Madison Scott continues doing 'whatever' is needed, guides Ole Miss into the second round
Saturday was not going to be Madison Scott’s final game of the season and she made sure the Ole Miss women’s basketball team continued dancing in South Bend, Indiana.
With a game-high 20 points Scott put the 7 Seed Rebels on her back and willed them to a 67-55 win over 10 Seed Marquette inside Purcell Pavilion on the Notre Dame campus. Ole Miss will now play host and 2 Seed Notre Dame on Monday for a berth into a second straight Sweet 16 on the line.
The first round matchup with the Golden Eagles was going to be tough and it proved to be so with Ole Miss only up by three heading to the fourth quarter. Scott’s 12 points in the second half proved to be the difference.
“Just doing whatever my team needs me to do,” Scott said. “Whether that’s scoring, rebounding, leading. Anything to be successful I’m going to do that.”
That’s the mentality Scott has brought into every game this season since the KK Deans injury. Putting on the hard hat and going to work in whatever role Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin put her in on a game-by-game basis.
Saturday was more of the same as Scott pulled down six rebounds to go with four assists.
“As far as my game’s concerned I just work really hard,” Scott said. “But I think it’s just my teammates and my coaches. Coaches and their game plan. My teammates trusting me and passing the ball to me and vice versa. We trust each other out there. All of us have a role out there that we talked about and tonight it was just an example of us going out there and doing our role.”
The win needed a complete team effort and Ole Miss got that in reaching the second round for a consecutive year.
Kennedy Todd-Williams scored 15 points followed by Tyia Singleton’s 12 points. Kharyssa Richardson chipped in 10 points for a total of four Rebels in double figures.
The defense tightened down in the second half after Marquette controlled things through the first quarter and kept the Rebels lead in the second quarter no more than six points.
Ole Miss outscored Marquette 31-22 in the second half to punch its ticket to a date against the Fighting Irish who beat 15 Seed Kent State in the first game of the day in South Bend.
“There are no more bright lights for (Scott),” McCuin said. “My whole starting five has been in the Sweet 16. Even Kennedy has played in the Sweet 16. They are ready for these moments.”
