Ole Miss set to meet Texas A&M in SEC Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals

GREENVILLE, S.C.– (Release) Ole Miss women’s basketball prepares to play in its third consecutive SEC Tournament Quarterfinal game, with its second meeting against Texas A&M this season coming this afternoon in Greenville.

After finishing 2-14 in conference play, the Aggies have defeated Vanderbilt and Mississippi State to advance to Friday’s game. Today’s matchup will tip off at approximately 1:25 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (22-7, 11-5 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 5th Season at Ole Miss (76-73) • 10th Season in Career (170-136)

Texas A&M Aggies (9-19, 2-14 SEC)
Head Coach: Joni Taylor • 1st Season at Texas A&M (9-19) • 8th Season in Career (149-94)

ON THE AIR

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

SEC TOURNAMENT NOTES

Dating back to the first SEC Tournament in 1980, Ole Miss holds a record of 28-41 heading into its third straight quarterfinal appearance.

The Rebels have never found themselves lifting the trophy at the end of the weekend, but have made two finals appearances and played in 10 semifinals.

Ole Miss has faced off against Arkansas, Auburn and Georgia the most in the tournament with nine meetings against each school.

Friday’s meeting will be the first between Ole Miss and Texas A&M in an SEC Tournament game.

Last year’s SEC Tournament in Nashville was one full of records for the Rebels, with a block party breaking out against the Florida Gators in the quarterfinals. 11 blocked shots from Ole Miss set a new program tournament record, with Shakira Austin registering a program record with six blocks in a tournament game.

An appearance for Ole Miss in Saturday’s semifinals would be its second straight, and its first back-to-back appearance since 1998 and 1989. If the Rebels were to advance to Sunday’s finals, it would be for the first time since 1983.

SERIES NOTES

VERSUS TEXAS A&M
Ole Miss rides its longest winning streak in the series versus Texas A&M, after taking both meetings against the Aggies last season and this season’s lone meeting in Bryan-College Station.

A&M leads the all-time series 10-5, dating back to the programs first meeting in 1995. Since joining the SEC, the Aggies lead 9-4.

Last year’s visit to Bryan-College Station marked a monumental win for the Rebel program, earning its first win in Reed Arena with a 80-63 victory over the Aggies.

FIRST MEETING

• 12/18/95 – A&M, 75-60 – at Philadelphia, PA

LAST MEETING

• 01/08/23 – UM, 57-38 – at Bryan-College Station

SCOUTING THE AGGIES

Following the retirement of the legendary head coach Gary Blair, former Georgia head coach Joni Taylor made the jump across the SEC to take over the Aggie program.

Despite a 13th place finish in SEC play, Texas A&M has been hot as of recent with wins in three out of its last four games. The Aggies have made its way through their first two games in Greenville, knocking off No. 12 seeded Vanderbilt and then No. 5 seeded Mississippi State.

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT

The Rebels should never be counted out of the fight, as Sunday proved that point with Ole Miss overcoming an eight point deficit in the second half to defeat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, 57-55.

The win pushed Ole Miss to 11 in SEC play, tying the most in program history. The victory over the Crimson Tide also secured a fourth place finish in conference and an automatic double bye to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

Marquesha Davis had the hot hand on Sunday, with a career-high 26 points and sealed the game with two free throws to give Ole Miss the win. Angel Baker and Madison Scott also joined Davis in double-figures with 10 points each.

Tyia Singleton made her presence known around the rim with seven blocks against the Crimson Tide to set a new career-high. The seven rejections are also the third most in a single-game for Ole Miss.

NOT IN TYIA’S HOUSE

No one was getting in Tyia Singelton’s way in Tuscaloosa, with the senior swatting a career-high seven rejections. All together, Ole Miss rejected a season-high nine shots.

The seven rejections from Singleton rank third in program history in single-game blocks.

COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED

From the charity stripe, Ole Miss was locked in at Alabama by shooting a perfect 12-of-12. Marquesha Davis led the way with a career-high six makes.

As a team, the perfect percentage from the line is the best for Ole Miss with 10 or more attempts since 2009 against Florida Atlantic where the Rebels also went 12-of-12.

MAKING HISTORY – ONCE AGAIN

Hitting 10 wins in SEC play against Missouri, Ole Miss reached the double-digit win mark in conference play for the second year in a row and the first time in consecutive seasons in program history.

Ole Miss has three double-digit winning seasons in conference play. The 1991-92 Rebels went a perfect 11-0 in conference while last season’s squad went 10-6 in league play.

CAUSING DOUBLE-DOUBLE THE TROUBLE

There’s no doubt that Madison Scott has elevated her game in her junior campaign, piecing together 10 double-doubles this season for the most in her career to date.

With her 10th double-double of the season against Mizzou, Scott reached the marker of 20 in her career. The 20 double-doubles rank 10th in program history as Scott looks to move up the record books.

DOING IT ALL

Making an impact on all facets of the court, Angel Baker is getting it done on both sides of the ball.

The reigning SEC Sixth-Woman of the year has notched five 5/5/5 games in points, rebounds and assists to stuff the stat sheet. The senior has also snagged 45 steals this season.

THE BLOCK PARTY NEVER STOPS

The Rebels have proved that defense gets it done in the Coach Yo era and continued to defend around the rim this season as well. Last season’s 2021-22 team shattered the program record in single-season blocks at 142 and this year’s squad rose to the challenge breaking that.

29 games in Ole Miss has rejected 152 shots this season to set the single-season program record and with the postseason underway soon, that number is expected to grow.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL

The Rebels did a great job of holding on to the ball against the Gamecocks, only surrendering nine turnovers to the No. 1 team in the land

Nine turnovers tied the lowest on the season, and set a new low mark for Ole Miss in SEC play.

