Rebels give No. 1 South Carolina everything they could handle, but lose in overtime, 64-57
OXFORD – A monumental effort by the Ole Miss women’s basketball team came up just short in a 64-57 overtime loss to No. 1 South Carolina at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford Sunday afternoon.
The loss dropped the Rebels to 20-7 overall and 9-5 in SEC play. The Rebels sit fifth in the conference standings with two games remaining in the regular season.
“At the end of the day, someone had to lose, and I hate that it is us.“
Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin
The first half was very physical with foul calls being hard to come by. The Rebels outshot the Gamecocks, 35% to 34%, in the half, and they took a one-point deficit into the halftime break, 29-28.
The Gamecocks led virtually the entire way in the half, but the Rebels stayed close, allowing the lead to grow to only six at its largest. It was South Carolina’s lowest first half point total since Georgia held them to 26 points on January 2.
Guard Angel Baker led the charge for the Rebels on offense in the first half with seven points and two rebounds. Guard Marquesha Davis tallied six points and three rebounds, and guard Snudda Collins finished the half with five points courtesy of a banked-three from the corner late in the second quarter.
The Rebel defense was locked in throughout the first half, holding Gamecock superstar forward Aliyah Boston to only three points and four rebounds. Guard Zia Cooke led all scorers in the half with 14 points.
Second-half action
The second half showed much of the same from both teams. The Gamecocks outscored the Rebels 15-14 in the third quarter, and the game entered the final frame at 44-42.
In the fourth quarter, the Rebel defense stepped up yet again, allowing 11 points for the entire frame. Ole Miss took its first lead of the second half on an Angel Baker step back jumper with 1:20 to go.
After the Gamecocks tied the game at 55 on an Aliyah Boston free throw, the Rebels held the ball with no shot clock, but a turnover gave the Gamecocks a chance to win with 1.1 seconds remaining. A missed layup by South Carolina’s Boston sent the game to overtime tied at 55.
Overtime
South Carolina’s experience showed itself in an overtime domination, as the Gamecocks outscored the Rebels, 9-2, in the extra frame.
South Carolina made of its six shot attempts, while the Rebels made one of their seven attempts. The Rebels did not score in the final 2:23 of overtime, and the No. 1 team in the nation survived its trip to Oxford.
Coach Yo’s thoughts on the game
Coach Yo attributed South Carolina’s performance in overtime to its experience playing for national championships.
“They haven’t lost a game all year, so if you’re going to beat them, you’ve got to get them where you can,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I just hate that we couldn’t get them. In overtime, their experience just burst onto the scene. They have been on the big stage. They took over.”
Overall, on offense, Baker was the star of the show for the Rebels with 17 points. She also grabbed five rebounds. The other Rebel in double-figures was Collins with 11 points. The team shot 37% from the floor for the game and 9-17 from the free throw line.
The defense held the Gamecocks, who averaged 82.7 points per game coming into the game, were held to 27 points less than their per game average in regulation and their lowest scoring output since scoring 58 points against Mississippi State on January 8.
South Carolina shot 38% from the field for the game and was forced into 15 turnovers by the Rebels.
Coach Yo, who was visibly emotional postgame, said that this game was telling as to where her program is and where it is heading.
“I think it [this game] shows people that we are a program to be reckoned with. It hurts because I thought we could win, and, maybe a year ago, I didn’t think we could win. So that shows you [the progress].”
Coach Yo on her program
She said another sign of this progression was the crowd, which totaled over 6,500, and played a huge role in willing her team to overtime.
“First time I played South Carolina here, we may have had 500 people. Nobody was here. Today, to hear the fans, they were so engaged, and they almost took us to the W. This was just an incredible atmosphere.”
Coach Yo on the Ole Miss crowd
The past two games for the Rebels were against No. 5 LSU and No. 1 South Carolina, and, in each, the Rebels were able to take both teams down to the wire. Coach Yo said that this should be enough evidence for her team to be ranked.
“I don’t care what anybody says, my team is a top-25 team in the country. Look what we are doing. Utah. Oklahoma. LSU. South Carolina. Look at what we are doing. We don’t care about rankings. We are one of the best in the country. The NET tells it. Our scores tell it. Ask the coaches that we go up against. We are on the move, and we are just getting started.”
Coach Yo
Coach Yo said that a game like this will not put her team down going forward. Instead, it will make them better.
“This was a win for our team in a lot of ways. Our team has been struggling with believing. If anything, it [this game] is going to encourage us. We would like to close out with a win at home on Thursday [against Missouri] and then go battle it out with Alabama.”
Coach Yo
Senior Night
The Rebels will celebrate Senior Day this Thursday against the Missouri Tigers. The last home game of the season will tipoff at 6 p.m. CT at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Trevor Terminie
Trevor is a senior at Ole Miss pursuing a degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Sports Communication and Promotion. He has previous experience covering sports for another site, including a variety of Ole Miss sports. Growing up in New Orleans, La., he has the Pelicans and Saints running through his blood. He also grew up in an LSU family, but his love for Ole Miss continues to grow. Trevor hopes to cover sports back in his hometown after college. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
