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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Samford
Rebels Return Home to Host Samford Friday
12/16/2021 | Women's Basketball
Ole Miss Looks to Pick Up 10th Straight Victory
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OLE MISS (9-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. SAMFORD (4-7, 0-0 SoCon) Friday, December 17 • 1:00 p.m. CT • Oxford, Miss. SJB Pavilion  |
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Watch • Live Stats • Listen • Tickets
Ole Miss Game Notes • SEC Game Notes |
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OXFORD, Miss. – After a two-game road stretch, Ole Miss women's basketball returns home to the SJB Pavilion for its final home non-conference game against Samford. The Rebels will face off against the Bulldogs at 1 p.m. CT Friday on SEC Network +.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (9-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 4th Season at Ole Miss (40-58) • 134-121 career record (9th Season)
Samford (4-7, 0-0 SoCon)
Head Coach: Carley Kuhns • 3rd Season at Samford (36-32) • 102-61 career record (6th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play-by-Play: Will Kollmeyer
Analyst: John Stroud
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES NOTES
SERIES HISTORY vs. SAMFORD
The Rebels and Bulldogs meet again after last spring's tilt in the first round of the WNIT in Memphis. The series is tied at 1-1 apiece, with Ole Miss claiming last season's victory 64-45.
Shakira Austin dropped 23 points against the Bulldogs and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Donnetta Johnson contributed 10 points as well as four rebounds.
Samford claimed the first meeting in 2010, with a 66-65 victory over the Rebels in Birmingham. The matchup Friday is the first in the series in Oxford.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Samford enters the matchup with a record of 4-7 after coming off of a 77-68 victory againsts UAB this past Sunday.
The Bulldogs have yet to pick up a win on the road this season, heading into Oxford with an 0-5 record away from Birmingham.
Against Power Five opponents then No. 9 Iowa and Colorado, Samford has been outscored by an average of 35 points.
The Bulldogs are led by Andrea Cournoyer, who is currently averaging 17.1 points per game. The junior scored a season-high 27 points against UAB, and is currently shooting 41.0 percent from the field.
AGAINST THE SOCON
Ole Miss is 13-5 all-time against opponents from the Southern Conference, with its last win coming against Samford in the opening round of the 2021 WNIT.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite a slow start, Ole Miss shook off the rust from it's longest break to date during the non-conference slate to pick up its ninth straight win in a 59-37 victory at Hofstra.
Led by Shakira Austin with 18 points, the Rebels held their seventh opponent this season under 50 points and kept The Pride to shooting 28.6 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Off the bench, Andeija Puckett scored a season-high nine points and blocked two shots.
STAYING HOT
Ole Miss is riding its longest winning streak since 2000 when Ole Miss started off 11-0, as the Rebels have won the last nine in a row.
This sets the longest streak of McPhee-McCuin's career, and her longest at Ole Miss.
As of Dec. 16, Ole Miss is only one of nine teams in the nation to win their last nine or more games.
BLOCK PARTY QUEEN
With her first two of three blocks at Hofstra, Shakira Austin eclipsed the 200 career block mark.
Austin currently ranks second in the SEC with a total of 201 blocks throughout her four year career.
DEFENSE > OFFENSE
The Rebels continue to slow down their opponents at a record pace, as 10 games into the season Ole Miss has held seven of its opponents under 50 points. Ole Miss is one game away from breaking the program record, holding opponents under 50 points in a season.
Ole Miss currently ranks in the top-10 nationally in scoring defense and second in the SEC, allowing an average of 49.3 points per game.
The pressure on the opposite side of the ball has proven to be too much, as the Rebels rank first in the conference forcing an average of 21.1 turnovers per game.
NOTHING BUT NET
In the first NET Ranking of the season on Dec. 5, Ole Miss debuted as one of the top-50 programs in the nation at 46.
The Rebels continue to climb, hititng a season-low at No. 37 on Dec. 11. The Rebels currently sit at --.
The toughest stretch for the Rebels looms, with an upcoming matchup next week against their first top-50 net opponent in South Florida.
Once SEC play hits, the potential of 11 top-50 net matchups awaits with seven to-25 as well.
SHOOTING HER SHOT (PERFECTLY)
Against the Bearcats, Madison Scott's 8-of-8 mark to finish with 18 points accomplished a new Rebel feat.
Scott becomes the only player in the last 20 seasons to shoot 1.000 or better with eight or more attempts in a single game.
RUNNING DEEP
The Rebel bench has been instrumental this season, contributing 20 or more points in eight games.
Against New Orleans, Angel Baker's 21 points were the most by a Rebel off the bench since Snudda Collins scored 23 against McNeese in 2020.
THRIVING IN THE SECOND
The second quarter is where the Rebels get to work, outscoring their opponents 203-104. 28.6 percent of Ole Miss' total points come in the quarter as well.
The Rebels did the most damage in the second quarter against MVSU, dropping a season-high 33 points for the most in a quarter this season.
WE'VE GOT A FEW ARTISTS
Throughout the season Ole Miss has continued to make its presence known in the paint, scoring 46.1 percent of all points on the inside.
Ole Miss posted a season-high 46 points on the inside in the win at Cincinnati.
DEZ'S TIME TO SHINE
After making her first five career starts, Destiny Salary showed that she's not going away with a stellar performance at Cincinnati.
The Tennessee transfer provided a huge impact against the Bearcats with a career-high 15 points and a career-high eight rebounds to lead the Rebels. The sophomore also dished out four assists, her second game with four or more this season.
