Rebels Return Home to Host Southeast Missouri

			OLE MISS (5-4, 0-0 SEC) vs. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (5-2, 0-0 OVC) Saturday, Dec. 14 • 5 p.m. • Oxford, Miss. The Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) Rebel Kids Club Day • Soul Tones Performance
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OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss women's basketball returns to the court after a short break for finals when it hosts Southeast Missouri for the nightcap of a doubleheader at The Pavilion on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT following the Ole Miss men's basketball game vs. Middle Tennessee at 2 p.m. CT.

PROMOTIONS
• Rebel Kids Club Day
• Soul Tones Performance

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (5-4, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (14-26) • 108-89 career record (7th Season)

Southeast Missouri Redhawks (5-2, 0-0 Ohio Valley)
Head Coach: Rekha Patterson • 5th Season at SEMO (60-67) • 60-67 career record (5th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Seth Austin
Color: Lindsay Roy

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: 105.1 FM
Audio: TuneIn
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty

SERIES NOTES vs. SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

Series History
Ole Miss leads, 3-0

Current Streak
Ole Miss, 3

First Meeting
Dec. 5, 1986
• W, 72-63, in Oxford

Last Meeting
Nov. 25, 2014
• W, 58-57, in Oxford
• Erika Sisk: steal with 0.9 seconds left
• Tia Faleru: GW shot as time expired

SCOUTING SOUTHEAST MISSOURI

Record
5-2, 0-0 Ohio Valley

Last Game
W, 79-65, vs. Southern Illinois
• Top Scorers: Tesia Thompson (16 points), Taelour Pruitt (15 points), Jocelyn Taylor (13 points), LaTrese Saine (12 points)
• 30-of-38 from the free throw line
• 47 points from the bench
• 20 points off turnovers

Notes
• Three averaging double digits: Carrie Shephard (18.9), Tesia Thompson (17.3), Taelour Pruitt (11.0)
• NCAA top-50 in: rebounds per game (10th, 45.6), offensive rebounds per game (23rd, 16.1), fewest turnovers (24th, 103), rebounding margin (36th, 8.6) and fewest fouls (50th, 123)
• Leads OVC in: fewest turnovers, rebounding margin, rebounds per game, fewest turnovers per game
• Carrie Shephard: ranks ninth in the NCAA, leads OVC in threes per game (3.4); also 38th NCAA in PPG (18.9)
• Shooting .393 as a team, .310 from three
• Out-rebounding opponents by an average of 45.6-37.0

TEAM NOTES

LAST TIME OUT (at Texas Tech)
The Ole Miss women's basketball team tried to slow down an electric Texas Tech offense but ultimately fell short, 84-48, in Lubbock on Dec. 4.

The Rebels (5-4) received a handful of solid individual performances, but could do little to impede a potent, multi-faceted attack from a Lady Raider (6-0) offense that entered ranked No. 4 nationally in shooting percentage and No. 8 in scoring offense.

"Just disappointed with our lack of fight and commitment to what we wanted to do defensively," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "I thought that if we didn't do that, what happened would happen. We can't score with people that can score, so we have to get stops and I don't think we did that tonight."

"They made shots and they got out in transition, and we didn't get back," McPhee-McCuin added. "So that was our game plan. We wanted to make them play in the half court. They just out-willed us for 40 minutes."

Texas Tech jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking the first quarter 25-13. The Lady Raiders rode advantages in shooting (47.4 to 35.5 percent), rebounds (50-32), points off turnovers (25-7), points in the paint (44-24) and points on the fastbreak (28-2) toward victory. Leading the way was Naismith Trophy Watch List member Brittany Brewer (22 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks), as well as Chrislyn Carr (17 points, seven rebounds, five assists), Alexis Tucker (17 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, four steals) and Sydney Goodson (14 points, six rebounds, six assists).

"We just didn't come to play and Texas Tech did," McPhee-McCuin said. "They are a high-powered offense and we are not. When you play a team that has a high-powered offense, you have to minimize the possessions and we didn't. I feel like they had double our possessions in the first half, so the game plan definitely just went to shreds. My team is young. We are in year two like Texas Tech, but they have a pro in Brittany Brewer and a freshman of the year returning and we don't. In order for us to be with teams like this, we have to be able to get stops and really dig deep, and I don't think we did that tonight."

Ole Miss was led by sophomore Taylor Smith, who recorded her third career double-digit game with 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Dominique Banks had another solid effort on the block for the Rebels, notching seven points, 12 rebounds and three blocks – her fifth game this year with at least three blocks and her second double-digit rebound game in the last three outings.

Other Rebel contributors included Valerie Nesbitt (nine points, three assists) and Jayla Alexander (eight points, three rebounds).

