No. 19 Ole Miss Women’s Basketball took on Alcorn State at 11 a.m. in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford. The game was early to accommodate the kids’ day programming, where many elementary schoolers from Oxford, Tupelo, Miss., Tennessee and elsewhere come out and support the Rebels.
The kids definitely brought a hyper game day atmosphere and the thousands of screaming COVID babies can definitely be a scary sight for opposing teams.
First quarter
The Lady Rebels did not start off the game hot. By the midway point, they were 0-for-3 from the arc and 2-for-7 on field goals. They were also getting bullied at the rim, where the Lady Braves had eight boards compared to Ole Miss’ four.
Ole Miss did not seem to be running many plays to start the game. While Alcorn State was running off ball screens and motioning players for plays, Ole Miss was using a much more freelance offense. The team was cutting in and passing the ball out to an open player, but their success from the 3-point line leaves much to be desired.
It can be difficult to run a zone offense without many threats from the arc to take advantage of. There were several times where Alcorn left a completely wide open Ole Miss player that just could not hit their shots. The Lady Rebels were also 0-for-7 on 3-pointers to start the game.
Regardless of the offensive woes, Ole Miss played good defense. After the first quarter the score was only 10-6 in favor of the home team. The Lady Rebels were also keeping up full court pressure on the Lady Braves, which forced many mistakes or turnovers.
In a postgame press conference, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin commented about how she was glad to see the pressure that the team applied throughout the game but also was looking to work on it as the season progressed.
“With a shortened bench with Desrae (Kyles) being out, that’s another body we would be able to throw in there,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I thought it was overall okay. It’s something that we have to continue to work and then move on. It’s the first game of the season so if they continue to play hard and compete at the level they’re competing at, we should be ready to go.”
Second quarter
The first 3-pointer for Ole Miss came three minutes into the second quarter from guard Talaysia Cooper. Both teams were fouling each other and scoring from the line, but turnovers were apparent with the teams combining for 14 midway through the quarter.
Forward Doneelah Washington was carrying the Ole Miss defense with her outstanding six blocks midway through the quarter. She finished with seven for the game. McPhee-McCuin praised Washington for her defense, but also criticized her offensive efficiency.
“One of the things about Doneelah is that she has long arms so it kind of looks like she can’t get to the ball, but then she puts her hand up and contests the shot,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Offensively, I didn’t think she was really good today, but defensively she did some things that I don’t know that she’ll be able to do in other games.”
Guards Jada Richard and Cooper were finally able to string together multiple successful offensive possessions to put the Rebels up 24-14.
Alcorn State was not out of tricks though. Down 29-17, they threw a Hail Mary shot down the court and caught the Ole Miss defense lacking.
The first half ended with the Lady Rebels up 36-19. Ole Miss had recovered their shooting splits by going 11-for-27 on field goals, although they were definitely still unproductive from the 3-point line, only going 2-for-9.
The main difference between the teams is that Alcorn State was not able to make it to the free throw line. They were only 2-for-4 while Ole Miss was 12-for-17.
Ole Miss improved throughout the half, but they could definitely work on their shooting and rebounding. They only had six defensive rebounds to Alcorn State’s 12. Defensive rebounds are an excellent way to steal possessions from opponents and the Lady Rebels need to ensure that they are performing well in that aspect.
Third quarter
Ole Miss started out well with guard Jaida Civil’s layup to put the Rebels up 38-19. The game came to a halt after Alcorn State’s Arene Iyekekpolor went down hard near the rim and had to be checked out by medical personnel.
Ole Miss had several missed opportunities, but were also able to somehow cover the mistakes. Civil tipped a passed ball away but was unable to gather it for the steal. Following that, Richard was able to get a steal before forward Rachael Okokoh gathered an offensive rebound, shot and missed, gathered her own rebound, then shot an and-one.
The Lady Rebels still had success with steals, totaling nine midway through the third quarter. Their full court press style of play also kept Alcorn State smothered throughout the game. What they lacked in efficiency, they made up for in stamina.
Ole Miss’ shooting woes continued on one series where they missed four shots in a row but still gahered three offensive rebounds in a row to sustain the series.
Fourth quarter
The fourth quarter was much of the same, although the gap between the teams was much clearer. Alcorn State was clearly getting tired from the full court press and the Rebels were able to poke balls out, get wide open fastbreaks and look generally more confident.
They were even shooting better from the arc. They were 3-for-8 and finished the game 5-for-23.
What they lacked in 3-point efficiency, they made up for under the basket. Ole Miss was 16-for-22 on layups, many of which came on fastbreak opportunities. McPhee-McCuin expressed her lack of regard for the box score when it comes to making shots, especially 3-pointers.
“Maybe it’s anxiety, as long as they take good shots I don’t really get caught up on how many they make or miss,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I do think out of the 23 3-pointers we took that about eight of them I would not advise us to take, so that’s something we have to continue to cut down.”
What’s next?
The Lady Rebels take on North Alabama Thursday, Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. at the Pavilion. SEC+ Network will broadcast the game.
