That is the lowest the Ole Miss defense has held a team in SEC play since January 6th, 1990 where the Rebels held Alabama to a 19.3 field goal percentage.

NOT A SCRATCH
The Auburn Tigers went 0-for-10 from 3-point range, a season-best for the Rebel defense.

Last season, Ole Miss accomplished perfect beyond the arch defense three times in conference play.

BAKER = BUCKET
Angel Baker was key for Ole Miss as she was unstoppable from the beginning by putting up 13 points in just the first quarter against Auburn – the most points in a quarter by Baker this season.

With 22 points against the Bulldogs and then Vanderbilt, Baker stretched her double-digit scoring streak to four straight games and her 11th game with 10 or more points this season.

MY OH MY MADI
Madison Scott earned double-doubles in three straight games to finish the non-conference season, putting 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 had three straight double-doubles for Ole Miss was Shakira Austin versus Lamar, LA Tech, and Jackson State in 2021.

The junior grabbed double-digits 14 times this season and obtained seven double-doubles overall for this year.

Overall, Scott has led Ole Miss in rebounds (14x), points (6x), and assists (3x) so far this year. Out of the Rebels’ 20 games, Scott has had 5+ rebounds in 18 of them.

DEFENSE LEAD BY DESTINY
Destiny Salary was an added bonus off the bench for Ole Miss in its SEC opener versus Auburn. Salary led the defense to achieve a new career-high in rebounds with 10 boards.

The junior also added four points, three assists, and two steals to the mix to play a key part in the Ole Miss victory.

OFF THE BOARDS
Ole Miss currently ranks 16h in the nation in offensive rebounds, putting up 305 offensive boards so far this season and averaging 15.3 off the glass.

Madison Scott leads for the Rebels in rebounds, averaging 9.0 boards a game.

#WEDEFEND
Ole Miss is catching national attention in its defensive efforts. The Rebel defense currently ranks 12th in the nation in scoring defense, holding teams to only 53.6 points. The Rebels also rank 11th in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to an average of 34.6 percent.

Ole Miss is 16-0 when holding its opponent to 60 points and under.

TAYLOR DROPPING DIMES
Grad transfer Myah Taylor is in high rankings among the Southeastern Conference as the No. 1 active career leader in assists (516). Taylor leads the category with a margin of +107 assists.

The Mississippi-native also is 2nd in the SEC active career leaders for steals with 231 career steals.

ROUNDIN’ UP THE COWGIRLS
Three Rebels shot in double-figures in Ole Miss’ final home non-conference game this season with Madison Scott (18), Snudda Collins (14), and Marquesha Davis (14) all getting double digits. 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 from free throws. Ole Miss converted 19 points off turnovers.

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

FORWARD PROGRESS
Against Jacksonville, Madison Scott and Tyia Singleton both secured double-doubles to give Ole Miss the 66-52 victory over the Dolphins.

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

Scott put together a new season-high in points (19) and a career-high in rebounds (17) for her fourth double-double of the season. Singleton also updated her career-high in rebounds (15) along with 12 points to give her a second double-double this year.

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

KIDS DAY, BEST DAY
The annual Kids Day is Ole Miss women’s basketball’s favorite day of the year as it brings high intensity along with high pitched screams.

The iconic Kids Day crowd didn’t disappoint, setting a new overall Ole Miss women’s basketball program record attendance of 8,958.

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

BAKER IN HER BAG
Angel Baker went three consecutive games scoring at least 18 points against Oklahoma, Jacksonville State and Jacksonville. Baker has reached double-figures in scoring 11 times so far this season.

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

Baker was the first 20-point scorer for the Rebels since she put down 23 points versus South Dakota in last season’s NCAA Tournament game and paces the Rebels with four 20-point games this season.

TURNOVER TURN UP
Ole Miss has forced a cumulative number of 354 turnovers against its opponents this season. Out of those 354, the Rebels have secured 371 points off turnovers so far this season, averaging 19.4 points off turnovers a game.

BAKER UNSTOPPABLE AGAINST THE SOONERS
Angel Baker lit up the floor for Ole Miss in Norman against No. 23 Oklahoma. The senior locked in 22 points to lead Ole Miss offensively and shot 50-percent from the field.

Baker brought down a then season-high of nine rebounds against the Sooners, eight of them being defensive.

RECORD BREAKING REBS
Ole Miss women’s basketball is writing their name in the record books, as they’ve broken two program records this season.

Against Alabama A&M, Ole Miss used a powerful defensive effort to break the program record for single-game points allowed in a decisive 74-28 victory.

The previous record was 30 points allowed against Mississippi Valley State in 2016.

The Rebels held the Bulldogs to zero players in double-digit scoring, the first time since that same MVSU game back in 2016.

After holding the Southern Miss Eagles to seven points in the first half, the Rebels broke the record for the fewest points allowed in a single half in Ole Miss women’s basketball history in a dominant 92-46 win.

At the half, Ole Miss held a 48-7 lead against the Eagles. The 41-point margin ranks tied as the fourth-highest scoring margin in a half.

OLE MISS ON THE OVER
Four Rebels secured double-digits against Texas Southern. This marks the second time this season that Ole Miss had four players in double-figures in a game – the last being against No. 17 Utah.

