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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
5-1
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
0-5
Rebels Win Fourth In Row, Beat UAPB, 83-52
11/29/2011 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's basketball team used a balanced effort Tuesday night to win its fourth game in a row, beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff 83-52.
Ole Miss improved to 5-1 with the win, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff fell to 0-5.
With the win, Ole Miss won its fourth-straight game. Ole Miss off to a 5-1 start to the year which is the third-best start under Ladner. The 2008-09 team started 7-0 while the 2009-10 team started 6-1.
Nikki Byrd recorded her fourth consecutive double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, marking the first time since Armintie Price in 2007 that an Ole Miss player recorded four consecutive double-doubles. Byrd entered the game fourth in the nation in rebounding averaging, 12.1 boards per game.
Valencia McFarland scored a team-best 18 points and seven assists while Whitney Hameth recorded 14 points and six boards.
"What I am ecstatic about is that Nikki is demanding the basketball," head coach Renee Ladner said. "The best thing that happened to me tonight was Nikki went across the paint, they wouldn't give her the ball and she had a look on her face like 'give me the ball.' And that is big for me and it's big for Nikki."
Ole Miss jumped out to an eight-point lead, 12-4, on a jumper from Whitney Hameth with 16:16 left in the first half.
The Rebels held the Golden Lions scoreless for spans of 6:51 and 4:14 during the first half. Hameth gave Ole Miss a 28-point lead on a three-point play with 2:50 left in the half.
Ole Miss led, 45-23, at the half. Valencia McFarland and Hameth led the Rebels with 10 points each in the half. As a team, the Rebels recorded 13 steals and 11 assists.
In the second half, a three from McFarland extended Ole Miss' lead to 24, 57-33, with just over 12 minutes to play.
With Jasmine Trotter's layup in the second half, every Ole Miss player who saw time scored for the Rebels. Amber Singletary recorded a career-high six steals. As a team, Ole Miss shot 39.5 percent (30-76) from the floor and recorded 59 rebounds.
Ole Miss will host Grambling State Saturday at 2 p.m.
