Rebels to Venture to the Lone Star State to Begin Road Swing

			OLE MISS (15-2, 3-1 SEC) at TEXAS A&M (11-6, 1-4 SEC) Thursday, January 20 • 7 p.m. CT • Bryan-College Station, Texas Reed Arena
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Bryan-College Station, Texas. – A quarter of the way through SEC play, Ole Miss heads out on the road to begin a two game road swing Thursday (Jan. 20) at Texas A&M. Tip-off against the Aggies is slated for 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network +.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (15-2, 3-1 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 4th Season at Ole Miss (46-59) • 140-122 career record (9th Season)

Texas A&M Aggies (11-6, 1-4 SEC)
Head Coach: Gary Blair • 19th Season at Texas A&M (441-176) • 849-339 career record (37th Season)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SEC Network +
Play by Play: Will Johnson
Analyst: Tap Bentz

OLE MISS RADIO

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty

SERIES NOTES

SERIES HISTORY vs. TEXAS A&M
Prior to the Aggies joining the SEC, both programs had only met two times and split each matchup.

Once Texas A&M joined the conference, it asserted its dominance in the matchup, winning the last nine of 10 meetings. Ole Miss is on the hunt for its first win over the Aggies since 2017 and its only win in program history over Texas A&M in Bryan-College Station.

FIRST MEETING

12/18/95 - A&M, 75-60 - at Philadelphia, Pa.

LAST MEETING

02/21/21 - A&M-66-55 - at Oxford, Miss.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
In the final season under legendary head coach Gary Blair, the Aggies began the season with eight straight wins and rose to as high as No. 17 from the AP poll, to finish with a record of 10-2 through non-conference play.

A&M began SEC play on a four game slide, until picking up its first win of conference play against Auburn this last Sunday.

The Aggies pace the SEC from beyond the arc, leading the conference as a team and ranking third in the nation shooting the ball at a 40.5 percent clip. Destiny Pitts leads this charge, averaging 2.3 triples per game.

OUTINGS AGAINST TEXAS A&M
Austin 16.0 ppg 10.0 rpg 3.0 apg

Reid 3.0 ppg 2.0 rpg 5.3 apg

Johnson 8.0 ppg 9.0 rpg

Douglas 5.0 ppg 2.0 rpg

Scott 10.0 ppg 6.0 rpg 1.0 apg

LAST TIME OUT
Electric, was one word used to describe the Rebels 86-71 win over Mississippi State this past Sunday, for the program's first against its in-state rival in eight seasons.

The Rebels came out of the gates ready to play starting off quickly with a 12-0 run, en route to a high-scoring affair.

Five Rebels racked up double-figures in scoring, led by Shakira Austin with 21 points and her sixth double-double of the season.

Off the glass, Ole Miss was unstoppable, outrebounding the Bulldogs by a margin of 20. Donnetta Johnson was a huge part of that feat, wtih 12 points and 10 rebounds for the first double-double of the redshirt-junior's career.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
Against the Crimson Tide, the 86 points as a team marked the most scored by any Ole Miss team in an SEC game since the Rebels recorded 87 in overtime against Mississippi State in 2014.

Ole Miss met this mark three days later, dropping another 86 points, this time against Mississippi State.

The back-to-back games 80 point outings is the first time the Rebels have dropped 80 or more in two straight SEC games since 2010.

CRASH THE BOARDS
Off the glass against Mississippi State, Ole Miss dominated the Bulldogs off the boards by a margin of 20 more at 43 to 23. This was the Rebels third game this season with a rebounding margin of 20 or more.

The feat against the Bulldogs was the largest rebounding margin against an SEC team since facing Vanderbilt in January of 2007, where the Rebels outrebounded the Commodores by 20. Former Rebel and current assistant coach, Armintie Herrington (Price) led Ole Miss in that game with a total of 11 rebounds.

SUCCESS VERUS THE LONE STAR STATE

Ole Miss has had strong outings against Texas teams this year, with a record of 2-0 after defeating Lamar at home and then Texas Tech at the West Palm Beach Invitational.

Against teams from Texas, Ole Miss is averaging 68 points per game and only allowing 43.5 points per game.

TIDE. ROLLED.

The high-flying Rebel offense contributed to another historic mark set against Alabama, as Ole Miss claimed its second straight win in the series.

The 30 point margin of victory against the Crimson Tide was the largest margin of victory against an SEC opponent in 13 seasons. The 2008-2009 Rebels defeated Alabama by 30 points in Oxford.

ALL OUT EFFORT.

Through its first three SEC games, Ole Miss is forcing an average of 21.3 turnovers per game. Three out of four SEC opponents have turned the ball over 20 or more times, with Florida surrendering an SEC opponent high of 25.

