No. 25 Ole Miss Women’s Basketball (18-5, 6-4 SEC) fell 68-64 to No. 15 LSU (19-4, 7-4 SEC) in a hard-fought battle Monday night at the SJB Pavilion. However, Shakira Austin and Angel Baker both had memorable nights, reaching the 1,500-career point mark.

University of Mississippi guard Lashonda Monk dribbles down the court during a game against Georgia on Jan. 30, 2022. The UM women’s basketball team fell 68-64 against No. 14 LSU on Feb. 7, 2022. Photo by HG Biggs.

Despite scoring the first bucket of the game, the Rebels got off to a slow start. Following the first points scored, the Tigers went on an 8-0 run. Ole Miss responded with some lockdown defense and a 7-0 run of their own, retaking the lead. In a back and forth affair, LSU then went on a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead and end the first quarter.

The Rebels struggled with scoring throughout the second quarter until they sparked a 6-0 run, which cut LSU’s lead to 27-23 heading into the locker room.

The Rebels came out hot offensively in the second half, bringing the score to 27 even. However, consecutive turnovers for Ole Miss led to the Tigers taking an 11 point lead.

The Rebels never gave up, with an 8-0 run bringing them within 4 points with under 60 seconds left in the contest. The Tigers made the necessary free throws to ultimately pull out the 68-64 road win.

After the game, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin was asked about the team’s performance over the stretch of four ranked opponents in five games.

“Would we like to win those games right now? I mean, absolutely. You’re at home, you have a little crowd. You want to try and win those games when you can. But we’re going to continue to collect and learn. Because we have a lot more basketball to go, and I’m not talking about just regular season…I think it’s going to help us make a strong run in the SEC tournament,” Coach Yo said. “It’s like you keep taking these tests, you keep taking tests, you keep taking tests. You’re learning.”

The Rebels documented a 40% field goal percentage compared to the Tigers 37.3%. However, the Rebels went just 2 for 12 on threes, shooting a mere 16.7% from beyond the arc.

Ole Miss was led by Baker with 20 points, followed by Austin with 11 and Lashonda Monk with 10. Madison Scott made a huge impact on the boards, coming out with a season-high 15 rebounds. The Ole Miss bench was also a difference-maker tonight, recording 32 of the 64 points.

The Rebels will head to Starkville for their next battle against rival Mississippi State on Sunday (Feb. 13) at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.