The University of Mississippi Athletics
Sunday, December 21
Cherokee, N.C.
6:30 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Old Dominion
Women’s Basketball Set for Cherokee Invitational Against Old Dominion
12/19/2025 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – Prior to a brief break for the holidays, Ole Miss women's basketball will participate in the Cherokee Invitational, first facing Old Dominion on Sunday, December 21. Tipoff at the Harrah's Cherokee Resort in Cherokee, North Carolina will be at 6:30 p.m. CT, streaming on Women's Sports Network.
TEAM FACTS
No. 14/14 Ole Miss Rebels (11-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (136-96) • 13th Season in Career (230-159)
Old Dominion Monarchs (7-4, 0-1 Sun Belt)
Head Coach: DeLisha Milton-Jones • 6th Season at ODU (106-63) • 8th Season in Career (138-95)
ON THE AIR
Television: Women's Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Shawn Crowe
Color: Jennifer George
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss and Old Dominion are set to face off for just the sixth time ever, with the Monarchs holding a 3-2 advantage in the series. The series dates to 1979, the two teams haven't competed since a home-and-home series in 2008-09 and 2009-10. In both games, the home team won, beginning with Ole Miss' 79-72 win on Jan. 2, 2009, and Old Dominion's 75-66 win on Dec. 6, 2009.
Bianca Thomas highlighted Ole Miss' individual efforts in both of the final two matchups against Old Dominion. When the Rebels won, she paced the team with 20 points and four 3-pointers. Shantell Black added a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists. The following year, Thomas upped her efforts and scored 25 with five threes despite the Rebel loss.
In 1989, Ole Miss earned its first victory over Old Dominion in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Mideast Regional. The Rebels comfortably won, 74-58, and had the fourth most rebounds in an NCAA Tournament in program history with 48. Also, in that game, Jackie Martin dished out seven assists, which still stands as the fourth most by an individual Rebel in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Old Dominion won both of the first two games of the series, which took place in 1979 and 1981.
SCOUTING THE MONARCHS
DeLisha Milton-Jones is in her fifth season leading Old Dominion's women's basketball program. Milton-Jones had a highly successful playing career, which includes two Olympic gold medals, two WNBA titles and was a three-time WNBA All-Star. Before that, she was a First Team All-American at Florida and was the SEC Player of the Year as a senior.
As the head coach for Old Dominion, Milton-Jones has reignited one of the NCAA's top historical programs. She guided the Monarchs to three consecutive seasons of 20-plus wins from 2021-24. Last season, despite a dip in production to 18-16, Old Dominion still reached the WNIT, beating Navy in the first round of the tournament. So far this season, the Monarchs are off to a 7-4 start, but is already 0-1 in Sun Belt play after suffering a loss to Troy last time out.
Senior guard Simaru Fields has stepped into the role of top scorer for the Monarchs, averaging 11.6 points per game. She scored a season-high 21 against Howard, making four of her six 3-point attempts. She's also a nagging defender who has already accounted for 26 steals so far this season on a 2.4 per game average. Fellow guard En'Dya Buford has also emerged as a pesky defender for Old Dominion, matching Fields in the steal count and average.
Simone Cunningham is Old Dominion's second-best scorer and top rebounder, dropping 9.3 points and hauling in 7.1 boards per game. Despite standing at 5-foot-10, she's had two games of 10-plus rebounds this season, including a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double against Delaware.
As a team, the Monarchs are the top team in the Sun Belt in terms of blocks per game and defensive field goal percentage. They average 6.7 blocks per game while allowing only 33.5 percent of shots to go down since the season began. Both of those marks are top-20 nationally, with the blocking average sitting as the sixth-most in the country. Riley Stack, a 6-foot-4 junior is much to thank for Old Dominion's success in the post. Her 3.1 blocks per game are tops in the Sun Belt among individual athletes and third in the country. Through 11 games, she's registered 34 blocks already.
