Ole Miss women’s basketball dominates Florida in 94-69 win; Rebels score most points against SEC opponent in Coach Yo era

OXFORD, Miss. – If I wrote every jaw-dropping steal, picture-perfect basket, and flawless sequence Ole Miss women’s basketball made Thursday night at the Pavilion, I would be typing for days. In a 94-69 blowout vs Florida, the Rebels delivered a performance that could fill pages!

Rebs were late night HOOPIN’ 🌙

Our win against the Gators was the most points against an SEC opponent in the Coach Yo era!@YolettMcCuin | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/TUrtFuWGaE

— Ole Miss Women’s BB (@OleMissWBB) January 17, 2025

First-half action

From the opening tip to the final buzzer, Ole Miss was simply in another class. The Rebels set the tone with a full-court man press, forcing Florida into early turnovers. As the Gators settled in, they tried to establish an inside-out game, feeding the ball to Ra Shaya Kyle.

On the other end, Ole Miss worked to find quality shots, with the open man often being Sira Thienou. Hitting back-to-back threes, she forced Florida to call a timeout. In response, the Gators increased their defensive pressure, but Ole Miss maintained the lead, ending the quarter 17-20.

As the second quarter emerged, so did Thienou, making her presence felt on both ends of the floor. Ole Miss kept up its full-court pressure, alternating between zone and man presses, racking up steals, with Thienou finishing the half with six. The Rebels capitalized on those steals, with most of their second-quarter points coming off Florida’s turnovers.

Florida managed to put together a brief 7-0 run, relying heavily on foul calls to stay in the game, as Ole Miss put them in the bonus early. However, the Rebels still outscored them 22-16, going into halftime with a 42-33 advantage.

Second-half action

Refusing to let up, Ole Miss took complete control in the third quarter, their highest-scoring period with 31 points. A 14-1 run during the quarter put the game out of reach, as the Rebels maintained their suffocating 94-foot defensive pressure. Florida, still trying to get the ball inside, found their passes consistently deflected or stolen, leaving them with very few answers.

Offensively, the Rebels built on Thienou’s dominant first half performance, with her teammates joining in for a balanced attack.

Starr Jacobs was unstoppable on the offensive glass, grabbing multiple put-back layups, while Tameiya Sadler showcased her lockdown defense, stealing the ball and converting an and-one. KK Deans then went on a personal 5-0 run, hitting a three, picking a pocket, and finishing with another and-one. The Rebels were effectively executing their game plan and by the end of the third, Ole Miss had stretched their lead to 73-50.

The fourth quarter was more of the same for Ole Miss, as the Rebels continued to share the ball and push the tempo in transition. Even as Florida made one final push with back-to-back three-pointers from Jeriah Warren and a 6-0 run, Ole Miss never lost its rhythm.

Adding to the Rebels’ game full of highlight-reel moments, the final one came from Todd-Williams, who used a smooth, shifty crossover followed by a baseline attack and reverse layup as Ole Miss cruised to a 94-69 victory.

By the numbers

Defensive intensity and offensive efficiency were the defining elements of Ole Miss’ dominant win. The Rebels shot 41% from three-point range and an impressive 53% from the field, while racking up 19 steals and turning Florida’s 29 turnovers into 42 points.

Sira Thienou led the way with a career-high 29 points, 7 steals, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds, while Starr Jacobs added 19 points, not taking no for an answer with each bucket she scored. Kennedy Todd-Williams finished with 12 points, and Kharyssa Richardson contributed 10 points off the bench.

Ole Miss’ Sira Thienou put on one of the BEST performances of the season:

She is one of FIVE players in the last 10 years in the @SEC WBB to record a 25pt, 5 reb, 5 asst, 5 steal game! (29, 5, 5 & 7)

Oh & she’s only a freshman 👀🚀@OleMissWBB @YolettMcCuin #noceilings pic.twitter.com/J52YWpsYR0

— Anne O’Neil (@heyanneoneil) January 17, 2025

With the win, Ole Miss improves to 3-2 in conference play.

Next Up

Next up, the Rebels travel up the road to Starkville, where they’ll face off against Mississippi State on Sunday, January 19, at 2 p.m. Show up and show out! Let them know we run the Sip!