Caleb Harris
The Ole Miss Lady Rebels (21-7, 10-5 SEC) survived a stubborn Missouri Tigers team (17-11, 6-9) 72-64 on senior night in the SJB Pavilion on Thursday evening after an emotional loss to No.1 South Carolina on Sunday.
Ole Miss honored four seniors: Myah Taylor, Angel Baker, Tyia Singleton and Jordan Berry. All players have been pivotal pieces in elevating the team to the next level.
“The seniors that have come in and said that they wanted to be a part of this makes it more special,” head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said after the game. “Because the type of people they are, every last one of them are elite individuals…and so for me and my staff, we’re just grateful that we had a chance to mentor them.”
Combined, the group has played in 400 collegiate games. Such experience was vital to a gutsy win against Mizzou.
Ole Miss started out fast from behind the arch with Taylor, Marquesha Davis and Baker making three straight three-point shots to fire up an already energetic crowd in the SJB Pavilion.
“The reason why we were able to make so many threes is because we moved the ball and we got an inside out,” McPhee-McCuin said. “So now we have the confidence to know that we can shoot as long as that’s a rhythm shot.”
The Lady Rebels built an early 14-4 lead in the first quarter but Missouri struck back, throwing up shots to bring the score back closer to 14-11 to close out the quarter. Going into the second quarter, Missouri continued the momentum that they stole from the Rebels.
Missouri went on a 7-0 run to get to a 17-14 lead over the Rebels. Baker sparked a 16-2 run for Ole Miss and closed out the first half with a 22-6 run with a halftime score of 36-24.
The Tigers dominated the scoreboard in the third quarter, outscoring the Rebels 27-19. They shot 64% from the field, 100% from the three-point line and 83% from the free throw line. Because of the high octane offense, the Tigers climbed into the game and made it a 51-55 point deficit to end the third quarter.
For nearly three minutes, it was scoreless in the fourth quarter until Baker gave the Rebels a crucial spark to extend their lead by seven points. Ole Miss established their tenth 10-point lead of the game but the unrelenting Tigers brought the score back down to a five-point deficit with 30 seconds left in the game.
Pressure mounted for the Rebels as they knew they had to play mistake-free basketball to come away with a win for morale. The Rebels played keep away with the basketball, resulting in Mizzou having to foul. Taylor and Madison Scott both converted free throws to salt the game away.
“I told her (Taylor) when we huddled up after the game,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I said, ‘Man, Myah (Taylor), your leadership on the floor was elite.’….It was just the way she handled every moment…It just lets me know that she’s experienced and I’m expecting the same thing from Angel Baker.”
The Lady Rebels closed out their home contest with a record of 14-2, six of those wins coming from SEC play, and getting back-to-back 10-conference wins for the first time in program history.
