No. 20 Ole Miss and No. 3 Southern California went head-to-head in the Aflac Oui-Play Tournament in Paris to kick off both of their seasons. In a back and forth game, the Trojans escaped and found their first win, while the Rebels dropped to 0-1.
Despite solid comeback efforts from Ole Miss in the fourth quarter, the Rebels fell short in their shooting. Ole Miss finished the game with a 30% shooting average, while USC finished with 40%.
Some key returning players for the Rebels include guards Kennedy Todd-Williams and Madison Scott. As for the Trojans, Juju Watkins and forward Kiki Iriafen will look to carry the team for the season.
USC was the first to put points on the board, but Ole Miss answered right back with a three-pointer from Scott to make an early statement. In the first quarter of play, the Rebels kept up with the Trojans in a back-and-forth scoring frenzy. Ole Miss ended the first quarter down by one, making the score 16-15.
The second quarter helped the Trojans find their footing, and they took off past the Rebels in scores. Ole Miss put up 10, but USC put up 22. The combination of Watkins and Iriafen were the keys to this fast paced Trojan offense. Watkins averaged 27 points per game in her freshman season with USC.
With help from Iriafen, the Trojans led a strong offense complimented by their defense to steal the first half and lead by double-digits, with a score of 37-26.
Ole Miss regrouped for the second half, recording 19 points and keeping the Trojans at 15 in the third quarter, but they still trailed 52-45 entering the final quarter of play.
The Rebels kicked off the fourth period on a 12-4 run, forcing USC into a timeout. Ole Miss held the Trojans scoreless for eight straight minutes, and the Rebels were able to creep their score back even, cutting it down to the wire in the final seconds.
For the Lady Rebels, Scott rounded out the day with 14 points, and guard KK Deans finished with 17 points.
At the end of the game, the Rebels and Trojans were tied 66-66 with nine seconds left, and a foul from Deans put the Trojans in scoring position. Iriafen made both free throws for the Trojans and found their lead that helped escape the game with a win.
For USC, Watkins shot 27 points, and Iriafen shot 22 to end the day. On the Rebel’s side, Scott ended with 14 points and Deans with 17.
What’s Next?
The Rebels will return home to Oxford to host Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