GAMES AGAINST THE SUN BELT
Ole Miss is 65-19 all-time against current Sun Belt teams. This is the fourth consecutive year that the Rebels have faced a member of the Sun Belt, going 4-1 in four games in that span. Ole Miss most recently faced South Alabama in a dominant 94-39 victory last season.
In recent memory, Ole Miss has primarily competed against Southern Miss, the Sun Belt team that Ole Miss has faced and beaten the most. The Rebels and Lady Eagles have faced off 25 times, with Ole Miss claiming 19 wins.
Ole Miss is 17-6 against Sun Belt foes since 2007.
11-1
Kicking off the season 11-1, it marks the second time under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin the Rebels have reached 11 wins in a season after only 12 games. Last time Ole Miss did so, McPhee-McCuin led the Rebels to a 13-1 start during the 2021-22 season. Overall, it's only the third time in the 21st century that the Rebels have started 11-1 or better in the season's first 12 games.
C-SQUARED
Christeen Iwuala and Cotie McMahon have become quite the dynamic duo for the Rebels. Combined the two seniors account for 42.3% of the Rebels' points this season and together have been the game leaders in scoring 11 out of the 12 matchups. In rebounding, the pair has accounted for 34.4% of Ole Miss' total rebounds, leading the Rebels' in boards in 11 out of the 12 games so far. Iwuala has earned five double-doubles this year, and McMahon has notched three, combining for eight of the nine double-doubles any Rebel has registered during the 2025-26 season.
THE IWUALA IMPACT
Christeen Iwuala has established herself as one of the top frontcourt players in the SEC throughout the nonconference season. She has recorded a double-double in a team-high five outings this year, after previously never earning the feat in any of her three seasons of collegiate basketball prior.
Additionally, Iwuala has grabbed the most rebounds by a Rebel in nine games this year, leading Ole Miss in the category, while also leading the Rebels in scoring four times. She is following the pattern that Rebel transfers under Coach Yo tend to blossom in their second year in Oxford, joining the likes of Marquesha Davis, Angel Baker and Shakira Austin.
SHE'S THE mcMAHON
Cotie McMahon has provided a spark to the Ole Miss offense in her first season in Oxford, becoming the first Rebel since Shandricka Sessom in 2015-16 to have double-digit points in the first twelve games of the season. She is also the first Rebel since Bianca Thomas in 2009-10 to have six games or more with over 20 points to commence the year.
In Ole Miss' last game against MVSU, McMahon became the eighth Rebel in program history to surpass 1,700 career points, currently sitting at 1,710.
MOST DOMINANT WIN IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Ole Miss' 68-point victory over the Mississippi Valley State, with a score of 102-34, sets the program record for widest margin of victory by three points. Most recently set last year against Alabama State, Ole Miss has once again set the standard for major program wins. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin now owns five of the top 10 biggest blowouts in Ole Miss program history.
Ole Miss scored 63 points in the second half, which is tied for the most points scored by a Rebel squad in a single half in program history, which it most recently did on Nov. 13, 2015, also against MVSU. By reaching the century mark in scoring for the second time this season, McPhee-McCuin has guided the Rebels to multiple 100-point games in the same season for the first time since 2009-10. It's the third time in McPhee-McCuin's tenure in Oxford that the Rebels have scored at least 100 points.
BLOCK PARTY
Ole Miss had a block party against Mississippi Valley State, earning 12 blocks, which tied for the third most in a game in program history.
Latasha Lattimore was a defensive stalwart for the Rebels, denying MVSU shots from all over the court. She finished the day by tying a career-high six blocks, making her the first Rebel since Rita Igbokwe on Jan. 4, 2024, to deny at least five shots in a game, and the most by a Rebel since Igbokwe had eight against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 21, 2023. Along with Lattimore, Christeen Iwuala, Cotie McMahon, Kaitlin Peterson, Debreasha Powe, Tianna Thompson, and J'Adore Young eached added a block to the total.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
Season and single game tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are on sale now. Click here to secure yours today or visit OleMissTix.com.
