Yo McPhee-McCuin pays homage to Pat Summitt following third win over Tennessee in 30 years

The Ole Miss women’s basketball team continued their winning ways on Sunday, defeating Tennessee at home 80-75 to extend their winning streak to three games and push their record to 15-5 on the season ahead of February. With the victory representing Ole Miss’ third over the Lady Vols in the last three decades.

The win also marked the first over the Lady Volunteers for Rebels head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin since she took over the program in 2018, as she turned the program around from a 9–22 record in her first season at the helm to two straight 20+ win seasons in her past two seasons in Oxford.

After the game, McPhee-McCuin opened up about the significance of Sunday’s win over the Lady Vols.

“When the buzzer sounded, I got super emotional,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Now there are only two teams I haven’t beaten (in the SEC).”

McPhee-McCuin got the monkey off her back after entering Sunday’s matchup 0-7 against Tennessee during her tenure with the Rebels. But she also explained how the influence of legendary Lady Volunteers head coach Pat Summitt played a major impact on her emotions following the game.

“I have so much love for Pat Summit’s legacy,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Pat Summit was the first female coach that I was able to witness. I had never seen a woman coach until I saw Pat Summit. I love Pat Summit.”

“This means a lot. Every time we play Tennessee, y’all, I swear I feel Pat’s spirit. It’s not like I played for. I only met her a couple of times. But this is someone who mentored me from afar. So, for me, beating Tennessee means a lot. More importantly, it puts us in a good position as far as our standings are concerned.”

Many regard Summitt as the greatest women’s basketball coach of all time after she led Tennessee to eight national championships and 16 SEC regular season and tournament titles apiece in her 38 seasons as the Lady Vols head coach.

She was a transcendent figure in the sport with a powerful legacy that inspired many even after she died in 2016, clearly including McPhee-McCuin in her own respective career as a women’s head coach.

Marquesha Davis led Ole Miss with 23 points against Tennessee, recording her second straight 23-point game and leading the Rebels in scoring for the tenth game this season.