Rebels eliminated from SEC Tourney semifinals by No. 1 South Carolina, 80-51
GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Ole Miss women’s basketball team’s stay at the SEC Tournament ended in the semifinals Saturday afternoon in an 80-51 loss to the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks.
The game was much different than the overtime matchup in Oxford in mid-February, as the Gamecocks reasserted themselves as the best team in the nation. The Rebels will now await their seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
The Rebels’ only lead of the game came at 2-0 for the first two minutes of the game. The Gamecocks would lead by at least double-digits from the 35-second mark of the first quarter all the way until the final buzzer.
Offensively, the Rebels were led by forward Madison Scott, who was the only Rebel to score in double-figures with 15 points. Guard Angel Baker finished with nine point on 4-14 shooting, while also tacking on seven rebound and three assists. Forward Tyia Singleton also scored nine points.
Overall, the Rebels shot 29% from the field 5-18 from three-point range. Moreover, they only recorded nine turnovers, but that did not mean much in the end.
The story of the game was South Carolina’s dominance, as they shot 53% from the field, outscored the Rebels in the paint by a whopping 34 points, 54-20, and outrebounded the Rebels, 45-32. The Gamecock bench also outscored the Rebel bench by 24 points.
South Carolina finished with five players in double-figures, led by forward Laeticia Amihere with 17 points. Superstar forward Aliyah Boston finished with another double-double by scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 boards. Forward Kamilla Cardoso came off the bench and recorded a 12-point and 12-rebound double-double.
“I got to figure out how to get out of playing South Carolina in the semifinals. That would be my first order of business moving forward. Having to play them two years in a row has been an incredible task, especially when no one in the country has found a way to beat them.”
Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin
Coach Yo said that there is no beating a South Carolina team that is playing at a high level, like they did in this semifinal matchup.
“The looked like a championship team today. Dawn [Staley] is in her 15th year. They look like a program that has been moving for 15 years. They showed their strength and their dominance from start to finish.”
Coach Yo on South Carolina
She also said that teams need to beat South Carolina during the offseason before they can try and beat the team head-to-head during the season, citing that recruiting has been huge for the Gamecocks’ success.
“[Staley] has 6’6”, 6’5”, 6’6”, 6’4”, and 6’5”,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I don’t have 6’6”. I have got to recruit. That is how it works.”
Even with South Carolina’s dominance, however, Coach Yo was still disappointed that her team didn’t show out as well as she had hoped.
“Disappointed that we didn’t show up and compete a little harder. We are a super team, so people have to show up. We didn’t have that collectively as a team.”
Coach Yo
Forward Madison Scott shared this sentiment with her head coach, saying that team just did not show up ready for the challenge.
“We just didn’t have players show up, including myself,” Scott said.
“I didn’t show up. I didn’t do what I needed to do for my team. We are a super team. We need everybody to show up and play their role for us to be successful. Today, that didn’t happen.”
Madison Scott
The Rebels may be done in Greenville, but they will be playing in the NCAA Tournament in a couple of weeks. Coach Yo said that her team will easily brush this loss off heading into the Big Dance.
“If you have ever dealt 18 to 24-year-olds, in about two hours they will be over this. It will be me who will have sleepless nights for about a week until I find out who we are going to play next.”
Coach Yo
Coach Yo and the Rebels will find out their seed and their next opponent in the NCAA Tournament when the bracket is released during the Selection Show on Sunday, March 12. The show will be at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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!
