No. 18 Ole Miss Women’s Basketball defeated No. 5 Oklahoma 74-69 in Norman, Okla., on Jan. 8. Fresh off a close loss to the No. 2 Texas Longhorns, the Rebels bounced back to pull off the upset and hand the Sooners their second loss of the season, snapping Oklahoma’s 13-game win streak over Ole Miss.
First Half
The Lady Rebels opened the game with seven unanswered points and the defense held the Sooners to just free throws for half the quarter. Ole Miss dominated, knocking down shot after shot. They finished the first quarter with a 25-13 lead.
But Oklahoma stormed back, and Ole Miss began to falter. In the second quarter, the Lady Rebels shot just 28% from the field while the Sooners went 7-of-16 (43%) to cut the Rebel lead to just three. The Rebels ended the half up 35-32 after a buzzer-beater two-pointer from forward Latasha Lattimore.
Second Half
The Lady Rebels managed to open a small gap, but the Sooners kept the game tight. Ole Miss led by five at the end of the third quarter, 57-52.
The back-and-forth that marked the third quarter continued well into the fourth. The Lady Rebels relinquished the lead at the 6:19 mark when Oklahoma guard Payton Verhulst hit a layup to cap a seven-point run and put the Sooners ahead 59-57.
With just under two minutes to play the score was tied at 66. Guard/forward Cotie McMahon made a layup and, with 15 seconds left, sank two free throws to give the Rebels a 70-66 lead, which forced the Sooners to start fouling.
It was guard Debreasha Powe, a transfer from Mississippi State, who sealed the win for the Lady Rebels. She went 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the final seconds. The Lady Rebels won 74-69. McMahon led the Lady Rebels with 22 points, and guard Sira Thienou added 20.
In the postgame press conference, coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin applauded her players for battling so hard. She expects the team to continue to improve as conference play continues.
“We just never stopped believing in ourselves, and this is just the beginning,” McPhee-McCuin said. “This is just our third (SEC) game, and we’ll continue to learn and grow.”
She also remarked about what one of the things that makes these players so special — they are coachable.
“They are so hungry for knowledge, and they don’t resist (coaching),” McPhee-McCuin said. “Anytime I talk, they’re locked into what I’m saying. They’re listening, and they want it.”
What’s next?
Ole Miss Women’s Basketball will return to action against Mississippi State on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 5 p.m. in the Pavilion. SEC Network will broadcast the game.