ALL-TIME VS. OHIO VALLEY SCHOOLS
Ole Miss has a 39-6 all-time edge against current Ohio Valley schools, which includes a winning record over seven schools and an even 1-1 record against UT Martin. In addition to a 3-0 record against Southeast Missouri, the Rebels hold those winning records over Austin Peay (5-0), Belmont (4-0), Jacksonville State (3-1), Murray State (5-0), Tennessee State (3-0) and Tennessee Tech (15-4).

SECOND-HALF HEROES
Ole Miss currently holds a +35 point advantage on the season, but that includes a +30 point advantage in the second half alone. The Rebels are currently outscoring opponents 333-303 in the back half, including 165-139 right out of the gates in the third quarter.

DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
The Rebel's have put an emphasis on defense as Ole Miss is yielding just 60.2 points per game through nine contests. Prior to an 84-48 loss to Texas Tech on Dec. 4, the Rebels opened the season holding six of its first eight opponentns to 60 points or fewer -- just the seventh such instance in school history. Furthermore, no Rebel opponent until Texas Tech eclipsed the 70-point threshold, the sixth time in program history that a Rebel team had done so through the first eight contests.

The Rebel defense put on a show against an electric Louisiana Tech offense on Nov. 23, holding the Lady Techsters to 53 points after they entered the game averaging 83.3 per contest. Ole Miss forced at least 29 turnovers in back-to-back games after forcing 29 against LA Tech and 31 against Sam Houston State -- the first instance of consecutive games with at least 29 since forcing 33 against McNeese State on Dec. 19, 2015 and 39 against Alabama A&M on Dec. 29. The 31 that the Rebel defense caused against Sam Houston stand as the most by Ole Miss since forcing 40 against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2016.

STEAL YO BALL
The Rebel defense have been masters of theft, recording 13 steals vs. Louisiana Tech and 15 against Sam Houston State. Ole Miss ranks seventh in the SEC in steals (8.4/game), and those two games mark the first consecutive games of at least 13 steals since notching 13 against Austin Peay on Dec. 20, 2016 and 24 vs. Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2016.

OFF THE LINE
Ole Miss has proved difficult to damage from distance, holding opponents to five or fewer three-pointers in eight of nine games this season and a season opponent clip of 29.4 percent. Just one Rebel opponent has shot better than 33 percent from distance, with Pitt shooting 41.2 on Nov. 30. In the Coach Yo era, three-point defense has been a point of emphasis, holding opponents to five threes or fewer in 25 of 40 games in her two seasons. Last season, Ole Miss held 17 opponents to 30 percent or less from three, including 12 that shot 25 percent or worse and four that haven't been able to break 20 percent. The year before, Ole Miss held opponents under 30 percent just 10 times all season.

VARIETY IN THE STARTING LINEUP
Ole Miss has used six different starting lineups in its first nine games of the 2019-20 season. In Coach Yo's first season with the Rebels, Ole Miss used 17 different starting lineups through 31 total games played.

OPTIONS IN THE SCORING COLUMN
Versatility has been the name of the game on offense, as five different Rebels have led Ole Miss in scoring this season after having just four unique top scorers throughout the entire 2018-19 season. Juniors Deja Cage and Valerie Nesbitt, as well as sophomore Taylor Smith, are the lone Rebels to have repeated, with Cage doing so three times and Nesbitt and Smith twice. Other top Rebel scorers include freshman Jayla Alexander vs. UNO (21) and junior Dominique Banks at Southern Miss (13).

BENCH COMING THROUGH
The Rebel bench has been active in the scoring department, out-scoring opponents in eight of nine games thus far for a season total of 213-110.

REBELS ATTACKING THE PAINT
Ole Miss has been active in attacking the rim and working the low post into the offense, as the Rebels have won the points in the paint battle six times this season. In 2018-19, Ole Miss did so only nine times all season. Currently, the Rebels are outscoring opponents in the paint by a total of 286-242.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

NESBITT STRONG IN SECOND HALF
Junior Valerie Nesbitt has risen as one of the top scoring threats for Ole Miss, but her prowess in the second half has been remarkable as well. Nesbitt averaged 17.0 points in two games at the Daytona Beach Invitational against Alcorn State and Pitt, with an impressive 13.5 points in the second half of those two games alone. On the season, Nesbitt is averaging 11.2 points overall and 6.9 points in the second half. She has five double digit games, including four of the last five.

