The Ole Miss Women’s Basketball team dominated Lane College 112-37 in an exhibition match in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion on Oct. 28. This was the first time that “Team 52” played together in a game against an opponent, and, despite the massive win, the lack of chemistry showed in the first half.
During the postgame press conference, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin spoke on the culture of the team and how the players came together on the court.
“It’s a work in progress. This team has really good days, and then has not-so-good days,” McPhee-McCuin said. “That’s just a process of a new team. They have no one to look to to say, ‘OK, this is the standard, this is how we play.’ The leadership comes pretty much from the coaching staff, and we’re not on the floor.”
From the tip, it was clear that defense is an area of heavy focus for McPhee-McCuin. Though the Lady Rebels lost the tip-off, they got an immediate stop.
Jada Richard sank the first bucket for the Lady Rebels, and heavy pressure on the Dragons’ inbound allowed the Lady Rebels to take possession. Lauren Jacobs got two points from the turnover.
Forcing turnovers was a big strength for the Lady Rebels, and throughout the first quarter and into the second, almost every Lady Rebel on the court got involved.
In one instance, Talaysia Cooper snuck up behind a Dragon player and knocked the ball away. Jaida Civil also looked impressive, and at one point, she flew through the air to intercept the pass over half court. In the first half, however, Rachael Okokoh was particularly impactful for the Lady Rebels.
At 6 feet 4 inches, Okokoh was the tallest player on the floor, as Emily Howard was sidelined with a leg brace, a point McPhee-McCuin addressed.
“(Howard) had a knee injury that is going to hold out for a little while. We expect her to return, we just don’t know when. It will probably be later than sooner,” McPhee-McCuin said.
With Howard out, Okokoh’s height was helpful in securing defensive rebounds and forcing the Dragons into difficult shots in the paint. On offense, she was a bright spot and towered over opponents to make buckets, secure her own rebounds and kick the ball out to others. Okokoh spoke about her mentality after the game.
“I know what I want to be. (I want to) get a rebound, set good screens (and) set my teammates up,” Okokoh said.
However, the Lady Rebels were unable to capitalize on many of the opportunities they created. At times, there was confusion on where the players should be on the floor, specifically fast breaks.
In those cases, the Lady Rebels did not always take advantage of numbers and slowed the pace down to set up plays. They experienced some success in the halfcourt offense, but the fast break will need to improve.
In contrast, fast pace of play often helped the Lady Rebels in the first half. Cooper had a quick steal and drove to the basket with no hesitation, scoring an easy basket. The Lady Rebels finished the first quarter with 28 points and ended the first half up 54-15.
Back from halftime, the Lady Rebels found their offensive rhythm and, with seven minutes left in the third quarter, really sped up.
Better ball movement created opportunities for better shots. Civil caught a bounce pass in transition for a wide-open basket. On the next play, Richard swished a deep 3-pointer.
That sequence fueled the Lady Rebels, and Knisha Godfrey drove hard to the basket for an and-one bucket, but missed on the opportunity for a 3-point play.
An important note was the Lady Rebels’ lack of 3-point shooters. The Lady Rebels did not attempt many triples and were ineffective from 3-point range.
Ole Miss ended the third quarter with a football pass from Charleen Hudson to Civil, who made an easy layup to move the score to 89-18.
In the fourth quarter, McPhee-McCuin rotated players in and out more. With under seven minutes left to play, McPhee-McCuin sent in a full batch of five players who maintained pressure.
The Lady Rebels won 112-37, but overall, it did not look like the Lady Rebels was fully defined yet. Yes, they displayed stout defense and a slow-paced offense to start, but McPhee-McCuin affirmed that she was letting players test their abilities.
“I’m going to play as many (players) as I can early on and give them an opportunity to show me something. It’s that kind of season where I don’t know either (who’s going to play),” McPhee-McCuin said. “I’m looking forward to learning and working with Team 52.”
