| No. 4 OLE MISS (22-7, 10-6 SEC) vs. No. 5 FLORIDA (21-9, 10-6 SEC) Friday, March 4 • 2:25 p.m. CT • Nashville, Tenn. 
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| Ole Miss Game Notes (PDF) • SEC (PDF) Game Notes (PDF) |
NASHVILLE, Tenn.– Ole Miss heads into the SEC Quarterfinals with a chance ot advance to appear in its third semifinal, taking on the Florida Gators on Friday. The matchup is set for approximately 2:25 p.m. on SEC Network with Eric Frede and Tamika Catchings on the call.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (22-7, 10-6 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin • 4th Season at Ole Miss (53-64) • 147-126 career record (9th Season)
Florida Gators (21-9, 10-6 SEC)
Head Coach: Kelly Rae Finley • 1st Season at Florida (21-9) • 21-9 career record (1st Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play by Play: Eric Frede
Analyst: Tamika Catchings
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Graham Doty
LAST TIME OUT
Ole Miss put the No. 1 team in the nation in South Carolina on notice this past Sunday from the SJB Pavilion with a tough battle, before falling 71-57.
A two possession game heading into the fourth quarter, South Carolina utilized a late run to surge past the Rebels and grab the win.
Putting on a show was once again Shakira Austin, with the center showing out on senior day with her ninth 20 point outing of the senior. Lashonda Monk made her last game in Oxford one to talk about as well, with 16 points.
SUCCESS AT THE SEC TOURNEY
One can almost trace back the beginning of the Rebel resurgence to last year's SEC Tournament in Greenville, where Ole Miss made some noise in the second round with an upset victory over Arkansas.
Prior to last season, Ole Miss had not made it past the second round since 1993 and now for the second straight season finds itself in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
The Rebels have appeared in the semifinals nine times in program history and twice in the finals.
NUMBERS IN THE SEC TOURNAMENT
Austin 21.5 ppg 10.0 rpg 2.0 apg
Reid 7.0 ppg 3.8 rpg 5.0 apg
Collins 5.0 ppg 3.0 rpg 0.5 apg
Scott 2.5 ppg 3.0 rpg 1.5 apg
THE BEST OF THE BEST
Shakira Austin built off a dominant junior year to carry that momentum into her senior campaign, to earn her second straight First-Team All-SEC honors.
Austin is the eighth Rebel to earn consecutive First-Team All-SEC honors since Tia Faleru did so in 2014 & 2015.
SIXTH WOMAN UP
One of the best sparks off the bench in the SEC, Angel Baker's impact was validated with the senior earning the SEC's Sixth Woman of the Year award.
With the honor, Baker became the first Rebel to earn the award.
4x100
Mimi Reid has been one of the SEC's best passers in her four years in Oxford, as the Bronx, N.Y., native ranks second in active career assists in the SEC with a total of 472.
Reid surpassed 100 on the season agains the Gamecocks to reach 100 assist in each season four four straight years.
BLOCKING HER WAY TO THE TOP
Shakira Austin loves a good rejection here and there as with three blocks at Auburn she tallied her 53rd career game with multiple blocks.
Austin is six blocks away for the fifth most in program history in a single season.
STAYING HOT
There was something about the floor in Auburn Arena that hit right for the Rebels, shooting at a blistering 50 percent clip through four quarters.
It was the Rebels best field goal percentage against an SEC opponent in over three seasons.
FOLLOW THE FOOTSTEPS
Off the glass, Shakira Austin has been on a tear recently with 15 boards at Vanderbilt and then 16 against Arkansas. The 16 were the most by a Rebel in a game this year and set an SJB Pavilion record for the most in a single-game.
Shakira is the only Rebel to snag 15+ boards in back-to-back games since assistant coach Armintie (Price) Herrington in 2003.
PROTECT THE RIM
Against Arkansas, Madison Scott led the Rebels with a career-high four blocks as the team finished with a total of nine for the most in an SEC game this season.
The effectiveness of the Rebel defense can be seen around the rim with 11 games this season with five plus blocks as a team.
This sets the most games in a single season with five or more blocks under McPhee-McCuin.
SEC WINS JUST MEAN MORE
With its 10th SEC victory, Ole Miss tied the most in a season in the last 20 years and reached its second season in program history with double-digit wins in conference play.
The Rebels had not reached double-digit wins in SEC play since the 1991-92 season where the Rebels went 11-0 in conference play.