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
TEAM FACTS
No. 14/14 Ole Miss Rebels (11-1, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 8th Season at Ole Miss (136-96) • 13th Season in Career (230-159)
Old Dominion Monarchs (7-4, 0-1 Sun Belt)
Head Coach: DeLisha Milton-Jones • 6th Season at ODU (106-63) • 8th Season in Career (138-95)
ON THE AIR
Television: Women's Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Shawn Crowe
Color: Jennifer George
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
SERIES HISTORY
Ole Miss and Old Dominion are set to face off for just the sixth time ever, with the Monarchs holding a 3-2 advantage in the series. The series dates to 1979, the two teams haven't competed since a home-and-home series in 2008-09 and 2009-10. In both games, the home team won, beginning with Ole Miss' 79-72 win on Jan. 2, 2009, and Old Dominion's 75-66 win on Dec. 6, 2009.
Bianca Thomas highlighted Ole Miss' individual efforts in both of the final two matchups against Old Dominion. When the Rebels won, she paced the team with 20 points and four 3-pointers. Shantell Black added a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists. The following year, Thomas upped her efforts and scored 25 with five threes despite the Rebel loss.
In 1989, Ole Miss earned its first victory over Old Dominion in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Mideast Regional. The Rebels comfortably won, 74-58, and had the fourth most rebounds in an NCAA Tournament in program history with 48. Also, in that game, Jackie Martin dished out seven assists, which still stands as the fourth most by an individual Rebel in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
Old Dominion won both of the first two games of the series, which took place in 1979 and 1981.
SCOUTING THE MONARCHS
DeLisha Milton-Jones is in her fifth season leading Old Dominion's women's basketball program. Milton-Jones had a highly successful playing career, which includes two Olympic gold medals, two WNBA titles and was a three-time WNBA All-Star. Before that, she was a First Team All-American at Florida and was the SEC Player of the Year as a senior.
As the head coach for Old Dominion, Milton-Jones has reignited one of the NCAA's top historical programs. She guided the Monarchs to three consecutive seasons of 20-plus wins from 2021-24. Last season, despite a dip in production to 18-16, Old Dominion still reached the WNIT, beating Navy in the first round of the tournament. So far this season, the Monarchs are off to a 7-4 start, but is already 0-1 in Sun Belt play after suffering a loss to Troy last time out.
Senior guard Simaru Fields has stepped into the role of top scorer for the Monarchs, averaging 11.6 points per game. She scored a season-high 21 against Howard, making four of her six 3-point attempts. She's also a nagging defender who has already accounted for 26 steals so far this season on a 2.4 per game average. Fellow guard En'Dya Buford has also emerged as a pesky defender for Old Dominion, matching Fields in the steal count and average.
Simone Cunningham is Old Dominion's second-best scorer and top rebounder, dropping 9.3 points and hauling in 7.1 boards per game. Despite standing at 5-foot-10, she's had two games of 10-plus rebounds this season, including a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double against Delaware.
As a team, the Monarchs are the top team in the Sun Belt in terms of blocks per game and defensive field goal percentage. They average 6.7 blocks per game while allowing only 33.5 percent of shots to go down since the season began. Both of those marks are top-20 nationally, with the blocking average sitting as the sixth-most in the country. Riley Stack, a 6-foot-4 junior is much to thank for Old Dominion's success in the post. Her 3.1 blocks per game are tops in the Sun Belt among individual athletes and third in the country. Through 11 games, she's registered 34 blocks already.
GAMES AGAINST THE SUN BELT
Ole Miss is 65-19 all-time against current Sun Belt teams. This is the fourth consecutive year that the Rebels have faced a member of the Sun Belt, going 4-1 in four games in that span. Ole Miss most recently faced South Alabama in a dominant 94-39 victory last season.
In recent memory, Ole Miss has primarily competed against Southern Miss, the Sun Belt team that Ole Miss has faced and beaten the most. The Rebels and Lady Eagles have faced off 25 times, with Ole Miss claiming 19 wins.
Ole Miss is 17-6 against Sun Belt foes since 2007.
11-1
Kicking off the season 11-1, it marks the second time under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin the Rebels have reached 11 wins in a season after only 12 games. Last time Ole Miss did so, McPhee-McCuin led the Rebels to a 13-1 start during the 2021-22 season. Overall, it's only the third time in the 21st century that the Rebels have started 11-1 or better in the season's first 12 games.
C-SQUARED
Christeen Iwuala and Cotie McMahon have become quite the dynamic duo for the Rebels. Combined the two seniors account for 42.3% of the Rebels' points this season and together have been the game leaders in scoring 11 out of the 12 matchups. In rebounding, the pair has accounted for 34.4% of Ole Miss' total rebounds, leading the Rebels' in boards in 11 out of the 12 games so far. Iwuala has earned five double-doubles this year, and McMahon has notched three, combining for eight of the nine double-doubles any Rebel has registered during the 2025-26 season.
THE IWUALA IMPACT
Christeen Iwuala has established herself as one of the top frontcourt players in the SEC throughout the nonconference season. She has recorded a double-double in a team-high five outings this year, after previously never earning the feat in any of her three seasons of collegiate basketball prior.
Additionally, Iwuala has grabbed the most rebounds by a Rebel in nine games this year, leading Ole Miss in the category, while also leading the Rebels in scoring four times. She is following the pattern that Rebel transfers under Coach Yo tend to blossom in their second year in Oxford, joining the likes of Marquesha Davis, Angel Baker and Shakira Austin.
SHE'S THE mcMAHON
Cotie McMahon has provided a spark to the Ole Miss offense in her first season in Oxford, becoming the first Rebel since Shandricka Sessom in 2015-16 to have double-digit points in the first twelve games of the season. She is also the first Rebel since Bianca Thomas in 2009-10 to have six games or more with over 20 points to commence the year.
In Ole Miss' last game against MVSU, McMahon became the eighth Rebel in program history to surpass 1,700 career points, currently sitting at 1,710.
MOST DOMINANT WIN IN PROGRAM HISTORY
Ole Miss' 68-point victory over the Mississippi Valley State, with a score of 102-34, sets the program record for widest margin of victory by three points. Most recently set last year against Alabama State, Ole Miss has once again set the standard for major program wins. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin now owns five of the top 10 biggest blowouts in Ole Miss program history.
Ole Miss scored 63 points in the second half, which is tied for the most points scored by a Rebel squad in a single half in program history, which it most recently did on Nov. 13, 2015, also against MVSU. By reaching the century mark in scoring for the second time this season, McPhee-McCuin has guided the Rebels to multiple 100-point games in the same season for the first time since 2009-10. It's the third time in McPhee-McCuin's tenure in Oxford that the Rebels have scored at least 100 points.
BLOCK PARTY
Ole Miss had a block party against Mississippi Valley State, earning 12 blocks, which tied for the third most in a game in program history.
Latasha Lattimore was a defensive stalwart for the Rebels, denying MVSU shots from all over the court. She finished the day by tying a career-high six blocks, making her the first Rebel since Rita Igbokwe on Jan. 4, 2024, to deny at least five shots in a game, and the most by a Rebel since Igbokwe had eight against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 21, 2023. Along with Lattimore, Christeen Iwuala, Cotie McMahon, Kaitlin Peterson, Debreasha Powe, Tianna Thompson, and J'Adore Young eached added a block to the total.
STAY CONNECTED WITH THE REBELS
Season and single game tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are on sale now. Click here to secure yours today or visit OleMissTix.com.
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
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