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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
9-9, 2-4SEC
Arkansas
15-4, 3-4SEC
Women's Hoops Knocks Off No. 23/24 Arkansas
1/23/2011 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2011
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - After trailing by 12 early, the Ole Miss women's basketball team came back and won a thriller at Arkansas, knocking off the No.23/24 ranked Razorbacks, 69-65 at the Bud Walton Arena Sunday.
Arkansas' Ashley Daneils missed a layup with 22 seconds left and Courtney Marbra grabbed the board and was fouled. Marbra missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Arkansas got the rebound but threw up an air ball.
Ole Miss turned the ball over on its inbound pass and Arkansas again missed its shot but on the rebound with 3.7 seconds left, Marbra fouled and put Sarah Watkins on the line with Ole Miss leading 67-65. Watkins missed the first and intentionally missed the second. Valencia McFarland grabbed the board and went to the line for a 1-and-1 and she made them both with 2.7 second left as the Rebels won 69-65.
"I am elated that the kids didn't give up," head coach Renee Ladner said. "We asked them to play tough and through runs and stay together and they did."
With the win, Ole Miss improved to 9-9 overall (2-4 SEC) while No. 23/24 Arkansas fell to 15-4 overall (3-4 SEC).
The last time Ole Miss beat a ranked team was a 102-101 triple overtime win over No. 19/21 LSU on February 7, 2010.
Marbra recorded her second career double-double in the game with a career-high 12 points and 11 rebounds. McFarland scored 21 while Kayla Melson scored 17.
Arkansas jumped out to a 14-2 lead to start the game as Ole Miss made just one of its first eight shots from the floor. The Rebels used an 11-3 run to cut the lead to four, 17-13, with 10:50 to play.
A three from Valencia McFarland tied the game at 25-25 with 3:41 left in the half. The Razorbacks pushed their lead to six, 32-26, with 49 seconds left in the first half before Ole Miss closed the gap to 32-30 at the half.
McFarland led the Rebels at the half with 10 points while Courtney Marbra scored six and added a team-high five boards. Ole Miss shot 37.9 percent from the floor (11-of-29) while Arkansas shot 50 percent (12-of-24). A game removed from finishing 0-for-1 from the free throw line as a team at LSU, the Rebels were a perfect 5-for-5 from the line in the first half.
Ole Miss tied the game at 48-48 on a fast-break layup by Melson with 11:30 to play. Pa'Sonna Hope game the Rebels their first lead of the game, 50-48, on a jumper with 9:42 remaining.
McFarland put Ole Miss up 58-54 with 5:39 to play and extended the Rebel's lead to seven, 63-56, with 2:57 to play.
Ole Miss will host No. 19/19 Kentucky on Thursday at 8 p.m. The game will be televised by FSN.
