Rebels Face Primetime Ranked Test at No. 11 Texas A&M

			OLE MISS (7-7, 0-1 SEC) at #11 TEXAS A&M (13-1, 1-0 SEC) Monday, Jan. 6 • 6 p.m. • College Station, Texas Reed Arena (12,989)
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Ole Miss women's basketball hits the road for the first time in SEC play when it travels to No. 11 Texas A&M for a ranked showdown on primetime television Monday night. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (7-7, 0-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 2nd Season at Ole Miss (16-29) • 110-92 career record (7th Season)

#11 Texas A&M Aggies (13-1, 1-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Gary Blair • 17th Season at Texas A&M (396-160) • 804-323 career record (35th season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network
Play-by-Play: Brenda VanLengen
Color: Christy Thomaskutty

OLE MISS RADIO

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

SERIES AT A GLANCE
At Oxford: A&M leads, 3-1
At College Station: A&M leads, 4-0
At Neutral Sites: Tied, 1-1
Longest UM Streak: 1 (1997-2012; 2017)
Longest A&M Streak: 5 (2013-2017)
Most UM Points: 82 (12/20/97 - at Anchorage, Ak.)
Most A&M Points: 83 (2/8/18 - at College Station)
Last 10 Meetings: Texas A&M leads 8-2

SERIES NOTES vs. TEXAS A&M

Series History
Texas A&M leads, 8-2

Current Streak
Texas A&M, 2

First Meeting
Dec. 18, 1995
• L, 75-60, in Las Cruces
• Part of L'eggs Classic at New Mexico State

First SEC Meeting
Feb. 21, 2013
• L, 82-53, in College Station

Last Meeting
Feb. 3, 2019
• L, 72-60, in Oxford
• A&M ranked No. 20
• Ole Miss led 37-34 at halftime
• Mimi Reid: 6 points, 6 assists
• Chennedy Carter: 28 points, 14-of-17 FT
• Held Carter scoreless for first 13:27
• Kayla Wells: 17 points
• Ciera Johnson: 13 points, 8 rebounds
• Held Texas A&M to 1-of-9 from 3PT

Last Time in College Station
Feb. 8, 2018
• L, 83-54, in College Station

Last Win
Feb. 26, 2017
• W, 62-49, in Oxford

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M

Record
13-1, 1-0 SEC

National Rankings
AP Ranking: No. 11
Coaches Ranking: No. 12

Last Game
W, 84-77, at No. 20 Arkansas
• Four in double-digits: Chennedy Carter (28), N'Dea Jones (22), Kayla Wells (15), Ciera Johnson (11)
• Shot 50 percent overall, 46.2 from three
• Out-rebounded Arkansas 45-29
• Two double-digit rebound performances from Jones (14) and Johnson (10)

Notes
• RPI: 7
• Shooting .456 as a team, yielding .371
• Shooting .316 from three, allowing .295
• Out-rebounding teams 43.9-32.1 (+11.7)
• Outscoring foes 73.6-56.8 (+16.8)
• Ranks in the NCAA top-50 in: rebounding margin (12th, +11.7), total rebounds (12th, 614), rebounds per game (24th, 43.9), fewest fouls per game (25th, 14.1), shooting (28th, .456), total assists (30th, 222), scoring margin (31st, +16.8), assist-turnover ratio (36th, 1.2), scoring defense (43rd, 56.8 PPG) and assists per game (48th, 15.9)

Players to Watch

#3 Chennedy Carter • Junior
• 23.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.9 SPG
• .457 FG, .703 FT
• Leads NCAA in: total points (325), field goals made (133), field goal attempts (291)
• Also leads SEC and ranks 5th in the NCAA in points per game (23.2)
• 5th SEC in minutes (32.1/game)
• Career vs. Ole Miss (2 games): 54 points (27.0/game), 17-of-37 FG (.459), 3-of-8 3PT (.375), 17-of-20 FT (.850), 10 assists (5.0/game), 6 steals (3.0/game)

#11 Kayla Wells • Junior
• 12.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.6 APG
• .457 FG, .440 3PT, .756 FT
• 1.6 threes/game
• Career vs. Ole Miss (2 games): 19 points (9.5 PPG), 8 rebounds (4.0/game), 2 assists (1.0/game), 2 steals (1.0/game), 8-of-20 FG (.400)

#40 Ciera Johnson • Junior
• 12.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG
• .561 FG, .775 FT
• 5th SEC, 41st NCAA in shooting (.561)
• 10th SEC in rebounding (7.2/game)

LAST TIME OUT (vs. Georgia)
Ole Miss women's basketball fought hard until the end, but a 9-0 fourth quarter run propelled Georgia to a 58-51 win over the Rebels at The Pavilion on Jan. 2 to open SEC play.