ROAD TOUGH AND TESTED
With wins at Cal, Cincinnati and Hofstra, Ole Miss begins its almost nationwide non-conference tour with a record of 3-0.
This is the first time that the Rebels have begun their time on the road with three wins since 2000.
WE DEFEND
Defense is the name of the Rebel game and for three games in a row against San Diego State, Cal and New Orleans, Ole Miss has held each opponent under 50 points.
The feat was last accomplished by the Rebels in January of 1991 holding Jackson State, Mississippi State and Prairie View A&M under 50 points each.
ALL OUT EFFORT
It was a total team effort from Ole Miss in the win at Cal, with four Rebels scoring in double figures for the first time this season.
Austin led all scorers with 14, followed by Madison Scott and Lashonda Monk with a season-high 12 points while Snudda Collins added 10 in her second double digit performance of the year.
SHE'S STOLEN OUR HEARTS
There's a reason why Lashonda Monk ranks second in the nation in active career steals with a total of 388.
The graduate transfer has a total of 13 so far this season, and recorded a steal in each of the first nine games this season.
MILESTONE WATCH
Lashonda Monk is 12 steals away from cracking 400 in her career to become one of 31 in NCAA history to eclipse that mark.
GOING STREAKING
Austin currently rides a six game multi-block streak, the longest by a Rebel this year. She added a season-high five blocks in her outing at Cincinnati.
SHUTTING IT DOWN
From the floor against Cal, Ole Miss held an opposing Power Five opponent to the lowest field goal percentage allowed within the past 10 seasons.
The Bears shot 13-of-56 from the field, hitting 23.2 percent of their shots.
The 19 point win over the Bears was the largest margin of victory against a Power Five team since defeating Wisconsin by 25 points in 2016.
THANKFUL FOR NOVEMBER
The month of November was good to the Rebels with six wins in their first seven games.
This marked the most wins in the month of November for Ole Miss since totaling six in 2017.
OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 63 of 96 opponents being held to five or fewer.
1st Season (2018-19)
17-of-31 (54.8%)
2nd Season (2019-20)
21-of-30 (70.0%)
3rd Season (2020-21)
14-of-22 (63.6 %)
4th Season (2021-22)
8-of-10 (80.0%)
DEFENSE ON LOCK
The Rebels have been unstoppable on the defensive side of the ball, holding their opponents to an average of 49.3 points per game.
The 44 points allowed to the Lady Techsters was the first time since the 2011-2012 season that Ole Miss has kept its opponents under 50 points in back-to-back games. The Rebels followed this up again, keeping San Diego State and Cal under the mark as well.
The Lady Techsters were also held to just a mere 2 points in the second quarter, the fewest amount of points allowed by the Rebels in a quarter since the women's game moved to the format in 2015-2016.
After holding both Lamar and Hofstra to 37 points, its the first time since the 2016-2017 season.
SHARING IS CARING
The Rebels continue to drop dimes at a record pace, recording their fourth 20 plus assist game against New Orleans with a total of 24.
Lashonda Monk tied a career-high with nine against the Privateers, tying the most in a single-game by a Rebel in 2021.
Against Lamar and MVSU, the Rebels also racked up 24 assists. Against the Devilettes, Reid and Shakira Austin led the team with five a piece, while Austin set a new career-high.
All three outings tied the third most assists in a single game for the Rebels within the last four seasons.
DROPPIN' DIMES
Only ten games into the season, the Rebels are on track to make history with four games already with 20 or more assists.
Last season, Ole Miss dished out 20 plus assists in five games, while the program record for the most 20 plus assist games in a single-season is six.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Powered by Shakira Austin, the Rebels were absolutely dominant on both sides of the boards, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 20.5 rebounds against Lamar and LA Tech.
The last time the Rebels accomplished this feat was in 2008, out rebounding Alcorn State and Nicholls State by 21 and 22 rebounds a piece.
BACK IN BUSINESS
After scoring three field goals through the first two games, Preseason All-SEC center Shakira Austin found herself back in usual form scoring 20 points and adding 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season against Lamar
Austin followed up her performance with her 29th career double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds against the Lady Techsters.
The Virginia native continues to lead the conference in active career boards with a total of 878 and ranks 12th nationally.
HOT HANDS x2
Coming off the bench against MVSU, Lashonda Monk and Caitlin McGee combined to go a perfect 10-of-10 from the field.
Monk dropped a then season-high 11 points, while McGee tied her career-high with a total of 13.
The two are the first Rebels to be perfect from the field with five or more attempts since teammate Madison Scott shot 5-of-5 in the season opener against McNeese last season.
RIGHT ON TARGET
In her second game as a Rebel after transferring from Wright State, Angel Baker put on a show against MVSU with a total of 18 points and shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Baker's 80% clip from three was the highest by a Rebel with five or more attempts since Shandricka Sessom went 5-of-6 for 83.3 percent against Delaware State in 2017.
Last season Baker knocked down 43 triples, including her career-high of six against Green Bay.
WE'VE GOT A THIEF!
Against the Bruins, Madison Scott was aggressive defensively finishing with a career-high six steals. This marked the most steals by a Rebel in a single-game since November of 2019 when Valerie Nesbit tallied six against Pitt.
Shakira Austin bested this feat against The Pride, with a career-high six steals for the center.
FOCUSED FROM THE LINE
In the season opener against Belmont, the Rebels shot 12-of-13 from the line, their highest percentage with 10 or more attempts since making 15-of-16 against Florida in the SEC Tournament in 2019.
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
