Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Falls Short of Comeback Against No. 15 Oklahoma at SJB Pavilion

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Ole Miss women’s basketball maintained a tight game against No. 15/16 Oklahoma, but ultimately fell short, 66-56, at the SJB Pavillion on Thursday evening.

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The Rebels (15-7, 6-4 SEC) held the Sooners (17-6, 5-5 SEC) to their second-worst scoring outing of the season. Additionally, four Rebels scored in double figures.

Starr Jacobs had another solid performance for the Rebels by pacing the team with 15 points and a season-high five steals. She added six rebounds to her stat line and has gotten at least five rebounds in 18 games this season.

Christeen Iwuala and Mariyah Noel provided sparks for Ole Miss off the bench. Iwuala secured her fifth game of the season in double figures, dropping 11 points. She had a team-leading nine rebounds on the day, which ties a career best single game mark.

Noel had the highest plus-minus among all Rebels against the Sooners. With her on the court, Ole Miss outscored Oklahoma by 8 points. Her efforts were critical in orchestrating the Rebels comeback efforts as she added a balanced four rebounds, two assists and a block and steal apiece against the Sooners.

Madison Scott and Sira Thienou joined Jacobs and Iwuala in double-digit scoring, contributing 12 and 10, respectively. For Scott, it’s her fifth-straight game with 10-plus points, while Thienou has done so a team-high 15 times this year.

After a spirited first quarter which saw Oklahoma jump to an early 15-point lead, Ole Miss forced 11 turnovers in the second quarter to conclude the half within a possession of the lead. Ole Miss had its largest run of the game, scoring eight unanswered points to start the second. Iwuala added two field goals, while Thienou and Heloisa Carrera added two more.

Jacobs recorded all five of her steals in the first half to set a season high, while Noel provided important contributions on the rebounding front. Noel’s four rebounds in the half set a personal season-high.

In total, Oklahoma committed 18 first half turnovers and scored only seven points. It’s the Sooners’ lowest-scoring quarter of the season after going 3-for-11 from the field. The Rebels used good defense to create good offense, which set up a manageable 31-29 game at the halfway mark.

The Rebels opened the third quarter with the same momentum they concluded the first half with. Thienou tied the game in the third quarter by converting a tough layup after bringing in an offensive rebound. The freshman then connected with Jacobs on an alley-oop layup to give Ole Miss its first lead of the day.

The Rebels and Sooners went bucket-for-bucket for the remainder of the quarter, until Iwuala put the team on her back to put the Rebels ahead, 45-43, on the final shot of the quarter. Surrounded by Sooners, Iwuala muscled her way through the paint and finessed a layup over a pair of defenders.

Jacobs converted another alley-oop layup to commence the fourth quarter, this time following a feed from Kennedy Todd-Williams. Iwuala’s strong day rolled into the fourth by dropping another tough layup, as the Rebels built their largest lead of the day. Oklahoma ultimately began crawling back in the final five minutes to regain the lead and come away with the victory, 66-56.

The Rebels are back in action on Monday, Feb. 10, for another ranked matchup. Ole Miss takes on No. 11 Kentucky at the SJB Pavilion, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2