On3 Things to Know: Ole Miss going for first win at Mississippi State in 15 years

OXFORD, Miss. | Ole Miss women’s basketball is set to travel to Starkville, Mississippi, on Sunday to take on Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum for its second SEC game of the season.

Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT and will be broadcasted on SEC Network.

“We’re going to have to fight,” Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said of the matchup. “We’re going to have to be aggressive and block out the noise. I’m sure it’s going to be a lot of anxiety for (former Bulldog) Myah (Taylor).

“So, we’re going to have to have her back. It’s tough to win games on the road in the SEC. Last year we had to do it and sometimes we barely got out alive.”

Let’s take a closer look at the matchup, with game notes provided by Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations.

TEAM FACTS

Ole Miss Rebels (12-2, 1-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin | 5th Season at Ole Miss (66-68) | 10th Season in Career (160-131)

Mississippi State (12-2, 1-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Sam Purcell | 1st Season at Mississippi State (12-2) | 1st Season in Career (12-2)

ON THE AIR

Television/Online: SECN
Play by Play: Roy Philpot
Analyst: Brooke Wisebrod

Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Station: 105.1 FM
Play by Play: Graham Doty

SERIES HISTORY

Sunday’s meeting will be the 102nd time the Rebels have taken on their in-state rival, the Mississippi State Bulldogs. In one of the greatest rivalries in the nation, the two teams have been battling back and forth since 1975 with Ole Miss holding the overall lead 64-38 against Mississippi State.

Last season, Ole Miss snapped the Bulldogs 14-game winning streak when they defeated MSU at Oxford, 86-71. Mississippi State tied it back up, however, when it took down the Rebels in Starkville, 70-59.

A win on Sunday would give Ole Miss its first win in Starkville since February 18, 2007, when the Rebels came out victorious 86-84 in overtime. Overall, the Rebels hold a 25-21 lead when they travel south to Starkville.

FIRST MEETING: 01/23/75 – UM, 90-76, at Oxford | LAST MEETING: 02/13/22 – MSU,  70-59, at Starkville

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

Mississippi State enters the game 12-2 of the season after gaining a win in its SEC opener against Vanderbilt in Nashville, 72-44. In head coach Steve Purcell’s first season for MSU, the Bulldogs are currently riding a seven-game winning streak heading into the rivalry matchup.

Sunday’s game will be a defensive battle between the two teams as Mississippi State is fourth in the nation and second in the SEC in scoring defense, holding teams to 50.1 points per game. The Bulldogs also rank third in the nation and third in the conference in defensive field goal percentage (30.8).

Jessika Carter is the key to the Bulldog defense as she leads the SEC in blocks (38) and blocks per game (2.71). Carter recently earned her 1,000th point in her career at Vanderbilt.

LAST TIME OUT

Ole Miss secured its first SEC win of the season in a dominant 79-47 victory over the Auburn Tigers at SJB Pavilion on Thursday night.

Ole Miss outrebounded the Tigers, 53-37, while forcing 18 turnovers to contribute to the 32-point margin win. With the help of 10 out of 11 Rebels putting points on the board, Ole Miss obtained its largest SEC victory since 2007.

Angel Baker (18), Snudda Collins (15) and Madison Scott (13) all grabbed double-figures. Myah Taylor added five assists, while Destiny Salary earned a career-high in rebounds (10).

The Ole Miss defense held Auburn to 25.0 percent from the field, the lowest SEC opponent field goal percentage since the 1989-90 season.

SEC STATEMENT

In Ole Miss’ first SEC game of the 2022-23 season, the Rebels held nothing back as they lead for the entirety of the game against the Auburn Tigers. With the 79-47 win, Ole Miss earned its largest margin victory in SEC play since February 11, 2007 when the Rebels defeated Alabama 84-43.

The Rebels held Auburn to a 25.0 field goal percentage. That is the lowest the Ole Miss defense has held a team in SEC play since January 6th, 1990 where the Rebels held Alabama to a 19.3 field goal percentage.

NOT A SCRATCH

The Auburn Tigers went 0-for-10 from 3-point range, a season-best for the Rebel defense. Last season, Ole Miss accomplished perfect beyond the arch defense three times in conference play.

BAKER = BUCKET

Angel Baker was key for Ole Miss as she was unstoppable from the beginning by putting up 13 points in just the first quarter – the most points in a quarter by Baker this season.

Overall, the guard went 8-for-14 from the field to grab 18 points and six rebounds. This is Baker’s second straight game in double-figures.

MY OH MY MADI

Madison Scott earned double-doubles in three straight games to finish the non-conference season, putting up big numbers against Jacksonville (19 points, 17 rebounds), McNeese (18 points, 10 rebounds), and Temple (16 points, 10 rebounds).

The last time a Rebel had three straight double-doubles for Ole Miss was Shakira Austin versus Lamar, LA Tech, and Jackson State in 2021.

The junior grabbed double-digits eight times this season and obtained six double-doubles overall for this year.

Overall, Scott has led Ole Miss in rebounds (10x), points (4x), and assists (2x) so far this year. Out of the Rebels’ 14 games, Scott has had 5+ rebounds in 12 of them.

Against Jacksonville and McNeese, Scott had a milestone-filled stretch, as she has not only earned new season highs in points (19) and steals (3), but has also tallied career-best marks in rebounds (17), assists (5), field goals (8) and free throws (8). Against McNeese, Scott secured her 500th career rebound.

DEFENSE LEAD BY DESTINY

Destiny Salary was an added bonus off the bench for Ole Miss in its SEC opener versus Auburn. Salary led the defense to achieve a new career-high in rebounds with 10 boards.

The junior also added four points, three assists, and two steals to the mix to play a key part in the Ole Miss victory.

OFF THE BOARDS

Ole Miss currently ranks 13th in the nation in offensive rebounds, putting up 228 offensive boards so far this season and averaging 16.3 off the glass.

Madison Scott leads for the Rebels in rebounds, averaging 9.3 boards a game. Scott has secured double-digits in rebounds in four out of the last five games for Ole Miss.

#WEDEFEND

Ole Miss is catching national attention in its defensive efforts. The Rebel defense currently ranks 10th in the nation in scoring defense, holding teams to only 52.4 points. The Rebels also rank 11th in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to an average of 33.8 percent.

Ole Miss is 12-0 when holding its opponent to 60 points and under. 

TAYLOR DROPPING DIMES

Grad transfer Myah Taylor is in high rankings among the Southeastern Conference as the No. 1 active career leader in assists (499). Taylor leads the category with a margin of +118 assists.

The Mississippi-native also is 2nd in the SEC active career leaders for steals with 218 career steals.

UP NEXT

The Rebels will return home to host Vanderbilt on January 5th. The game is set for a 6 p.m. tip and broadcast on SEC Network+.