"Tough one tonight," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "We had three keys this game: focus on boxing out and rebounding, play hard and leave everything out on the floor, and have positive touches, positive body language and a united front. I thought that we hit those three keys today."

Both teams came with unbridled energy right out of the gate, as the squads traded runs in a blinding first quarter of action. Ole Miss (7-7, 0-1 SEC) took charge immediately, going on a 7-0 run to start the game, but Georgia (10-4, 1-0 SEC) responded with a 13-0 run of their own to settle in. The Rebels did not falter, though, closing the frame on an 8-0 run thanks to timely three-point shooting to take a 15-13 lead by the quarter's end thanks to a buzzer-beater three by Deja Cage (14 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal, 3-of-8 3PT).

Ole Miss shot 3-of-6 from three-point distance in that first quarter, but would only shoot 3-of-14 the remainder of the game as both teams settled in for a defensive bout. The Rebels caught another momentum-swinging buzzer-beater to end the first half from Taylor Smith, giving Ole Miss a 28-27 lead at the break. Defense was the name of the game in the third quarter as both teams shot a combined 8-of-28 (.286) from the field, but it was the fourth quarter where the Lady Bulldogs were able to break away.

A Valerie Nesbitt (15 points, four rebounds, three steals) layup with 7:16 to play would be the last Rebel points for nearly four minutes of the final frame as Georgia went on a 9-0 run to separate for good. The key moment of this run came not much later at 6:20 when Georgia's Stephanie Paul (18 points, three rebounds) converted an and-one on a foul in the lane. Paul, who led all scorers on Thursday night, poured in 14 of her 18 points in the second half.

Nesbitt led the Rebels with her 15 points, her ninth double-digit game of the season. Cage's 14 points stand as her ninth in double figures as well, and freshman Jayla Alexander contributed eight points and three assists in her third career start.

Ole Miss was ferocious on defense, forcing 11 steals on the night – the fifth time this year that the Rebels have eclipsed double-digit steals. Three Rebels recorded at least three, including Nesbitt, who leads the SEC in steals. Others recording three as career-highs in steals were sophomore Iyanla Kitchens (6 points four rebounds, three steals) and junior Dominique Banks (five rebounds, three steals, one block, one assist).

"We kept them off-balance," McPhee-McCuin said. "We kept changing up our defense. I thought that caused them some problems. We have some deficiencies with our size, and so we kept changing it up on them and I thought that made them uncomfortable. We have to scheme and over-prepare, and I thought we did a good job keeping them at bay."

Ole Miss now hits the road for a contest on primetime television when it travels to No. 11 Texas A&M (13-1, 1-0 SEC) on Monday (Jan. 6), with tipoff set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

"A lot we can learn from," McPhee-McCuin said. "We're going to have to continue to fight and be gritty and build towards what we want. But, I was pleased with our effort and I thought we had opportunities to win, we just didn't make plays and they did."

REBEL CAREERS VS. TEXAS A&M

Torri Lewis • 3 Games
• 5.7 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 16.3 MPG
• Best performance: 17 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 4-of-9 3PT (at Texas A&M, Feb. 8, 2018)

Mimi Reid • 1 Game (02-03-19)
• 6 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals

Taylor Smith • 1 Game (02-03-19)
• 2 rebounds, 1 assist

Iyanla Kitchens • 1 Game (02-03-19)
• 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal

TEAM NOTES

DAUNTING SCHEDULE AHEAD
Ole Miss not only faces the yearly gauntlet of SEC season now, but it also is going up against a slate of some of the naton's best squads. Nine of the SEC's 14 teams currently reside in the NCAA RPI top-100, with Texas A&M second among them at No. 7 and a 13-1 record.

Ole Miss holds the nation's 42nd-toughest future schedule according the the NCAA's strength of schedule rankings.

OLE MISS IN SEC ROAD OPENERS
Ole Miss enters Monday at 13-24 all-time in SEC road openers, with its last road opening win coming at Auburn on Jan. 4, 2007 (74-66). The Rebels have never met Texas A&M in any SEC opener, whether it is an overall one or an opener on the road or at home.

DEADLY FROM DISTANCE
Ole Miss has found a sweet spot lately from beyond the arc, currently ranking sixth in the SEC in three-point shooting at a season percentage of 32.8 and seventh in threes per game at an average of 5.4. After going 9-of-41 (.220) over a three-game stretch from Nov. 29 to Dec. 4, the Rebels have ripped off a 37-of-101 (.366) clip in the last five games, led by a season-best 12-of-20 (.600) outing against Alabama State on Dec. 28.

