Rebels lose tight game to No. 5 LSU, 69-60

OXFORD – The Ole Miss women’s basketball team held its own but could not find the win column in a 69-60 loss in Baton Rouge Thursday night against the No. 5 LSU Tigers.

The loss drops the Rebels to 9-4 in conference play, which is fifth place due to a tiebreaker with Alabama. Overall, they drop to 20-6 as they head into the final three games of the regular season.

While the Rebel defense held LSU to 17 points under its per-game average, Ole Miss was not able to handle star forward Angel Reese, who posted a career-high 36 points and grabbed 20 boards, her fourth 20-20 game of the season. Rebel head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said on Wednesday her team could handle Reese’s averages, if they held everyone else, but Reese topped them in both points and rebounds.

Moreover, the difference was also noticeable at the free-throw line, as the Rebels converted on four of only seven attempts from the stripe. The Tigers reached the line a whopping 30 times, converting on 24 attempts. Angel Reese, alone, shot 12-14 from the line.

The Rebels started the game slow on defense, allowing 22 points in the first quarter. They as a team outscored Reese alone by a single point, 12-11.

However, in the second quarter, Ole Miss locked down on defense, giving up just eight points and not allowing a point in the last five minutes of the first half. The Rebels took a two-point deficit into the break, 30-28.

In the second half, there was much of the same from both teams, but a seven-point win for the Tigers in the third quarter made it hard for the Rebels to complete a comeback, especially against a top-five team on the road.

Looking at the defensive game stats, it would seem like the Rebels played well enough to win the game. Coach Yo’s patented defense held the Tigers to 31% shooting, which is 16 percentage points below their season average, and one three-point make.

Ole Miss won the rebounding battle, 43-42. The Rebs also outscored LSU’s bench, 15-0. However, 21 turnovers combined with Angel Reese’s performance and the free-throw discrepancy was the difference in a tight ballgame. 

Offensively, guard Angel Baker led the Rebels again with 21 points on 10-24 shooting. She also tacked-on eight rebounds. Forward Madison Scott was the other Rebel in double figures, scoring 13 points. 

Overall, the Rebels shot 41%, eight percentage points better than LSU, from the floor. They also made four more shots than the Tigers (26-22).

Up Next

The road does not get any easier for the Rebels, as they will return to Oxford to face undefeated-No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday. Tipoff at the SJB Pavilion is set for 3 p.m. on the SEC Network.

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