Riley ComdenOle Miss women’s basketball heads to South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks this Thursday, Feb. 25.
South Carolina is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation and No. 1in the SEC with an 18-3 overall season record. 13 of those wins and only one of the losses was in conference. The Rebels are ranked No. 11 in the SEC with an even nine and nine record overall this season with three conference wins and nine losses.
The last time the two teams faced off, Ole Miss lost 87-32. At the time, the Gamecocks were ranked No. 1 in the country. The Rebels were only able to score two points in the entire first half after going scoreless in the first quarter. The score after the first half tied the NCAA’s Division I record for the least amount of points scored in a half.
The Rebels are hoping for a better turnout this time around when they take on the Gamecocks. The team is coming off of a hard-fought loss to No. 3, Texas A&M, where the Rebels lost by only 11 points.
Ole Miss will look to junior Shakira Austin to give the team a fair amount of offensive momentum. Austin has had a double-double performance in each of the last five games, and she is averaging 17.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
The Rebels will also look to redshirt sophomore Donnetta Johnson to bring momentum in favor for the Rebels during the game. Johnson averages a total of 12.3 points per game, followed by freshman Madison Scott, who averages a total of 10.9 points per game.
The Rebels will have to be solid on defense and lock down the paint in order to shut down the Gamecocks this week. Sophomore guard Zia Cooke is a key player for the Gamecocks and has been averaging a total of 15.9 points per game.
Sophomore forward Aliyah Boston plays a huge role for South Carolina as well, putting up an average of 13.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. Boston is undoubtedly on the radar for the Gamecocks. The Rebels will likely need to find a way to get Boston out of the paint if they want to put up a fight on the glass.
The game against South Carolina will air on the SEC+ Network at 12 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25.
