Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Comes Up Short in Paris Against No. 3 USC

PARIS – (Release) In an exhilarating top-20 matchup to commence the season, Ole Miss women’s basketball battled back and forth with No. 3 USC, but could not overcome All-American Juju Watkins and the Trojans, falling 68-66 at Adidas Arena on Monday.

No. 20 Ole Miss’ (0-1, 0-0 SEC) defense kept the Rebels in the game, forcing No. 3 USC (1-0, 0-0 Big 10) to make the most turnovers since 2022 with 26 and holding the Trojans to just one three-pointer. Additionally, on the other side of the court, the Rebels strung together seven three-pointers.

In her first game back since medically redshirting last season, KK Deans led the battle for the Rebels, notching her career-high points in a Rebel jersey with 19, and shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. Madison Scott added 14 more points for Ole Miss, making two three-pointers in a game for the first time in her career. UCLA transfer Christeen Iwuala had an extraordinary first game as a Rebel, tallying her career-high in rebounds (9) and steals (3).

Ole Miss and USC traded blows back and forth within the opening minutes, as Scott stepped up to score the first five points of the season for the Rebels. The Trojans jumped out to an opening lead, but the Rebels’ commanding defense forced eight turnovers to bring Ole Miss within one. Beating the buzzer from deep, Deans drew a shooting foul and made all three free throws to put the Rebels ahead, 16-15, at the end of the first quarter.

USC jumped back into the driver’s seat coming out of the break, responding with a 7-2 run to begin the second. The Rebels tried to put together a run of their own, but the Trojans offense exploded, shooting a blistering 66.7% from the field to lead 37-26 at halftime.

Coming out of the locker room, Ole Miss and USC traded point-for-point as the Rebels tried to chip away at the deficit by shooting 66.7% from behind the arc. A 10-2 run put Ole Miss within six, but USC was able to keep the slight edge, holding a 52-45 lead at the end of the third. The Rebels maintained ample ball movement in the quarter as all but one field goals came with an assist, dishing out six total in seven made shots.

Sparked by a pair of three-pointers from Tameiya Sadler and Deans, Ole Miss would not falter, kicking off the quarter with a 12-4 run to force USC to take a timeout. Holding the Trojans scoreless for over eight minutes, Ole Miss battled back to tie up the score to 66 apiece with 20 seconds left in regulation. The Trojans then clinched the game with a pair of free throws to earn the victory over the Rebels, 68-66.

Ole Miss will take a week break before getting back into action on Sunday, Nov. 10, to host its first matchup at the SJB Pavilion this season against Arkansas Pine Bluff. Tip on SEC Network+ is set for 2 p.m. CT.