No. 25 Ole Miss relies on youth, bench in 34-point win over Mississippi Valley State
The Ole Miss women’s basketball team is no longer trying to get into the NCAA Tournament. That mountain top has been conquered already. Now it is about seeding and trying to get that hosting bid.
Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin knows this and understands why Saturday’s game against Mississippi Valley State is important for that reason. The No. 25-ranked Rebels beat the Devils 78-44 inside the SJB Pavilion.
These non-conference games, especially around the Christmas break, are easy for focus to be lost with family and other obligations serving as distractions. Ole Miss (8-3) made sure that did not happen with a 42-18 second half performance after only a 12-point lead at halftime
“I thought that Maddie (Scott) and Kennedy (Todd-Williams) leadership today was incredible in the locker room,” McCuin said. “I didn’t have to say a word. They did a lot of the talking. Because the NET still matters and how it looks still matters for us.
“We’re no longer trying to get into the tournament. We’re not in the tournament I’ll be shocked. For us, it’s not about getting to the tournament. It’s about seeding and so we have to fight that because we’re not the ‘sexy’ team. Everything we get we’re going to have to earn and they knew that and they were talking to the team about that and that’s why we were able to create some separation.”
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The Rebels were sitting at No. 17 in the NET ranking entering Saturday’s game
McCuin and Ole Miss was without a couple players, who set out for precautionary and injury reasons, including transfer guard Tameiya Sadler. This put the emphasis on her bench, which is not a bad thing as learning about depth is still needed with one game left before conference play begins on January 2.
True freshman Fatu Djalo saw 14 minutes of action as did junior transfer Christeen Iwuala. The pair combined for 8 points, all from Iwuala who also had five rebounds.
“We have a lot of people that are trying to figure out their roles,” McCuin said. “I really like my first five. I even liked (Kharyssa Richardson) in there today. We held Tam out today, so it was really good to see Rich in there today and be productive and really work hard to be good, defensively.”
Freshman Sira Thienou led all scorers with 18 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes of action. Scott and Starr Jacobs finished with 13 points each While Richardson and Todd-Williams each had 12 points.
Ole Miss is off until hosting Alcorn State on December 30 to wrap up non-conference play.