The last time the Rebels forced 20+ turnovers in three straight games, was in 2017 in non-conference games against Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State and South Alabama.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Not only are the Rebels one of the best teams in the SEC in terms of taking the ball away from its opponents, they also continue to prove that they can take care of it as well.

They love to win the turnover battle, as the Rebels currently lead the SEC with an average of 6.5 turnovers less than their opponent each game. This also ranks 15th in all of Division I.

Against No. 18 USF, the nine turnovers surrendered to the Bulls, were the fewest in any game this season by the Rebels

HIGH FLYING VETERANS

The senior class has been getting it done lately for the Rebels, as two seniors in Austin plus Baker and graduate Lashonda Monk account as three of the squad's top four scoring options.

Against Mississippi State, the trio combined for 50 of the team's 86 total points.

SHE'S GOT RANGE
We all knew that Shakira Austin has the ability to go to work and get it done in the paint, but the senior also proved that she's got the option of nailing a deep shot when she wants.

Austin hit back-to-back triple's in the fourth quarter against MSU, to set a new-career high.

GOING STREAKING
The past four games have been nice to Lashonda Monk, as she is currently riding a four-game streak of finishing with double-digit points. This is the longest streak of the season for the Greensoboro native.

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 400

The graduate transfer has a total of 27 so far this season, and recorded a steal in each of the first nine games this season.

After Monk picked up her 400th steal against Alabama, she became of 31 in NCAA history to join the 400 steal club.

FOUL ME ONCE...
The charity stripe has been kind to the Rebels this season, as Ole Miss has used it to its advantage.

Ranking 19th in the nation and third in the conference, the Rebels are averaging 13.8 made shots from the line each game. They also rank 15th nationally and sixth in the conference with a total of 343 attempts.

WORK HARD, GET REWARDED
With 15 trips to the line against Florida, Shakira Austin capitalized off of going hard in the paint to ultimately knock down 10 free throws.

She followed this up the next game against No. 7 Tennessee with 12 trips to the line, to knock down 10 free throws.

Austin's 15 free throw attempts tie the most in a single-game by any SEC player this season. She ranks third in the conference in attempts at 99 and makes at 69.

KEEPING IT 100
The game at Florida marked an important career milestone for redshirt-senior Mimi Reid, with her 100th game in a Rebel jersey.

The Bronx, N.Y. native has started in 84 percent of her games throughout her four year playing career in Oxford.

SHINING AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
With 26 points against No. 7 Tennessee, Shakira Austin loves to pour it on against ranked opponents.

In her 11 games against ranked opponents as a Rebel, she is currently averaging 17.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

ROAD TOUGH AND TESTED
With wins at Cal, Cincinnati, Hofstra and Florida, Ole Miss loves to prove its talent nation wide with a record of 4-0 on the road.

This is the first time that the Rebels have begun their time on the road with four wins since the 1986-87 season.

UNDER PRESSURE
Every road trip Ole Miss makes sure to pack its defense, and the trek to Gainesville was no exception.

The Rebels forced 25 turnovers against the Gators, forcing its opponents to hand over the ball 25 times or more for the fourth game this year.

The 21.0 turnovers forced per game lead the SEC and rank 25th in the country.

STATEMENT. MADE.
Not only did Ole Miss pick up its first ranked win of the season against then No. 18 South Florida, it also was the first non-conference win over a ranked opponent for the program since 2007.

WE'VE GOT AN ANGEL ON OUR SIDE
With a dominant performance at the West Palm Beach Invitational, Angel Baker was named the co-SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 28.

The senior guard was a key piece to the two victories, as Baker averaged 14.5 points per game, shooting 61.5% from the field. In the win over Texas Tech, Baker came off the bench to score a season-high 24 points.

Baker is the first Rebel to earn a weekly SEC nod since Shakira Austin was named the SEC Player of the Week in February of last season.

A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER
As Ole Miss continued its remarkable winning streak, the program's six wins in the month of December are the most by any Rebel team since 2016.

PICK POCKET PROS
Ole Miss recorded a season-high 18 steals at Florida, for the most steals in against an SEC opponent since facing Alabama in the 2007 SEC Tournament. The Rebels have recorded double-digit steals in 11 of 17 games this season.

The Rebels average 11.1 steals per game, leading all SEC teams, and rank 26th in the nation.

TAKING AND MAKING

Ole Miss has scored 20-plus points off turnovers in 10 of 17 games this season. Over the last seven games, the Rebels have scored 18.5 points off turnovers.

STREAK SETTERS
With 13 wins in a row dating from Nov. 14 through Jan. 6, Ole Miss rode its longest winning streak since the 1991 Rebels won 25 games in a row.

The 13 straight wins ranks third all-time in consecutive victories in program history.

This set the longest streak of McPhee-McCuin's career, and her longest at Ole Miss.

WITNESSING HISTORY
Halfway into the 2021-22 season, the Rebels continue to rewrite history.

