The Ole Miss Women’s Basketball team showed Marquette University the strength of the Southeastern Conference, as they beat the Golden Eagles 67-55. The Lady Rebels, led by star guard/forward Madison Scott, did what they were supposed to, beating 10-seeded Marquette after a four-quarter battle on Saturday, March 23.
With this win, Ole Miss now has a date with No. 2 Notre Dame on the Fighting Irish’s home court.
First half:
The Rebels had a height advantage from the jump, and they consistently used it to their advantage on the glass, snagging rebound after rebound. It was a chippy, physical game from start to finish, even getting aggressive at times.
Lady Rebel guard Marquesha Davis had two quick fouls that put her on the bench, which threatened to become a problem for the team. With all the hard play, Ole Miss ended the first quarter down by two points and with plenty of work to do.
Conversely, the second quarter belonged to the Lady Rebels, as they consistently stifled the Lady Golden Eagles’ offense. Ole Miss controlled the pace and physicality all quarter long, imposing their will on the offensive side of the ball.
In a very close end to the quarter, in which both teams traded the lead, the Lady Rebels managed to go into halftime with a three-point advantage. Lady Rebel guard Kennedy Todd-Williams led the charge with 10 points.
Second half:
The third quarter was quite similar to the second, with both teams refusing to give up any ground and the Rebels holding onto their three-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Ole Miss continued to dominate the boards, and they finally got into their press defense, which would prove to be crucial toward the end of the match.
Scott made it clear that she would be the reason that the Rebels won the game, as she started to take over in the fourth quarter. She could not be stopped; any shot she attempted seemed to find the bottom of the net.
After pushing the lead to 11 points, Todd-Williams provided some clutch shots for Ole Miss that forced Marquette to play the foul game down late. Fortunately, the Rebels held on and grabbed a double-digit win to advance to the next round.
Weird stat of the game
There was a grand total of five three-pointers attempted by the Lady Rebels. They made two of them, both from Todd-Williams. The Rebels are not really a team that shoots threes, so five attempts is certainly a strange stat from the game — especially a game that Ole Miss ended up winning.
Round of 32 matchup
The Ole Miss Lady Rebels have a tough game ahead of them, as they will play against No. 2 Notre Dame on Monday, March 25, at 1 p.m. CT. They will need to bring their A-game to beat the Fighting Irish.
