Fourth quarter struggles follow Ole Miss on the road in loss at Mississippi State
Three Southeastern Conference games have seen Ole Miss show an inability to close out strong. The first one against LSU let a chance to beat a Top 10 team slip away, the second saw a double-digit lead shrink quickly in a win over Auburn and the third cost a chance for a third straight win over an in-state rival.
On a cold and wintry day in North Mississippi the Rebels went cold in the final 10 minutes inside Humphrey Coliseum to lose to Mississippi State, 69-57, in Starkville.
Ole Miss (12-5, 2-2 SEC) failed score in the final six minutes of the game and were outscored by the Bulldogs (15-4, 2-2) 20-6 in the fourth quarter. A 53.3 percent clip in the third quarter allowed the Rebels to take the lead heading into the final 10 minutes only to lose it instantly.
Throughout the entire game Ole Miss looked out of sync and disjointed with communication lacking for rebounds and passes, leading to 18 turnovers. The Bulldogs scored 13 points off them.
Mississippi turned the ball over on three straight possessions in the fourth quarter and Ole Miss came away with zero points, turning it over once themselves on the other end.
Marquesha Davis led the team with 19 points and Snudda Collins was the only other Rebel to finish in double figures with 12 points.
The Madison Scott as point guard experiment Ole Miss is doing is starting to show some cracks.
With KK Deans done for the year since her injury in November Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin turned to her senior forward to become a make shift point guard.
For the first two games of conference play it was smooth sailing but a stagnant and stifled offense, which is not a potent one on a good day, caused Scott to struggle between trying to generate offense for her teammates while also for herself.
Scott finished with six points and three assists, her lowest total since making the move to the point.
This move looks to be one McCuin is going to stick with, trusting in her experienced player instead of thrusting one of the two freshmen point guards into a pivotal role in the teeth of SEC play.
Ole Miss gets a week off before traveling to Georgia next Sunday for a Noon CT tipoff.