Holding Samford to 48 points set the program record for scoring defense keeping the most opponents under 50 points in a season.

Ole Miss tied the program record against Hofstra, with three other Rebel teams keeping seven opponents under 50. It only took one game later to break that record, keeping its eighth opponent under 50 points.

BLOCK PARTY QUEEN
With her first two of three blocks at Hofstra, Shakira Austin eclipsed the 200 career block mark.

Austin currently ranks fifth in the SEC and 13th nationally with a total of 213 blocks throughout her four year career.

The senior was a menace against the Crimson Tide, with a season-high seven blocks. The seven deflections were also the most by any Rebel in a single game this year.

DEFENSE > OFFENSE
The Rebels continue to slow down their opponents at a record pace, as 17 games into the season Ole Miss has held eight opponents under 50 points for a program record.

Ole Miss currently ranks in the top-10 nationally in scoring defense and first in the SEC, allowing an average of 52.8 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 21.0 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. 31 on Jan. 18 after wins against Alabama and Mississippi State.

With SEC play hitting, the potential of nine top-50 NET matchups awaits with five top-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 became the only player at Ole Miss 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 14 games.

Angel Baker has been the largest contributor off the bench, averaging 10.0 points per game.

WE'VE GOT A FEW ARTISTS
Throughout the season Ole Miss has continued to make its presence known in the paint, scoring an average of 41.1 points in the paint per game.

Ole Miss has posted a season-high 46 points twice this season at Cincinnati and Mississippi State

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.

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 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.

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 non-conference 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 99 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)

12-of-17 (70.5%)

DEFENSE ON LOCK

The Rebels have been unstoppable on the defensive side of the ball, holding their opponents to an average of 52.8 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.

SHARING IS CARING
The Rebels continue to drop dimes at a record pace, recording their seventh 20 plus assist against Mississippi State with 21.

Lashonda Monk tied a career-high with nine against the New Orleans, 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 17 games into the season, have written another record into the history books with seven games 20 or more assists, for the most games in a single-season since 1995.

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.

ALL THE WAY UP

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.

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 Nesbitt tallied six against Pitt.

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.

GROCERY LIST COMPLETE

Yolett McPhee-McCuin and Co. made sure to check everything off their list this off-season, scouring the transfer portal to bring in three new Rebel guards to Oxford. Bringing in more NCAA Tournament experience to the court, all three look to make a strong impact on the hardwood.

Angel Baker - Sr.*- Wright State

Two-time First-Team All Horizon League.
2021 Horizon League Tournament MVP.
Dropped 26 points in the win in First Round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 4 Arkansas.
Grabbed 12 boards against the Razorbacks for her second double-double of the year.
Drained 43 3's in 2020-21, shooting 35.2% from beyond the arc.

Lashonda Monk - Gr. - ECU

Two-time AAC Defensive Player of the Year, the first player in conference history to win the award multiple times.
Four-time All-AAC honoree.
Set the ECU single-season steals record with 125 in 2019-20.
Enters the SEC as the active career leader in steals.

Destiny Salary - So. - Tennessee

Reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament with the Lady Vols last season.
Appeared in 24 games as a freshman.
Became one of just 45 Lady Vols to score in double-digits in a debut, logging 10 points against Western Kentucky.
No. 57 player and a four-star prospect by ESPN out of Jonesboro High School.

NOT A TYPO
Shakira Austin had herself quite the Tuesday on November 9, earning herself a spot on three national award watchlists by the time lunch rolled around. The center found herself on the Wade Trophy Watch List, The John R. Wooden Award Watch List and the Naismith Watch List as one of the top players in women's college basketball.

Austin recently also earned a spot on the Lisa Leslie Watch List, awarded to the best center in women's college basketball at the end of the season.

HIGH RESULTS, HIGH EXPECTATIONS
With all five starters from last season returning, the coaches through SEC recognized the potential of this year's Rebs, picking them to finish sixth in the SEC in the preseason coaches poll.

Sixth is the highest preseason ranking by the coaches since the SEC Coaches Poll began predicting order of finish in 2007-08, and the best overall since being picked fifth in the 2005-06 media poll.

Ole Miss was also picked to finish eighth in the SEC Preseason Media Poll, its best in that poll since 2015-16.

Austin also earned herself Preseason All-SEC honors in both polls, adding to her collection of preseason acclaim.

OLE MISS EARNS PROGRAM WIN NO. 850
The Rebel win vs. Samford in the First Round of the WNIT marked the 850th win in program history. All-time, Ole Miss is currently 852-583 (.594) in 46 years of NCAA Division I competition. Entering the 2020-21 season, only 44 programs have eclipsed the 850-win threshold.

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

Shakira Austin

Angel Baker

Snudda Collins

Donnetta Johnson

Caitlin McGee

Lashonda Monk

Valerie Nesbitt

Mimi Reid

Destiny Salary

Madison Scott

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