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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
10-11, 2-6SEC
Missouri
18-4, 5-4SEC
Ole Miss Comes Up Short Against No. 22 Missouri
1/31/2016 | Women's Basketball
Box Score | Press Conference | Photo Gallery
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's basketball team (10-11, 2-6 SEC) battled with the No. 22 Missouri Tigers on Sunday afternoon but couldn't find a way to pick up the win falling 60-46 to the Tigers. Sophomores Shandricka Sessom (Byhalia Miss.) and A'Queen Hayes (Horn Lake, Miss.) led the way with 15 points while Hayes has a team-best eight rebounds.
Trailing 43-34 entering the fourth quarter Missouri pushed its lead to 13 points with back-to-back buckets from Jordan Frericks before a triple from Shequila Joseph (London, England) and a jumper from Sessom cut the lead to six points, but a 7-2 run from the Tigers put them back in double figures, where they would remain for the rest of the contest.
Missouri came out strong out of the break, forcing an Ole Miss turnover and scoring a triple on their first possession to take their first lead of the game since the opening minutes, but Torri Lewis (Olive Branch, Miss.) responded with a trey of her own but Mizzou took a 28-24 lead on a bucket and shots from a technical foul at the 7:37 mark.
The game was never more than a two-possession game through the majority of the first three quarters before a 7-1 run from Missouri gave them a 43-34 lead entering the fourth and final quarter.
Ole Miss started the game with stellar defense forcing the visiting Tigers to play faster than they are accustomed but it was a tight game through the first five minutes as Ole Miss held a 10-8 lead at the first media timeout. The Rebels were helped by six early Missouri turnovers, which they turned into four points on the other end en route to a16-14 first quarter lead behind eight points from Hayes.
The second quarter was a low scoring affair for both teams as the teams combined for just points, midway through the period before a bucket from Kelsey Briggs (Memphis, Tenn.) ended Ole Miss' nearly six -minute scoring drought, but both team only combined for a mere seven points as the Rebels took a slim 19-18 lead at halftime.
From The Head Coach
On what sticks out…
"I hurt for our players. They played extremely hard and just had one of those days offensively. I would have bet my paycheck that Torri Lewis and Shandricka Sessom wouldn't have gone 2-of-16 from three. They played really well defensively; we held one of the best scoring teams in the league and a top-25 team in the country to 60 points. We just have to make shots, and that's where I hurt for them because those are two kids that really work."
On the difficult stretch...
"We had a stretch of six games that's unheard of, but that's part of playing in this league. We started this stretch getting beat by 20 or 25 not showing a lot of life, but we've ended it a different basketball team with a of life and excitement."
On the next couple of games...
"Alabama, Auburn, Georgia are all good. They're still in the SEC. They're records are down with us, but they're good basketball teams. We have two on the road so we'll have to get ready. The stretch there in terms of helping us helped us grow up. We've grown up a lot and matured, but they're in their upset because they work so hard. I hurt for them because they know if they hit a few more shots it would've made a difference in the game. We have to just keep working and keep pushing and we can beat any team in this league."
Rebel Sidelines
-Today's game concludes a six-game stretch in which the Rebels have faced a ranked opponent. Ole Miss is 1-5 in that stretch with a win over then-No. 9 Kentucky (Jan. 18)
- Missouri leads the all-time series 5-1 after their win today and has won each of the last five games.
-Shandricka Sessom picked up her fifth consecutive game in double figures with her 15 points. She has been in double figures in 19 of 22 games this season.
-A'Queen Hayes reached double figures for the third time this season with 15 points, which included eight in the first quarter.
-Kelsey Briggs saw her first action in four games in this afternoon's contest. She had two points and three rebounds.
-Both teams combined for seven points in the second quarter. Ole Miss' 3 points in the second quarter was a season low, the previous low was five at Middle Tennessee.
Up Next
The Rebels will hit the road to take on Alabama on Thursday. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT tip and fans can catch the game on SEC Network+. Rebels in the Oxford, Lafayette area can hear Graham Doty and Armintie Herrington on the call on 105.1/105.5 in Oxford/Batesville and on OleMissSports.com
Next Five Games
2/4/16-at Alabama 6 p.m. SEC Network+
2/7/16-at Georgia 1 p.m. SEC Network+
2/11/16- vs. Auburn 6 p.m. SEC Network+
2/15/16 - vs. Texas A&M 6 p.m. SEC Network
2/18/16- at Tennessee 6 p.m. SEC Network+
Keep Up With the Rebels
Keep up to date with the Ole Miss women's basketball team throughout the season on social media. For all Ole Miss women's basketball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com, and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. Fans can also follow Ole Miss women's basketball head coach Matt Insell on Twitter at @minsell. Additionally fans can get a behind the scenes look at Ole Miss Athletics on Snapchat under the handle, @WeAreOleMiss.