ASSISTING ON AND OFF THE COURT
Redshirt senior Mimi Reid has been a fixture throughout the Oxford community in her five years at Ole Miss and on Wednesday, Reid was named to the SEC Community Service Team.
Reid has spent time with numerous organizations through the community, assisting to gather items for the Feed the Sip Food drive, and working with the Boys and Girls Club of Oxford.
HISTORY HAPPENS HERE
The win over the Commodores on Sunday was just another milestone set by the Rebels during the 2021-22 campaign as Ole Miss reached 20 wins for the first time since the 2006-07 season for the 20th, 20 win season in program history.
EXCELLENT GLASS CLEANERS
There's a reason why Ole Miss has rebounded its opponents in over half of its games this year, against Auburn proved to be no different.
Ole Miss outrebounded its opponent for the 18th time this season, and cleaned up on the boards by a margin of 22+ at Auburn.
This was the third time this year that Ole Miss has outrebounded its opponent by a margin of 15 or more in SEC play and the sixth time this season.
Six games with a 15+ rebound margin is the most in the last 10 seasons.
HOLDING IT DOWN
Aggressive defense by the Rebels assisted them to keeping Vanderbilt to only a mere 47 points in the matchup.
The Commodores are the latest victims to the Rebel defense, being the 10th Ole Miss opponent to be kept under 50 points this season as the program record is extended.
WE LIKE TO MIX THINGS UP
Head Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin loves to tinker with her lineup at Vanderbilt was her 11th different starting rotation this season.
The combination of Mimi Reid, Destiny Salary, Madison Scott, Snudda Collins and Shakira Austin has been the most successful this year with a perfect record of 6-0.
KIRA'S WORLD
There was no stopping Shakira Austin against the Commodores, as the senior almost single handedly outrebounded Vanderbilt as a team herself.
Austin grabbed a then season-high 15 rebounds and added her eighth 20 point performance of the season with a total of 22.
She is the only Rebel in the last seven seasons to notch 20 points and 15 boards in a single game.
THAT'S 50
The win over the Aggies marked an important milestone Thursday night for head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin with her 50th win as the head coach at Ole Miss.
McPhee-McCuin continues along one of the best campaigns of her coaching career and is two wins away from tying her career best of wins in a season at 24.
SWEET SWEEP
From start to finish, Ole Miss maintained complete control over Texas A&M to claim its second win of the season over the Aggies.
It was the first victory over the Aggies at home since 2017, and the first regular season sweep of A&M in progrma history.
YOU GET A BUCKET! & YOU GET A BUCKET!
It was an all around scoring affair against Texas A&M as 10 Rebels made their way to the bucket.
For the second game in conference play, Ole Miss accomplished this task with 10 scoring with both games against Texas A&M.
THE ACCOLADES CONTINUE
For the second straight year, Shakira Austin has found herself named to the Lisa Leslie Award Top- 10 Watch List as one of the nation's best centers.
Austin was also recently named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 List and the Naismith Award Midseason Team.
1K x 2
With the first rebound of the game against Texas A&M, Shakira Austin hit the 1,000 career rebound mark 118 games into her career. She is the only active player in the SEC with 1,000 career boards.
Austin eclipsing 1,000, makes her one of seven active players in Division I with 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
DOMINANT OFF THE GLASS
Madison Scott was on a tear off the glass against LSU, grabbing a season-high 15 rebounds against the Tigers. Scott finished one shy of her career-high of 16 set last season.
Scott and Austin are the only Rebels in the last five seasons to grab 15+ boards in a single game and Scott's done it twice in her two years in Oxford.
ANY TIME. ANY PLACE.
With the victory at Missouri, the Rebels moved to 8-1 on the road to set the most wins away from home for the program in the 21st century.
The win at Auburn tied the most road wins in a season since 1993-94 at nine.
NO THREE'S HERE
In three SEC games, the Rebels have been a threat against teams attempting to get shots up beyond the arc, with Florida, Kentucky and Missouri unable to hit a triple against the Rebels.
This is the only time in 20 seasons in which Ole Miss has held three SEC opponents scoreless from beyond the arc.
CAN'T GET PAST THIS
Ole Miss loves to take the ball away from its opponents and for the 14th game this year the Rebels recorded double-digit steals against Missouri.
The 14 games in double-figures are the most in a single season in the McPhee-McCuin era.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Ole Miss has knocked off a top-10 opponent 29 times in program history, and have defeated a top-25 team a total of 87 times.
