Ole Miss Women’s Basketball struggled offensively in its 72-51 win over North Alabama on Nov. 5 at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion. The Rebels trailed at the end of each of the first two quarters, struggling to keep up with the Lions’ offensive tempo and initial success from beyond the arc.
Finishing its opening game against Alcorn State 5-of-23 from 3-point range, Ole Miss looked very poor from beyond the arc against North Alabama. Finishing the night 4-of-14 from long range, the early season shooting woes plaguing the Lady Rebels look to be more than just a one-night blip.
Ole Miss will need to establish an offensive identity if it wants to be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive season come March.
While neither period was inherently good for the Lady Rebels, the first half saw Ole Miss struggle mightily. Ending the first quarter 5-of-18 from the field, North Alabama’s 14-11 lead felt a lot larger than just three points.
The second quarter was much the same for the Lady Rebels, as Jada Richard continued to be the team’s driving offensive force, totaling nine first-half points, though struggling from the charity stripe, shooting a mere 1-of-4 on free throws.
The most memorable moment of the first half came from an elbow thrown by North Alabama’s Marckalia Celestine, striking Lady Rebel Jade Tillman in the jaw. Following a brief review, Celestine was given a flagrant one violation, though Ole Miss would go on to miss both free throws upon the restart.
While neither side shot effectively from range, the Lions were able to stay out of reach with their slightly stronger 3-point shooting, forcing the Lady Rebels to often take shots well out of their usual repertoire.
Coming out of halftime rejuvenated and energized by head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s team talk, Ole Miss regained some of the footing it had after the Kids Day victory earlier this week.
“We have to play our way,” McPhee-McCuin said in a postgame press conference. “You’re gonna have to win this game. We don’t make the layups for you, we put you in position and you’re gonna have to win it.”
Needing a boost after the bleak first-half showing, the Lady Rebels delivered and outscored their first-half total with 26 third-quarter points.
Ole Miss continued its second-half dominance, starting the fourth quarter with six unanswered points and putting the game out of reach. The Lady Rebels ended the night with 47 second-half points, completely dominating the Lions in the second period of play.
Despite finishing with a commanding lead, Ole Miss lacked any fluidity offensively, continuing the trend of isolation-based play, often leaving Richard on an island and seeing what the LSU transfer could pull out of her bag of tricks.
This lack of offensive style is jarring from McPhee-McCuin’s side. The Lady Rebels survived off of individual brilliance last season from Cotie McMahon, who is now in the WNBA with the Washington Mystics.Losing Latasha Lattimore and Christeen Iwuala as well, the Lady Rebels do not have a single microwave scorer anymore, requiring an offensive scheme to be established sooner rather than later. Competition will only get tougher nearing the conference slate.
What’s next?
The Lady Rebels will remain at the SJB Pavilion, returning to action Nov. 11 for a showdown with the University of Albany Great Danes for a 6:00 p.m. tip on SEC Network+.