NESBITT STUFFS THE STAT SHEET
Junior Valerie Nesbitt has been a force to reckon with on every side of the ball this season, averaging 11.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 3.1 assists. Stealing the ball has been her bread and butter, though, currently ranking second in the SEC and ranking 19th in the NCAA at her 3.3 steals per game average. Nesbitt had an all-around superb game against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 23, recording an incredible line of 12 points, eight assists, eight steals and six rebounds. Her eight steals rank as the most by any player in the SEC this season, as well as tied for No. 4 on the Ole Miss single-game list. Additionally, it is the first game in available records at Ole Miss in which a Rebel has recorded at least eight assists and eight steals in the same game. She is also one of just three in the NCAA this season to have recorded such a game alongside Norfolk State's Chanette Hicks (20 points, 14 assists, 11 steals vs. Virginia-Lynchburg, Nov. 14) and Texas Southern's Ciani Cryor (20 points, 9 assists, 8 steals vs. Rice, Dec. 7).

OH MY, SHE'S ON FIRE!
Junior Deja Cage has been a dynamic scorer for the Rebels, recording six different double-digit game through nine contests this season and standing as the top Ole Miss scorer in three contests. Her 13.8 points per game ranks 14th in the SEC. Cage has also been one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the league, ranking ninth in threes per game (1.9).

Cage lit the net on fire with a career-high 30-point performance on 10-of-18 shooting and 5-of-8 three-point shooting against Louisiana Tech, one of just seven 30-point games in the SEC this season. She is one of just four Rebels in the last five years to have recorded a 30-point game.

CLUTCH FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
Freshman and Pearl, Mississippi native Jayla Alexander has been money from the free throw line, currently standing with a 21-of-23 line. Alexander has been a key reserve off the bench, scoring all 79 of her points off the bench -- including 52 points in a four-game stretch from Nov. 15 to Nov. 26. Alexander went off against New Orleans, more than doubling her previous career high of 10 points with a 21-point outing against the Privateers. She followed that up with an 11-point performance at Southern Miss and a 13-point outing against Sam Houston State.

Alexander, the No. 1 rated recruit out of the state of Mississippi last year, has played at least 18 minutes in each game this season. Helping her against UNO was a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc.

COOKING WITH KITCHENS
Sophomore Iyanla Kitchens blossomed in a big way against ULM, recording her first double-double with career highs in points (10) and rebounds (10). Kitchens, who averaged 6.2 minutes per game her freshman season, is currently averaging 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds through nine games played in 2019-20.

SMITH IN SPOTLIGHT AS SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Taylor Smith emerged as a potent scoring threat for the Rebels after a career day against Mississippi Valley State. Smith, who entered this season with a career-high of nine points scored against Florida last season, doubled that with a demonstrative 18-point performance on 9-of-17 shooting. Smith started off a perfect 4-of-4 from the field thanks to a deadly mid-range jumper.

AIR IT OUT, TORRI!
Senior three-point specialist Torri Lewis picked up right where she left off two years ago, draining 3-of-5 from beyond the arc for 11 total points against MVSU to start the season. Lewis, who returned for her redshirt senior season at Ole Miss after sitting out last year due to the birth of her son, A.J., is a career 34 percent three-point shooter. In her career, 85.2 percent of all of her field goals have come from three-point distance.

In her career, Lewis owns 27 games with multiple threes -- hitting seven or more threes in a game twice. She knocked down a school-record 10 in a game vs. New Orleans as a freshman in 2015 (the third-most in a single-game in NCAA history), and during her junior year, she nailed seven against Alabama.

During that junior season, Lewis was on fire from downtown in the final month of the season, going 16-of-32 in a stretch from deep from Feb. 1-11. That season, 90 percent of her made field goals were three-pointers and 131 of her 150 attempts were from beyond the arc (87.3 percent).

MIMI DIRECTING TRAFFIC
Sophomore guard Mimi Reid returned to her role as the floor general for the Rebels, notching six assists against MVSU and New Orleans -- the 11th and 12th times in her young career she has recorded at least six in a game. Reid was unflappable in this role as a redshirt freshman in 2018-19, spearheading what was an efficient Rebel offensive attack. She was the only player in the SEC last year with separate games of 11+ assists (vs. Louisiana) and 11+ rebounds (vs. Western Michigan), and she led all SEC freshmen with 4.3 assists per game (sixth overall). Reid was also the most efficient shooter for the Rebels last season, knocking down a team-high 40.2 percent of her field goal tries.

DOM ON THE BLOCK
Junior transfer Dominique Banks has been a force to reckon with on the block, averaging 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks to go along with her 8.1 points per game average at the moment. Banks recently recorded her first career double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds vs. Alcorn State, the most boards by a Rebel since Bretta Hart hauled in 18 against Western Kentucky on Dec. 2, 2015. Additionally, she has recorded double-digit rebounds in two of her last three games after a 12-board outing at Texas Tech on Dec. 4.

Banks has started two games for the Rebels at the five position, and she currently ranks fifth in the SEC with her 2.5 blocks per game.

Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin

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Players Mentioned

Jayla Alexander

Dominique Banks

Deja Cage

Iyanla Kitchens

Torri Lewis

Mimi Reid

Taylor Smith

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