Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Falls Short in Upset Bid Against No. 7 Texas

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Ole Miss women’s basketball forced No. 7 Texas into its worst shooting day of the season, but it wasn’t enough as the Longhorns claimed victory at the SJB Pavilion on Sunday, 61-58.

The Rebels (13-6, 4-3 SEC) held the Longhorns (20-2, 6-1 SEC) to 39.3% shooting from the field and its second-lowest scoring total of the season. Texas shot 22-for-56 from the field and a miniscule 1-11 from 3-point range. Texas’ 61 points is 26 points below its season average.

Ole Miss took care of the ball when it had possession, committing the third-fewest turnovers in a game this season with nine. It’s also the third time this season that Rebel turnovers remained in single digits. Texas committed 13 turnovers, as Ole Miss stole the ball eight times.

Madison Scott led the way for the Rebels offensively for the second game in a row, tallying 17 points and three assists. Both of those were team-highs, marking Scott’s 10th game with the most Rebel assists and fifth with the most points this season.

Sira Thienou added 14 points for Ole Miss, the 10th time she’s reached double-figure points in the past 11 games. The freshman stole the ball three times against the Longhorns, leading both teams in that category.

Ole Miss got the scoring started early, with Tameiya Sadler and Thienou highlighting the Rebel defense in the opening minutes. The backcourt duo each recorded a steal and transition basket in the first as the Rebels and Longhorns went shot-for-shot. Thienou made two 3-pointers in the first quarter, to go along with her driving layup from earlier, for a team-leading eight points in the opening 10 minutes.

Scott kept the same momentum from last week’s 30-point outing against Mississippi State. The graduate converted on two of her first three shots and both of her free throws to guide the Rebels to a 21-14 lead entering the second.

Thienou reached double-figure scoring for the 14th time this season in the second quarter after a driving layup through traffic. Her basket made it a one possession game after Texas took the lead. Then, Scott’s momentum continued after converting a 3-point play to tie the game at 26. 

Ole Miss’ defense formed a brick wall against Texas, holding the Longhorns scoreless for over four minutes of game action while the offense worked toward building a lead. Ole Miss scored seven unanswered points in that span as Texas went 0-of-7 from the field. Ole Miss went into the locker room with a 32-28 lead at the half.

KK Deans made a three to kickstart a Rebel run in the third. Her long-range strike marked No. 200 for her overall career, becoming only the third Rebel to hit that mark in Oxford in program history. Scott led the team with six points, as the Rebels once again held the Longhorns to multiple scoreless minutes. Ole Miss entered the final 10 minutes with a narrow 47-45 lead.

Sadler opened the door for an Ole Miss scoring run with a transition three off a feed from Scott, which was followed by a baseline jumper from Kennedy Todd-Williams to force a Texas timeout. Scott and Sadler each added another jumper, before Texas went on a scoring streak.

Ole Miss was faced with an offensive resurgence by Texas, which saw the Longhorns tie the game at 58 with under a minute remaining. Madison Booker made a jump shot from the elbow to give Texas a 2-point lead, before Ole Miss was forced to foul. Rori Harmon made the final free throw at the one second mark, as Texas came away on top, 61-58.

The Rebels are back on the road on Thursday, Jan. 30, to face Georgia in Athens, Ga. The final game of January is set to tipoff at 5:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SECN+.