The Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball team faced off against No. 1 Texas in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, the Rebels fell 70-63 to end their tournament run.
Guard KK Deans led the way for the Rebels with 20 points, one rebound and two assists. It was a tough game for Ole Miss as both Starr Jacobs and Helios Carrera fouled out of the game. On the whole, the team had 27 fouls.
The Longhorns proved that they are the number one team, but the Rebels proved they can hang with the best, showing significant hope for the NCAA Tournament.
First half
The Rebels started out with a bigger lineup with Christeen Iwuala getting the start at center. The game moved fast with 11 points being scored within the first three minutes. Texas held the advantage early, holding a two point lead at the first timeout.
The lead expanded to six and stayed three for the rest of the first quarter. It was a high scoring first quarter as both teams combined for 40 points with Texas holding the aforementioned six point lead.
The Rebels shot under 50% from the field in the first, something they needed to fix moving forward.
The second quarter started out with Texas holding their lead as Ole Miss struggled to shoot. An and-one for Madison Scott shortened the Longhorn’s lead to four. Texas quickly regained that six point lead, continuing to hold the Rebel offense at bay. Nine turnovers hurt the Rebels for the entirety of the first half, but it wouldn’t significantly hurt them.
The first half was defined by fouls. Ole Miss had 12 fouls in the first half alone, and multiple players in foul trouble. Texas had the lead at the half with a score of 40-33.
Second half
The second half continued the same way the first ended, with Texas in ther lead. The lead expanded to ten for the Longhorns as they were successful with shooting in the painted area.
Texas started to impose their will from all over the court, completely shutting down the Ole Miss offense in the third quarter, with the Rebels missing 13 straight shots.
The Longhorn lead grew to double digits and they never looked back for the rest of the third quarter. Ole Miss entered the fourth quarter down 13 and on an eight-minute field goal drought and only scoring seven the entirety of the quarter.
The fouls caught up to the Rebels in the fourth quarter, as Texas were getting way too many free throws. Ole Miss showed signs of life, cutting the lead down to eight, signifying that they won’t give up until the final whistle blows. Deans was the catalyst for an Ole Miss comeback, hitting a barrage of threes to shorten the lead.
The Rebels were down four with a minute remaining and Texas’ best player fouling out. Texas was able to hold on to their narrow lead, winning 70-63 and ending the Lady Rebel’s tournament run.