OFF THE LINE
Ole Miss has proved difficult to damage from distance, ranking fifth in the SEC and 35th in the NCAA at an opposing three-point percentage of 26.3 while holding opponents to five or fewer three-pointers in 12 of 14 games this season. Just one Rebel opponent has shot better than 33 percent from distance, with Pitt shooting 41.2 on Nov. 30. Recently, the Rebel defense held Louisiana to a season-low 1-of-10 clip from the three-point line, the third time in the last two seasons that Ole Miss has held an opposing team to one three-point field goal. Ole Miss is among just three SEC schools to rank in the top-six of both three-point shooting and defense this year.

In the Coach Yo era, three-point defense has been a point of emphasis, holding opponents to five threes or fewer in 29 of 45 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 11 different starting lineups in its first 14 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.

STEAL YO BALL
The Rebel defense have been masters of theft, recording double-digit steals in five games this season after having done so only three times during the entire 2018-19 season and five times throughout 2017-18. The Rebel defense has racked up 10+ steals in each of its last two games, and has eclipsed 13 steals three times this season -- including in back-to-back games against Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston State, the first such instance since notching 13 against Austin Peay on Dec. 20, 2016 and 24 vs. Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2016. Ole Miss has only recorded double-digit steals in consecutive SEC games once since 2013 during the 2017-18 season.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION VS. ALABAMA ST.
The Rebels put together an impressive offensive performance against Alabama State on Dec. 28, with their 93 points standing as the most by an Ole Miss team since notching 96 against Troy on Nov. 21, 2017. That was just the beginning of the notes for the Rebels, who scored a season-high quarter total twice with 31 in the third and 29 in the fourth, while also recording a season-high 12 three-pointers and 24 assists -- the most by an Ole Miss team in both categories since Dec. 28, 2018 vs. North Florida.

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
Ole Miss had six double-digit scorers in the big 93-66 win over Alabama State on Dec. 28, the most since seven Rebels eclipsed double digits against Winston-Salem State more than 10 years ago on Dec. 20, 2009 (W, 101-46). Since that game in 2009, Ole Miss has recorded at least five double-digit scorers in 10 games, and have only done so in consecutive games once in back-to-back outings against Mississippi State on Jan. 21, 2010 (W, 66-58) and at No. 8 Georgia on Jan. 24, 2010 (W, 66-65). Ole Miss is 9-1 in those games in that span, with the only loss coming at No. 9 Baylor on Dec. 18, 2013 (L, 87-80).

FIRST HALF SUCCESS = WINS
Ole Miss has found its way into the win columns more times than not when having a strong first half effort. The Rebels are 7-1 when leading at the break, with their lone loss coming just this past Thursday against Georgia after holding a 28-27 halftime lead. Likewise, Ole Miss is 0-6 when trailing at halftime.

PUT IT ON THE BOARD!
The Rebels are currently undefeated when eclipsing the 70-point threshold this season, standing at 5-0 in such games. The Rebels won three in a row while breaking 70 points from Nov. 23-29 in wins against Louisiana Tech (76-53), Sam Houston State (75-69) and Alcorn State (73-55) with an average win margin of +15.7 in those games. Ole Miss scored a season-high 93 points in the non-conference closer vs. Alabama State, the most by a Rebel team since 2017.

OFF THE GLASS
When the Rebels work the glass effectively it has worked out in the end, as Ole Miss stands at 5-1 when tying or out-rebounding opponents this season. On the year, Ole Miss has had two games with a rebounding margin of +20 against ULM (43-23) and Alcorn State (52-32).

OPTIONS IN THE SCORING COLUMN
Versatility has been the name of the game on offense, as six 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 Nesbitt doing so five times, Cage four times and Smith twice. Other top Rebel scorers include freshman Jayla Alexander vs. UNO (21), junior Dominique Banks at Southern Miss (13) and senior Torri Lewis vs. Louisiana (11).

BENCH COMING THROUGH
The Rebel bench has been active in the scoring department, out-scoring opponents in 11 of 13 games thus far for a season total of 323-188.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

REBELS PICK UP REBOUNDING SLACK
Since the season-ending injury to freshman and leading rebounder Sarah Dumitrescu on Nov. 26 vs. Sam Houston State, several different Rebels have had to pick up the rebounding slack left behind. Dumitrescu was averaging 7.3 boards per game at the time, which has resulted in large increases in rebounds for guards Deja Cage (+2.5 per game) and Valerie Nesbitt (+2.1 per game).