TAKING IT OVERTIME

For the third time this season, Ole Miss headed to overtime against South Carolina and for the first time at home since 2021.

Three overtime games is the most in a single-season for Ole Miss since 2013-14. All-time Ole Miss is 23-26 in games headed into overtime. The Rebels are 14-7 when extra time is needed at home.

RITA IGBLOCKWE

A defensive force around the rim against South Carolina, Rita Igbokwe’s six rejections set a season-high for the senior.

Igbokwe is three blocks away from hitting 200 in her career. She currently ranks 11th in active blocks with a total of 197.

THE NAME OF OUR GAME

‘We Defend’ is the name of our game, as Ole Miss is one of the nation’s top defensive teams holding its opponents to an average of 55.9 points per game.

This season, Ole Miss has held all but one opponent below its scoring average.

20 WINS AND COUNTING

By hitting the 20-win mark against Kentucky, Ole Miss hit another major milestone as a program with back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1993-94 & 1994-95.

With one game left in the regular season, the Rebels have an opportunity to add to its win total and hit 23 regular season wins for the first time since the 1986-87 team reached the mark.

JOURNEY TO THE TOURNEY

As Selection Sunday quickly approaches, Ole Miss is hoping to hear its name called for the 19th time in program history on March 12.

A second-straight appearance in the big dance would be the first time Ole Miss has reached the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons since 2004 & 2005.

TRY TO SHOOT YOUR SHOT

As one of the top defenses in the conference, its no shock that Ole Miss has been able to dictate and disrupt its last two opponents.

In back-to-back outings, Ole Miss held Florida and then Kentucky to under 30% shooting from the field. UF shot at a 24.1% clip, while UK was held to 26.3%.

The feat is the first time in the 21st century Ole Miss has held two-consecutive SEC opponents to under 30% from the field.

CAN’T TOUCH THIS (LITERALLY)

The defensive prowess from Ole Miss was untouchable against Florida, holding the Gators to shoot 13-of-54 from the field at a 24.1% clip.

Holding the Gators to that mark is the lowest the Rebels have held any SEC opponent to within the last 20 seasons.

AB2K

Eclipsing the 2,000 career-point milestone against Kentucky, Angel Baker accomplished what few in Ole Miss history have done.

Baker is one of four 2,000 career-point scorers to don a Rebel uniform joining Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Jennifer Gillom and Armintie Price.

Baker also became one of 21 active players in Division I with over 2,000 career points scored.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

The comfort of the SJB Pavilion has been welcoming to the Rebels this season, with Ole Miss reaching double-digit wins at home two consecutive years in a row for the first time since the 2007-08 & 2008-09 seasons.

Last year, Ole Miss tallied 10 wins at home while this season the Rebels reached a total of 14.

GO OFF QUE

Since jumping back into the starting lineup the last 10 games, Marquesha Davis has tallied double-digit outings in eight of them.

Davis averaged points per game though SEC play, on the season she is averaging 9.6 points overall.

COMEBACK KIDS

Trailing by 19 at with 20 minutes remaining, the Rebels came together to do the unthinkable and clawed their way back against Arkanas to force overtime and defeat the Razorbacks.

The feat tied the 9th largest margin overcome in NCAA history and was the largest in program history. It also set the third largest margin overcome in an SEC game.

GO FOR DEEP — OR DON’T

It’s a proven stat that the Rebs defend the three ball well, ranking 12th in the nation while holding its opponents to 25.7% from beyond the arc.

The Rebels have limited Auburn and Texas A&M to its season lowest from three and Mississippi State and Alabama to its SEC game lowest.

HOT HANDS EQUAL DUBS

When the Rebels find themselves in a groove, the wins are bound to happen. This season when Ole Miss shoots above 40% in a game, the Rebels are bound to win at 20-1.

EXPERIENCE MATTERS

Dubbed as the “offensive” and “defensive” point guards by McPhee-McCuin, Angel Baker and Myah Taylor prove it on the court as one of the most experienced duos in the nation.

Ole Miss is one of 14 programs in the country to have two players with more than 140 games played each.

SWEPT. THE. SIP.

Following its first win in Starkville since 2007 on Jan. 1, Ole Miss continued to make its presence known as the top dog in the state of Mississippi with its 78-63 win on Jan. 26.

The back-to-back regular season wins against the Bulldogs marked the first regular season sweep over MSU since 2004.

SNUDDA SQUAD

No doubt Snudda Collins was feeling herself at home against Mississippi State, with the junior draining a career-high tying five three’s off the bench.

With 52 made triples this season and 174 attempts, Collins is climbing her way up the Ole Miss history charts. Collins is 17 made three’s away from ranking in the top-five in a single-season.

SHARING IS CARING

Dropping a 20 dimes against Mississippi State, the Rebels showed that sharing the ball proved to be an extreme benefit. The 20 assists were the most in an SEC game by the Rebels this season.

Three Rebels combined for 18 of those 20 dimes, with Angel Baker, Madison Scott and Myah Taylor dishing out six apiece.

The last time Ole Miss had three Rebels with five or more dimes, was last season against Texas A&M from the SJB Pavilion.

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.

500 AND COUNTING

With two assists against Mississippi State in Starkville, Myah Taylor eclipsed the 500 career assist mark and continues to add to her total of 544. Taylor currently leads the SEC in active career assists.

TURNOVER TURN UP

Ole Miss has forced a cumulative number of 476 turnovers against its opponents this season. Out of those 476, the Rebels have secured 445 points off turnovers so far this season, averaging 15.6 points off turnovers a 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 14-3 in those games.

Baker currently has 95 career outings in double-digits while Scott has 50.

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.