Against Texas Southern, Madison Scott led the offense with 16 points, followed by Destiny Salary (12), Myah Taylor (10), and freshman Ayanna Thompson (10).

TYIA TAKEOVER
Tyia Singleton was all over the floor for the Rebels against Alabama A&M. Singleton recorded 10 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and three blocks to give Ole Miss the dominant 74-28 victory.

Her three blocks and steals marked a season-high.

DEFENSIVE BATTLE AGAINST THE UTES
The Rebel defense continued to show out as they held No. 17 Utah to its then lowest scoring total of the season at 69 points. The Utes came into the game averaging 100.2 points per game and were the second-best scoring offense in the nation.

With Ole Miss’ defense, it forced the Utes to drop their scoring average by 6 points.

4TH QUARTER MAGIC
Against Dayton, the Rebels outscored the Flyers 21-10 in the final 10 minutes of play, forcing seven turnovers and out-rebounding Dayton 10-5.

Ole Miss went on a 14-0 scoring run with 6:49 left in the fourth quarter, holding Dayton to zero field goals for over seven minutes of play.

Madison Scott and Snudda Collins six points apiece during the run, igniting the Rebel offense and giving Ole Miss a 14-point lead with under three minutes.

BIG NUMBERS FOR BIG TIME PLAYERS
Four Rebels reached double-digits in scoring against No. 17 Utah.

Marquesha Davis led for Ole Miss with 18 points, Snudda Collins tied her season-high with 16 points, Angel Baker dropped in 13 points, and Myah Taylor hit 10 points for the first time this season.

TURNING UP THE PRESSURE
Defense was the name of the game for Ole Miss, as it forced Southern Miss to 25 turnovers that turned into a whopping 43 points. The last time the Rebels forced at least 25 turnovers was Jan. 6, 2022 at Florida.

The last time Ole Miss managed at least 43 points off turnovers was in 2015 versus Alabama A&M, where the Rebels converted 49 points from turnovers.

COMFORTABLE BEHIND THE ARC
The Rebels rained down from the arc against Southern Miss, downing nine total three-pointers — the most threes made this season.

Snudda Collins is the sharp shooter for the Rebels and has put down 38 from behind the arc so far this season.

NOT IN OUR HOUSE
In Ole Miss’ 10 home games of this season, the Rebels have blocked 55 shots at the SJB Pavilion this season.

Together Tyia Singleton (26) and Rita Igbokwe (23) have combined for over half of Ole Miss’ 97 blocks this year.

TAYLOR KEEPS DEALING
As the SEC’s active leader in career assists, Myah Taylor has no issue dishing out assists this season.  With six helpers against Kennesaw State, after Taylor’s SEMO performace she put up back-to-back games with five or more assists.

Last season down the road at Mississippi State, Taylor led the conference averaging 5.9 assists per game.

WELCOME TO THE PARTY RITA
Pitt transfer Rita Igbokwe made a statement in the second half against SEMO, tallying 10 points and three rejections as well as grabbing three rebounds.

The Jonesboro, Georgia, native ranks in the top-15 nationally in active career blocks with a total of 180.

As a team, the Rebels are averaging 4.9 blocks per game.

DANGEROUS DUO 
When both Angel Baker and Madison Scott get going, the two are an unstoppable duo together.

Dating back to last season, when both score in double-figures the Rebels are 11-2 in those games.

Baker currently has 90 career outings in double-digits while Scott has 45.

MILESTONE-ACHIEVED
After hitting a milestone mark at Ole Miss with her 50th win at the helm of the Rebels coming against Texas A&M in February, McPhee-McCuin reached yet another career defining mark against SEMO.

The fifth-year coach of the Rebels hit the 150 win mark in her career and her 56th victory at Ole Miss. In her five seasons at Jacksonville State, McPhee-McCuin amassed a record of 94-63.

THIS BLOCK PARTY AIN’T OVER
After breaking the single-season program record last season with a whopping 142 team blocks, Ole Miss proved that its defensive prowess isn’t gone.

For the fourth straight outing, the Rebels blocked five or more shots as a team as they finished with a total of eight against the Owls. Madison Scott carried Ole Miss around the rim, with three rejections on her own.

HERE TO THRIVE
Coming off of a record-breaking season and its best winning percentage since 1993-94, the Rebels are back to prove that last season set the standard.

Highlighted by its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 seasons, Ole Miss returns five from last season’s squad including the trio of Snudda Collins, Madison Scott and the reigning SEC-Sixth Woman of the Year Angel Baker.

WROTE HISTORY
The 2021-22 Rebels etched their names in the Ole Miss record books, shattering feats that few other teams had accomplished before.

• 13 game winning streak – third longest in program history

• 142 blocks – program single-season record

• 10 SEC wins – second-time in Ole Miss history

• 20th 20-win season, first since 2006-07

• Angel Baker named the SEC Sixth-Woman of the Year.

SET THE STANDARD
The Rebels 23-9 record for an .718 winning percentage marked the program’s best winning percentage not only in the four seasons under McPhee-McCuin, but the best since the 1993-1994 season where Ole Miss went 24-9.

UP NEXT
The Rebels return to the road this weekend on at Arkansas on Sunday in hopes of their first win in Fayetteville since 2011. Tipoff against the Razorbacks is slated for 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network.