When the Rebels are ranked, Ole Miss boasts a record of 314-107 for a .745 winning percentage.
JUMPING IN
Coming in at No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches poll on Feb. 1, was another historic milestone for this Rebel squad.
The last time Ole Miss was slotted in the poll was Jan. 29, 2007.
The Rebels remained in the poll for a second straight week on Feb. 8 at No. 25, the first time Ole Miss had been in the poll for two straight weeks since 2005.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Rebels are dangerous on the road as four straight conference road wins to open SEC play was the longest streak since the 1991-92 season where the Rebels won six straight SEC road games.
RESPECT EARNED
For the first time in 15 seasons, Ole Miss found itself ranked in the Jan. 24 AP Poll coming in at No. 24.
It was the Rebels first appearance in the poll since January 22, 2007 when assistant coach Armintie Herrington (Price) was a senior for the Rebels. The youngest Rebel on the squad, Jaiyah Harris-Smithwas four at the time.
CASHING IN
Making its opponents pay for its mistakes has been a theme for Ole Miss during conference play, as the Rebels averaged 15.2 points per game off of turnovers.
In three out of 16 SEC games, Ole Miss returned its opponents turnovers for 25 or more points. At Texas A&M, the Rebels returned Aggie turnovers for 25 points, while the Aggies were only able to score two.
1,500 CLUB
While Lashonda Monk hit the 1,500 career point milestone last month, Shakira Austin and Angel Bakereclipsed the mark with 11 and 20 points against LSU.
The three are one of 82 active players in Division I with 1,500 career points. Ole Miss is only one of four programs nationally with three 1,500 point scorers on its roster.
HOLDING ON AT ALL COSTS
While the Aggies struggled to take care of the ball, Ole Miss did an exceptional job of it. The Rebels bested its season-low nine turnovers against South Florida, with a total of six at Texas A&M.
The six were the fewest in a single-game in the Yolett McPhee-McCuin era, and the lowest in any game since January of 2018 at Florida.
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.
With another 80 point outing against the Aggies, it was the first time in program history that Ole Miss has recorded three straight 80 point games in SEC play.
CRASH THE BOARDS
Off the glass against Mississippi State in Oxford, 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.
Ole Miss bested this once again this season, outrebounding Auburn by a margin of +22 on The Plains.
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 16 SEC games, Ole Miss forced average of 16.1 turnovers per game. Six out of 16 conference opponents turned the ball over 20 or more times, with Florida surrendering an SEC opponent high of 25, followed by Tennessee with 22 and then Alabama with 21 in three consecutive games
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 place second in the SEC with an average of 4.31 turnovers less than their opponent each game. This also ranks 37th in all of Division I.
Against Texas A&M, in Bryan-College Station the six turnovers surrendered to the Aggies, were the fewest in any game this season by the Rebels.
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 in Oxford, to set a new-career high.
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 435.
The graduate transfer has a total of 60 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.
With two steals at Mississippi State, Monk cracked the top-20 in NCAA history.
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 172 and second in makes at 117.
SHINING AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
With 26 points against No. 7 Tennessee, Shakira Austin loves to pour it on against ranked opponents.
In her 16 games against ranked opponents as a Rebel, she is currently averaging 17.3 points and 912 rebounds per game.
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 15 of 29 games this season.
The Rebels have accumulated a total of 277 steals this season ranking second in the SEC and 29th in Division I.
DEFENSE > OFFENSE
The Rebels continue to slow down their opponents at a record pace, in 29 Ole Miss has held 10 opponents under 50 points for a program record.
Ole Miss currently ranks No. 24 nationally in scoring defense and second in the SEC, allowing an average of 55.7 points per game.
The pressure on the opposite side of the ball has proven to be too much, as the Rebels rank second in the conference forcing an average of 18.55 turnovers per game.
OFF THE LINE
Three-point defense has been a point of emphasis during the Coach Yo era, with 71 of 110 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)
21-of-29 (72.4%)
DEFENSE ON LOCK
The Rebels have been unstoppable on the defensive side of the ball, holding their opponents to an average of 55.7 points per game.
The 44 points allowed to the Lady Techsters was the first time since the 2011-2012 season that Ole Miss 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 eighth 20 plus assist against Texas A&M with 22.
Lashonda Monk tied a career-high with nine against the New Orleans, tying the most in a single-game by a Rebel in 2021.
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.
