Ole Miss Women’s Basketball is headed to Greenville, S.C., for the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Lady Rebels enter this year’s competition as the No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 Mississippi State today.
Mississippi State beat Missouri in the first round of tournament play 75-55. This win marked the first postseason tournament win for Mississippi State Head Coach Sam Purcell.
In the 2024 SEC Tournament, Ole Miss made it to the semifinals after defeating Florida in the first round. Ultimately, the Lady Rebels fell to LSU 75-67 and missed out on a spot in the SEC Championship game.
The Lady Rebels finished regular season competition at 19-9 overall and 10-6 in SEC play. Some of their notable wins this season include Top 10 wins over No. 8 Kentucky and No. 7 LSU. Ole Miss also clinched a Top 25 win against then No. 23 Vanderbilt.
Following their Top 10 upset over LSU on March 2, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin became the first coach in program history to achieve more than 10 conference wins in four consecutive seasons.
This season, senior guard Madison Scott and senior forward Starr Jacobs have been standout leaders for Ole Miss.
Scott led the team in points, averaging 11.9 per game. Scott also led Ole Miss in assists and blocks, averaging 3.8 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.
Jacobs led the Rebels in rebounds, averaging 6.6 per game.
During the regular season, Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State 71-63.
The Bulldogs have a weaker season record than the Rebels, as they finished 7-9 in conference play and 21-10 overall.
Despite their lower ranking, Mississippi State recorded more points and rebounds than Ole Miss.
Senior guard Jerkaila Jordan led the Bulldogs in points this season, averaging 16 per game. They also were strong with rebounding, as junior Madina Okot led the team with an average of 9.4 rebounds per game.
In their first round win against the Tigers, four State players reached double digits in scoring. Destin McPhaul scored 19 points, Okot Madina scored 12 points and Eniya Russell scored 10 points. Jordan led the team with 21 points, and Madina led the team in rebounds with eight.
Jordan and McPhaul combined for 40 points to push a 30-0 run against the Tigers in the final minutes of the game. Additionally, the Bulldogs forced 20 turnovers.
If Ole Miss wins and moves onto the quarterfinals, they will face No. 2 Texas on Friday, March 7.
Tip off for Thursday’s match is set for 5 p.m. and can be streamed on SEC Network.
