Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Defeats Howard 67-54 in the Bahamas
The Ole Miss women’s basketball team opened tournament play in the Bahamas with a 67-54 win over Howard in the Battle for Atlantis.
Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin met with the media to discuss the win.
“Super grateful for the victory,” McPhee-McCuin said. “We came out flat…this is the first year we are playing with a number beside our name. I thought it was a great growth moment for our team…”
Coach Yo talked about the win and what she promises her players when they come to Ole Miss.
“First of all, we want to win. We promise our student-athletes four things,” she said. “We promise them they’re going to graduate and have a great experience, and that we will equip them with the tools to succeed in life and that we’re going to win championships.”
Ole Miss (3-1, 0-0 SEC) was led in the game by Madison Scott with a double-double 21 points and 14 boards.
LET HER COOK 👩🍳
Madi with a season-high 17 points. pic.twitter.com/cjsgARuq2E
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) November 18, 2023
“Today, it was important for me to show my team I’m in the fight with them,” Scott said after the win. She finished 9-for-10 shooting on the day.
The Rebels’ defense held Howard to 35.2 percent shooting from the field this afternoon.
“That’s what we say, we pack our defense in our suitcase,” McPhee-McCuin said.
In case you didn’t know…WE DEFEND. pic.twitter.com/cb7ppvyKvU
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) November 18, 2023
“When we played Oklahoma, we lost our identity for a second….for me, I just came from a Sweet 16 playing defense, beating the number 1 team in the nation playing defense. If I didn’t feel like they were playing D, I was subbing their butt out….we were getting blocks, steals, huge rebounds. That is our identity.“
Coach Yo
Howard was led by Iyanna Warren with 18 points.
“Howard has been in the championships in the MEAC for three years in a row,” McPhee-McCuin said.
“I knew they were going to be prepared. Moments like this today allow character to be built, trust to be built. I really believe in this team. This is the most complete team I’ve had…we want to play our best basketball in March.“
Coach Yo
Ole Miss will return to the court on Sunday morning as they take on the winner between Arizona and Memphis. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT.
Adam Brown
Adam Brown joins The Rebel Walk as the Managing Editor after being on the Ole Miss beat as a Sports Editor for over 11 years. He is a lifelong Oxford resident. Brown graduated from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Prior to The Rebel Walk, Brown was the sports editor of HottyToddy.com covering every Ole Miss sport and local high school sports in the community.
