Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Falls in Tight Road Contest at Southern Miss, 61-59

HATTIESBURG, Miss. –(Release) Facing its first true road environment of the year at Southern Miss, No. 19/20 Ole Miss came up short against the Lady Eagles, 61-59 from Green Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

Southern Miss’ (7-0) Domonique Davis controlled the game over Ole Miss (6-3) with a game-leading 25 points. For the Rebels, Marquesha Davis led with 15 points followed by Snudda Collins with 14. With a team-high six rebounds and four assists, Madison Scott added four points as well. Despite the Rebels draining a season-best six threes’, the Rebels struggled to stop Southern Miss’ Davis on her home court.

Straight out of the gate, Davis knocked down three consecutive threes’ for Ole Miss in the opening minutes for a quick nine points. Pressuring Southern Miss by forcing multiple turnovers, the Rebels asserted themselves as the aggressor in the first quarter. Through the free throw line, Southern Miss closed the gap to four at 22-18, with both teams shooting over 60% through one.

Through the use of the three-ball, Southern Miss took its first lead at 23-22 in the second quarter. Ole Miss fired back with threes’ of its own from Todd-Williams and Collins to meet Southern Miss at 28 all, midway through the quarter. Facing a shooting slump of its own, Zakiya Stephenson broke it open to regain the lead at 33-32, with the freshman making an impact in her first start. Ole Miss took off on an 8-0 run to secure a 36-32 lead heading into the half.

Putting in work in the paint, Ole Miss worked to expand the gap over Southern Miss while sending the Lady Eagles into a scoring drought for over five minutes. The Rebels struggled to score themselves within the final minutes of the third quarter, yet its strong defense held up to go ahead 49-44.

With 10 minutes remaining, Southern Miss refused to go away forcing Ole Miss to turn the ball over and tie the game at 52 all. The Lady Eagles regained the lead off a jumper at 54-52 with under six minutes in the game. After being held scoreless for over six minutes in the quarter, Scott responded with a layup to provide the Rebels with a spark to come within two of the Lady Eagles at 56-54. Four straight points from Southern Miss’ Davis extended the Lady Eagle lead. Ole Miss fired back with a layup from Davis to bring the score within one at 60-59 with under five seconds remaining. However, time had run out for the Rebels to complete the comeback, falling 61-59 to Southern Miss on its home court.

The Rebels enjoy a 10-day gap before their next game against Mississippi Valley State from the SJB Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Tip against the Lady Devilettes will air on SEC Network + at 6:30 p.m. CT.

(Featured image courtesy: Heather Hatcher)

Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics