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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
14-2,1-0SEC
Georgia
14-1,0-1SEC
Women’s Basketball Begins Conference Season with Win Over Georgia
1/1/2026 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – No. 15/17 Ole Miss women’s basketball opened the conference slate undefeated with a 79-62 victory over Georgia on Thursday afternoon at the Sandy & John Black Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi.
Ole Miss’ (14-2, 1-0 SEC) 79 points scored the most against Georgia (14-1, 0-1 SEC) since 1996, and the fourth-most scored against it in series history. The Rebels have won the past five games against the Lady Bulldogs, which is the longest series streak for the Rebels in program history.
Five athletes reached double-digit scoring, led once again by Cotie McMahon. The Rebel superstar put up 24 points, her eighth game this season north of 20 points. That’s the most by a Rebel through 16 games since the 2009-10 season when Bianca Thomas had 11, and the last Rebel to have 20-plus points in eight games during a season was Angel Baker in 2022-23.
With her double-digit scoring, she has scored at least 10 points in each of Ole Miss’ first 16 games this season. McMahon now inches one game closer to Nikki Byrd, who started the 2011-12 season with 17 consecutive games of double-digit points. Should she keep her pace, McMahon will tie Byrd against Texas and pass her against Oklahoma.
Cotie can’t be stopped ??
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) January 1, 2026
10+ points in all 16 games this season! That's the longest opening streak since Nikki Byrd (2011–12) pic.twitter.com/o6mCthU2zu
Behind her, Latasha Lattimore and Christeen Iwuala added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Lattimore added five rebounds and two blocks, extending her block streak to 10 games, which is the longest such streak since Rita Igbokwe had that many in 2023-24. Iwuala, fresh after missing the nonconference finale, had seven rebounds to complement Lattimore.
BLOCK CITY
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) January 1, 2026
10 straight games. At least one block every time. Tasha is LOCKED IN. ???? pic.twitter.com/N7B4Wt6XGS
Debreasha Powe and Kaitlin Peterson scored 10 points apiece, with Peterson’s coming off the bench. The duo went a combined 7-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
Georgia spent much of the first quarter in control. The Rebels kept close thanks to the efforts of McMahon, who scored seven points in the quarter alone. An and-one from Lattimore helped kickstart a strong end to the quarter for Ole Miss, who scored nine unanswered points to end the period. Peterson drained a three in the final 30 seconds of the quarter to give the Rebels a 18-14 lead.
Tianna Thompson kickstarted a strong second for the Rebels with an impressive driving layup through two defenders. Ole Miss made two more field goals to extend its lead to nine before a Georgia 3-pointer moderately closed the gap. Ole Miss’ frontcourt stepped up as Lattimore scored the next six points for the Rebels and J’Adore Young converted a putback layup off an offensive rebound, putting the Rebels up by double-digits. However, that momentum slowed in the tail end of the quarter, as Georgia went on a run of its own. The Rebels closed the half with a 34-33 lead.
After a couple made shots from Georgia to start the third, Ole Miss responded with a 3-pointer from Powe. Her bucket triggered a media timeout as the Rebels scored a quick 11 points in just three minutes. McMahon had her strongest 10 minutes of the game by scoring 11 points in the span. She contributed to Ole Miss’ 28 total points of the quarter, which is the most Georgia has allowed any team in a single quarter this season. Powe also had a strong third, going 3-for-3 from the field including two threes, dropping eight points. Ole Miss held a 62-48 lead closing in on the last bit of play.
Green light????#hottytoddy x #give pic.twitter.com/vPKBftA4qs
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) January 1, 2026
Ole Miss didn’t let off the brakes in the fourth as it continued to extend its lead by forcing Georgia fouls and turnovers. Peterson, McMahon and Thienou made two free throws each to begin the quarter to give Ole Miss its largest lead of the day. Ole Miss continued to be efficient from the line, scoring 13 of its 17 points in the quarter from the charity stripe. Georgia tried to keep up the scoring, but the Rebels had two blocks and two steals in the quarter to keep the lead safe. Despite Georgia making some field goals down the stretch, the Rebels came away with a 79-62 win.
Have a day Rebs??#hottytoddy x #give pic.twitter.com/0dNNCXvohp
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) January 1, 2026
Ole Miss goes on its first road trip of the conference season when it takes on Texas in Austin on Jan. 4. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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.
Gallery: WBB vs. Georgia
