The Ole Miss women’s basketball program secured a win against No. 14 Kentucky, 72-60, on Thursday night, ending a six-game losing streak.
Ole Miss finally put the pieces together after struggling to finish strong on the court, costing the team loss after loss. The Rebels have lost their SEC games by an average of 6.6 points per game and struggled on the defensive end this season.
“I’m extremely grateful for the win, extremely grateful for our players having resilience and not breaking,” head coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin said. “The focus for the last couple of days was on finishing, and I thought we did a good job doing that tonight.”
Ole Miss forced eight turnovers and tallied seven blocks and four steals on the night. A key to the Rebels’ success was keeping the Wildcats shooting at 31.8% from the field, while Ole Miss shot an impressive 48.2%. The Rebels held a 13 point lead going into halftime and maintained their lead the entire game.
Junior Shakira Austin logged her fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Austin is now 76 points away from becoming the 31st Rebel to reach 1,000 career points. Redshirt junior Mimi Reid also had a big game, scoring a season-high of 14 points and adding two rebounds and four assists to the game. Redshirt sophomore Donnetta Johnson tallied 12 points on the night with three rebounds and four assists, while freshman Madison Scott and senior Valerie Nesbitt each added nine points.
The Rebels are now 8-7 on the season with two wins and seven losses in the conference. The Wildcats are 13-5 this season with six wins and four losses in conference play. Kentucky, which previously ranked at No. 14, dropped to No. 15 nationally and at No. 4 in the SEC after the loss to Ole Miss. This was Ole Miss’s first win since the 62-58 victory against Auburn on Jan. 7.
This game marked the 43rd matchup between Ole Miss and Kentucky with the Rebels winning 24 of those games. Last year, Ole Miss lost to the Wildcats 52-94, and this is the Rebels’ first victory against the Wildcats since 2016 when they won 55-49.
The Rebels will head to Tuscaloosa to face the Alabama Crimson Tide next Thursday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.
