Ole Miss falls to No. 3-seed Texas, 85-68, in SEC Tournament Semifinal

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Ole Miss women’s basketball fell to No. 3-seed Texas 85-68 in the SEC Tournament Semifinal Saturday night. Great performances from Cotie McMahon and Denim Deshields highlighted the offensive effort against Texas. The Rebels failed to overcome the Horn’s big early lead as well as their own turnovers, but were able to cut it to two points at the end of the third.

Player Performances

• Cotie McMahon- 20 points and four rebounds
• Denim Deshields- 20 points and five assists
• Christeen Iwuala- 12 points and eight rebounds

Here is the breakdown of tonight’s game.

First Quarter

Texas scored back-to-back to open the quarter. Christeen Iwuala got the Rebels their first basket, and Cotie McMahon followed with a three-pointer. However, Ole Miss’ turnovers were the story early.

The Rebels fought back by scoring five straight field goals; however, the Texas defense held them there. Ole Miss had committed seven turnovers so far in the first period, alone, and Texas led 16-11 with 2:31 left in the quarter.

McMahon tallied 10 of the Rebels’ 16 points at the end of the opening quarter, but Texas went on a 10-5 run to end the period. The Rebels were efficient on offense, but the Longhorns’ defense presented a test, as they ultimately forced nine Ole Miss turnovers.

Second Quarter

Latasha Lattimore opened up the quarter scoring for the Rebels at the rim, but Jordan Lee answered for the Longhorns. Texas continued scoring, pushing its lead up to 10 with 7:57 remaining in this quarter.

Ole Miss went on a four-minute scoring drought. It was looking ugly as Texas took advantage, scoring 12 straight before the Rebels broke the drought. Ole Miss got the lead cut to eleven before the Longhorns applied more pressure. The score quickly jumped to 40-25, Horns, with 2:36 left in the first half.

McMahon had 16 points so far and helped the Rebels trim the lead back down to 10. Ole Miss trailed 42-32 at the end of the first half, and needed to adjust their game plan and approach if the Rebels wanted to make the comeback.

Third Quarter

Madison Booker of Texas hit a two-point basket to open the second half. Denim DeShields scored a layup with 7:33 remaining. Booker answered that with a jumper. Latasha Lattimore then sank a three-pointer, and it was under a ten-point lead. However, a Longhorn three-pointer put them back up 12. Lattimore then hit another three that cut the lead back down to nine. After a few non-scoring trips by both teams, Texas still led 49-40 with 4:34 left in the period.

Cotie McMahon soon sank two free throws to cut Texas’ lead down to seven. The Rebels had a prime opportunity to take control as Texas went on a long scoring drought, but Booker scored to push the lead back to nine. The Rebels had chances to push the tempo but couldn’t capitalize, and they once again trailed by 11.

Texas did not have a great offensive quarter compared to the previous two, and it bit them as the period came to a close. Deshields scored a layup, then Tianna Thompson sank two free throws. As the third-quarter buzzer sounded, Deshields nailed a three-pointer. She had 14 points at that time, accompanied by McMahon’s 18 points. The Rebels were now down only two points, 57-55, after a 9-0 run to end the quarter.

Fourth Quarter

Jordan Lee scored first for Texas, but Deshields countered with a jumper. Texas would extend the lead back out to six with 7:43 remaining.

McMahon was up to 20 points in this game after two made free throws, and the game was back to the Rebels down just four. However, Ole Miss missed four straight shots, and Kyla Oldacre would sink two free throws for Texas. The Rebels just could not shake the six-point deficit.

Deshields continued to try and push the tempo for the Rebels, as she had tallied 20 points with 3:31 left. The Longhorns ultimately just had too much tonight as they got back to their double-digit lead. Despite great efforts, the deficit proved too much for the Rebels, who fell 85-68.

The Rebels now wait to hear where they’ll be playing when March Madness begins. Stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for all your Ole Miss Athletics news.