AIR IT OUT, TORRI!
Senior three-point specialist Torri Lewis has picked up right where she left off two years ago, returning for the Rebels as a key weapon from deep. 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 34.4 percent three-point shooter. In her career, 85.9 percent of all of her field goals have come from three-point distance.

Lewis has found her hot hand as of late, shooting a combined 11-of-28 (.393) from three-point distance in three games from Dec. 16-28, knocking down at least three treys in each game and hitting four twice against Georgia Southern on Dec. 16 and Alabama State on Dec. 28. Lewis currently ranks ninth in the SEC with 1.7 threes per game.

In her career, Lewis owns 30 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).

BANKS WITH THE REJECTION
Junior Dominique Banks is on pace for a historical season defensively. At her current average of 2.8 blocks per game, she is on pace to nearly break the Ole Miss single-season record in blocks with 81. Banks is currently the NCAA's 14th-best in blocks per game and No. 10 overall in total blocks (39).

1. Promise Taylor - 82 ('17-18, 31 games)
2. Shawn Goff - 67 ('07-08, 29 games)
3. Shawn Goff - 60 ('08-09, 30 games)
4. Susan Byrd - 60 ('93-94, 33 games)
5. Susan Byrd - 59 ('92-93, 28 games)

Furthermore, her eight blocks against Georgia Southern on Dec. 16 stand as the second-most in a game at Ole Miss, as well as the sixth-most in the NCAA this season. Banks has had at least four blocks in three games and at least three blocks in seven contests. She has had multiple blocks in all but three games, and she has yet to go a game this season without recording a single rejection.

DOM ON THE BLOCK
Junior Dominique Banks has been a force to reckon with on the block, averaging 6.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks to go along with her 6.5 points per game average. Banks 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.

Banks has started five games for the Rebels at the five position, and she currently ranks second in the SEC with her 2.8 blocks per game and 13th at 6.9 rebounds.

OH MY, SHE'S ON FIRE!
Junior Deja Cage has been a dynamic scorer for the Rebels, recording nine different double-digit games through 14 contests this season and standing as the top Ole Miss scorer in four. Cage has also been one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the league, ranking fourth in threes per game (2.1).

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 eight 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.

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 has scored at least 12 points in eight of her last 10 games, averaging 13.6 points per game in that stretch.

Nesbitt has been a force in the second half in her last eight games, though, averaging 8.2 points in the back half in that stretch. This run began after 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. On the season, Nesbitt is averaging 11.9 points overall and 7.2 points in the second half.

NESBITT STUFFS THE STAT SHEET
Junior Valerie Nesbitt has been a jack of all trades on every side of the ball this season, averaging 11.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 3.4 assists. Stealing the ball has been her bread and butter, though, currently leading the SEC and ranking 16th in the NCAA at her 3.2 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).

NESBITT ON PACE
Junior Valerie Nesbitt's propensity to steal the ball has put her into an elite class of Rebel defenders. At her average of 3.2 steals per game, Nesbitt is on pace to finish the regular season with 93 steals, which would rank sixth on the Ole Miss single-season list.

1. Carol Ross - 135 ('79-80, 37 games)
2. Armintie Price - 131 ('06-07, 35 games)
3. Armintie Price - 104 ('05-06, 31 games)
4. Glenda Springfield - 98 ('78-79, 39 games)
5. Alisa Scott - 95 ('84-85, 32 games)

MIMI DIRECTING TRAFFIC
Sophomore guard Mimi Reid has returned to her role as the floor general for the Rebels, leading Ole Miss in assists six times this year and recording at least five assists five times. Reid had an incredible day against Alabama State, recording her second career double-double with a career-high 16 points and 10 assists -- the latter of which ties for the second-most assists in the SEC this season. That game marks the third time this year Reid eclipsed six assists in a game, giving her 13 such games already in her young career.

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.

CLUTCH FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
Freshman and Pearl, Mississippi native Jayla Alexander has been money from the free throw line, currently leading Ole Miss in free throws (31) and percentage (.886).

Alexander has been a key reserve off the bench, scoring 101 of her 119 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 on a 5-of-8 clip from beyond the arc. 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, currently ranking second among SEC freshman at 28.6 minutes per game.

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 4.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game through 14 games and nine starts in 2019-20.

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

Sarah Dumitrescu

Iyanla Kitchens

Torri Lewis

Mimi Reid

Taylor Smith

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