Ole Miss women’s basketball shows grit, beats Mississippi State 75-71 in OT
OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss women’s basketball team won its second straight overtime game in a row, taking down the in-state rival Mississippi State Bulldogs, 75-71, Sunday afternoon.
Always a good day when you Beat State 😏 pic.twitter.com/KK5vh7aT2o
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) February 18, 2024
First Half
Trying to get revenge from a loss in their earlier matchup in Starkville, the Lady Rebs came out hot in the first quarter against the Bulldogs. Kennedy Todd-Williams scored the first five points for Ole Miss, and then Madison Scott and Marquesha Davis both helped the Rebels jump out to an 18-6 lead in the first four minutes.
Toddy gets us started with the threeee 👌 pic.twitter.com/Ba9cbVvrZt
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) February 18, 2024
The Bulldogs called a timeout after Davis knocked down her second triple. Mississippi State proceeded to go on a 12-4 run in the back half of the first to bring the Ole Miss lead down to 22-18 at the end of the quarter.
NOW @MarqueshaDavis FOR THREEEE.
SJB is rockin 🎸 pic.twitter.com/dVvZLSXKgi
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) February 18, 2024
Zakiya Stephenson knocked down the first two buckets of the second quarter for the Rebels. The freshman received her first SEC start of her career on Sunday, adding four assists before the half as well, while being the primary ball-handler.
Coach Yo commented on the freshman point guard getting the start.
“We had a freshman that played point for us today and we have been grooming her. It goes back to the Louisville game, even the games in the Bahamas. Just putting her out there, giving her some opportunities and she has been fearless.“
~ Coach Yo on Stephenson’s first SEC start
The second quarter was a back-and-forth battle for the most part, as the Rebels were only able to create an 8-point difference for a short stretch. Ole Miss took a 38-32 lead into the halftime locker room.
Todd-Williams led the way for Ole Miss at the break with 10 points and 8 boards. Scott and Davis combined for 17 total points as well.
Steal ➡️ @Ktoddwilli
Score ➡️ @IAMMADISCOTT pic.twitter.com/CFG0DDm7Fv— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) February 18, 2024
Second Half
Mississippi State controlled most of the third quarter, outscoring the Rebels 20-11. However, Ole Miss did not go away once the Bulldogs took the lead.
Starting the half off on a 12-6 run, the Bulldogs took a 49-47 lead over the Rebels with just under two minutes left in the quarter. Davis had an immediate answer, though, doing what she does best, breaking down her defender and burying a contested mid-range.
Oh my @MarqueshaDavis 🤯 pic.twitter.com/vLTgeENEBK
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) February 18, 2024
Scott began to take over scoring for the Rebels as the fourth quarter rolled on. Going into the final minute of play, the senior forward had seven of the team’s 12 total points.
Down 63-57 with two-and-a-half minutes to go, Coach Yo put her trust in Scott and Davis to get the job done. Ole Miss went on a 6-0 run in that final stretch, playing tremendous defense in the process.
Todd-Williams commented on the Rebels’ late comeback in regulation.
“Just really locking in. You could feel the energy of ‘we’re fine, we’re okay’…they were going to go on runs and we understood that. We just tried to keep our energy up to finish out the game.“
~ Todd-Williams on the final stretch in regulation
With three seconds to go in the game, Madison Scott drove hard to the basket, getting the tough layup to fall and tying the game at 63 to force overtime.
Coach Yo commented on the four-year Rebel and her leadership after the game.
“It has been a proud moment for me. Madi (Scott) is our most unselfish player…when she gets to her spots, she is unstoppable. But she is always wanting to make everyone feel good and get them involved.“
~ Coach Yo on Scott’s leadership
MADI SCOTT 🤯🤯
WE HAVE A TIE GAME pic.twitter.com/Zcrfxrjuuy
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) February 18, 2024
Overtime
Right away, the Bulldogs took the lead back as overtime began, finding themselves up four midway through the extra period.
Down 67-65, Scott drove to the rim hard once again. This time, the senior missed but was bailed out by Tyia Singleton who grabbed an offensive board and found a way to get the and-1 bucket to take a 68-67 lead.
TYIA GETS THE AND 1️⃣@bigticket_ts | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/aghouQmyEx
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) February 18, 2024
Ole Miss went on a 9-0 run to end the game, as Davis and Todd-Williams closed it out at the charity stripe. Just like the Ole Miss men’s team last night, the Lady Rebels had 30 free throw attempts in today’s game.
Four Rebels notched outstanding individual performances. Scott led the way in scoring with 20 points, adding 9 boards to that as well. Davis added another 17, and two Rebels finished with double-doubles. Rita Igbokwe finished with 11 points and 14 boards along with 3 blocks, while Kennedy Todd-Williams had an all-around outstanding performance of 16 points, 11 boards, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks.
hotty TODDY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/F1N9STzG3l
— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) February 18, 2024
“No, but we are playing well. Two games ago, one of our starters was out and we could not function. Today we had a starter out and we kept moving like it was nothing. That’s the growth…we are building the momentum that a coach wants to see in February.“
~ Coach Yo on if Ole Miss is playing their best basketball
Up Next
The Lady Rebels will be back at home in the SJB Pavilion next Thursday, February 22nd when they play host to the Georgia Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 6:30 pm CT on the SEC Network+.
(Feature image credit: Ole Miss Athletics)
Kameron Wicker
Kam is an undergraduate at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he’s from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn’t stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He’s a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
