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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
5-1
UNLV
5-0
Rebels Drop Heartbreaker in Las Vegas
11/27/2016 | Women's Basketball
Boxscore 
LAS VEGAS - The Ole Miss women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker in the championship of the Lady Rebel Round-Up, 65-57, to host UNLV. The loss was the first of the season for the Rebels and moves them to 5-1 on the year, which is the best start to the Matt Insell era.
Ole Miss (5-1) led for 15:50 of the contest but went cold in the third quarter, scoring just nine points allowing the home team to get back in the game and take a 48-42 lead, which they wouldn't let for of for the remainder of the contest. For the second straight contest, Madinah Muhammad (Chicago, Ill.) posted a new career-high with 24 points. Muhammad is the first Rebel to record back-to-back 20-point games this season. Shandricka Sessom (Byhalia Miss.) led the rebounding efforts with six rebounds.
Ole Miss outshot UNLV 40 percent (21-of-52) to 35 percent (18-of-51), but the host team won the battle of the boards, 42-28.
Leading at the break for the fifth time this season, Ole Miss jumped out to a 38-33 lead courtesy of the trey out of the gates from Sessom her first triple of the night. The home team wouldn't go quietly as they fought back and made it a two-possession game midway through and from that point it was a back-and-forth affair. Ole Miss went through a 3:24 scoring drought in the third quarter as the home team pulled took a 53-44 lead with 4:21 left in the contest, which proved to be the difference maker.
The first quarter started slow as neither team could get much going, but Muhammad was again on fire for Ole Miss with six of the Rebels first eight points as they took a 8-6 lead at the first media timeout.
Ole Miss used the momentum on the defensive end with a trey at the end of the quarter from Muhammad took an 11-16 lead.
The second quarter was close as a quarter could be in the game of basketball. The teams were tied at 18 for nearly three minutes and Ole Miss went cold from the floor, recording just two buckets in the first five minutes of the quarter. Both teams got after it in the second half of the quarter, as Ole Miss posted 13 points last in the quarter, including treys from Muhammad and Torri Lewis (Olive Branch, Miss.) to take a 33-31 lead at halftime.
Ole Miss shot 55 percent in the first half (12-of-22) and the first half featured seven ties and four leads changes.
Rebel Sidelines
-UNLV takes a 2-1 lead in the series with the win today.
-Erika Sisk is five points from her 1,000th career point.
-Ole Miss is one win away from its 800th program win. Ole Miss will be of six SEC school to reach the 800th program win milestone.
-The Rebels had an issue with their bus so instead of taking a charter bus to the game; Ole Miss arrived to the gym via limousine. #OnlyInVegas
-Today's game was Ole Miss first true road game. Including today's game, Ole Miss will play two of its next three away from Oxford.
-Madinah Muhammad posted her second consecutive game of 20+ points with a career-best points. She's the first Rebel to record back-to-back 20-point games this season.
Up Next
Ole Miss will return back to Oxford for the 14th annual Kids Game on Thursday vs. Jackson State. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:00 AM CT. For ticket information go to OleMissTix.com or call the Ole Miss Ticket Office at 1-888-REB-TKTS (732-8587).
Next Five Games
Dec. 1 - vs. Jackson State@ 11 AM
Dec. 4 - at West Virginia# 3 PM
Dec. 10 - vs. Louisiana Monroe 1 PM
Dec. 14 - vs. Oregon 6 PM
Dec. 17 - vs. VCU 1 PM
@-14th Annual Kids Game
#-SEC/Big 12 Challenge
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 on Instagram at Ole MissWBB and on Snapchat with the handle @OleMissWBB. Fans can also follow Ole Miss women's basketball head coach Matt Insell on Twitter at @minsell.
