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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
10-14, 2-9SEC
Auburn
17-8, 7-5SEC
Auburn Outlasts Rebels at The Pavilion
2/11/2016 | Women's Basketball
Box Score 
| Press Conference | Photo Gallery
OXFORD, Miss. - A'Queen Hayes (Horn Lake, Miss.) posted a career-high 17 points but the Ole Miss women's basketball team (10-14, 2-9 SEC) couldn't close the game out down the stretch falling to Auburn, 65-60 on Thursday night.
Joining Hayes in double figures was Madinah Muhammad (Chicago, Ill.) with 11 points for her second consecutive game in double figures and her eighth game in double digits this season. Shequila Joseph (London, England) added nine points and a team-best seven rebounds while Erika Sisk (Oxford, Miss.) added seven assists in the loss.
Ole Miss held a 12-point lead with 5:43 left in the third quarter, but Auburn (17-8, 7-5 SEC) used a 20-point fourth quarter to pull out the come-from-behind victory. Heading into the fourth quarter, Ole Miss led 52-45, but Auburn opened the quarter with five unanswered to tie the game at 52 at the 8:15 mark and from that point the score see-sawed back-and-forth. Auburn took a 59-56 lead at the 4:42 mark but a layup from Bretta Hart (Poplarville, Miss.) got the Rebels as close as a bucket with 1:49 left but Auburn went 4-of-4 down the stretch to get the win.
Auburn jumped out to a 5-0 lead but five straight points from Shequila Joseph (London, England) tied the game up and from that point the lead see-sawed between both teams with neither team taking more than a two-point lead until just before the end of the first period when Ole Miss used a 7-2 run to take a 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. Hayes continued her hot play as off late, with four early points but more importantly cashing the boards and causing havoc on the defensive end. Muhammad and Torri Lewis (Olive Branch, Miss.) hit two big triples at the end of the quarter to help the home team pull ahead.
The Rebels kept the momentum going on both ends of the floor as Ole Miss held the Tigers to 12 points in the second quarter while pulling ahead 25-17 at the second quarter media timeout. Out of the timeout, the Rebels forced a turnover and went down and scored on the other end, pushing their lead to 10-points, 27-17, - the largest lead of the game. Auburn stated to cut back into the Ole Miss lead at the second quarter to get as close as 30-27 at halftime.
From The Head Coach
On the loss...
"Our kids played hard. They played extremely hard but we get in a rut in every game where we have a quarter that we just don't score. We do it every game. We had a lead, with control of everything and got our go-to player wide open jump shots and couldn't make them. That's all it boils down to."
On the effort...
"Queen Hayes played her butt off. Erika Sisk played her butt off. The kids played hard, we just go through lulls and you have to have a go to player. When you score eight points in the quarter and you get your go-to player shots and they miss them it kills you."
On the struggles...
"We just have to bring the effort and keep playing. Auburns 7-5 in the league and has some good wins, but it's like this every game for us. We are having phenomenal games and are close to breaking through and getting some big wins and getting on a streak. It's like we have to take that one more step and we're not doing it."
On how to fix it…
"Our staff is up at all hours of the night trying to figure it out. We are trying to find that thing that will help us win the game and win the next one. We'll be up tonight until at least four in the morning trying to figure out what we can do because we are this close.
On the positives…
"We have an Erika Sisk who gives us everything that she has, but it's a hard game for her because she's not an outside shooter and they crowd the lane. Queen Hayes had 17 points and three rebounds and battled her butt off. Madinah Muhammad, a freshman, is going to be a big time player in this league because she wants the shot. I'm excited about her and I'm glad she wanted that shot (at the end of the game) tonight. We'll improve from this and get better than this because we are really close to breaking through and that's the frustrating part. This is the most frustrated I have ever been because I know this team is so close to breaking through. Eight points in the fourth quarter just isn't going to get it done, and it's every single game."
Rebel Sidelines
-Auburn leads the all-time series, 33-25 and the teams have split the last four meetings.
-Madinah Muhammad picked up her eighth game in double figures with 15 points and her second straight game with double digits.
-A'Queen Hayes posted a career-high 17 points for her fourth game in double figures and her second in the last four games.
-Torri Lewis extended her three-point field goal streak to six straight games with a three-pointer made.
Up Next
The Rebels will stay home as they host No. 13/11 Texas A&M on Monday at 6 pm CT on SEC Network. Former Ole Miss player and head coach, Carol Ross will be joined by Brenda VanLengen on the call. 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
2/15/16 - vs. Texas A&M 6 p.m. SEC Network
2/18/16- at Tennessee 6 p.m. SEC Network+
2/21/16- vs. Mississippi State* 4 p.m. ESPN2
2/25/16- vs. South Carolina 8 p.m. SEC Network&
2/28/16- at Arkansas 3 p.m. SEC Network
*Play4Kay/Tickled Pink at The Pavilion Game
&- SEC Network Whiparound coverage
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.
