Ole Miss women’s basketball falls in Lexington to Kentucky, 74-57

After a short-lived comeback, Ole Miss women’s basketball fell to the Kentucky Wildcats with a final score of 74-57.

It was an ugly offensive game, as the Rebels shot just 27 percent from the field. Cotie McMahon had an uncharacteristic first half, scoring just two points heading into half. She turned it around in the second half, finishing with 18 by the end of the game.

Latasha Lattimore tallied another double-double, with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Christeen Iwuala recorded 10 points and seven rebounds, but she got into foul trouble early. 

The Rebels had their ups and downs in the game, with the first half struggles putting them too far behind and that essentially cost them the game. For being a defensive team, the Rebels didn’t have much of it against the Wildcats as they couldn’t do anything to stop them. Overall, it was a game to learn from, but maybe head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin will want to burn the game tape. 

First half action

Ole Miss struck first, with Lattimore getting the Rebels’ first points. Kentucky took the lead in what was a low-scoring contest beginning the quarter. Both teams started scoring, but the lead for Kentucky stayed the same. It would only get worse for the Rebels. With sloppy play and turnovers galore, Ole Miss was struggling in all aspects of the game. At the end of the first, Coach Yo’s team was down six, a sign of things to come in the second quarter.

Kentucky dominated the second quarter, as the Rebels couldn’t buy a basket. Iwuala got into foul trouble, having two fouls in the first half. McMahon was quiet from the field, ending the first two quarters with only two points, something that has not happened this season, besides the Georgia game. Ole Miss just couldn’t score at all, shooting 18 percent from the field. The Rebels went into the half down 19, with some momentum, but a mountain to climb. 

Second half action

Ole Miss scored first to open up the second half, as the momentum slowly looked as if it might be starting to go in Ole Miss’ favor. By forcing fouls early in the third, the Rebels began to get to the free throw line. McMahon started to heat up a bit after going incredibly cold in the first half. Kentucky answered, marking the beginning of the end for the Rebels. The fourth quarter started with Ole Miss down 55-42. 

There is not much to talk about in the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats just flat out dominated. The momentum for Ole Miss partially carried into the fourth, but then it suddenly vanished and that just about ended the game for the Rebels. Kentucky came back alive and went on to win 74-57.

Interesting stat: Ole Miss had more rebounds, and fewer fouls, but the same amount of turnovers. 

Who’s next?

Ole Miss heads back home to host Tennessee on Tuesday, February 15 at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPNU.