Angel Baker
The red-hot Ole Miss women’s basketball team returns to the court today versus the Alabama Crimson Tide. Ole Miss owns a 16-2 record and is 5-0 through its first five SEC contests. Alabama (13-4, 2-2 SEC) is a three-point-shooting dynamo that presents the Rebels with one of their toughest tests to date.
Ole Miss won at Georgia (66-58) on Thursday to improve to 5-0 in SEC play, tying its best start in coneference action in 15 years. It was the first win in Athens for the program since 2010 and only the second in Ole Miss history. That year, in 2007, Ole Miss went on to win 24 games and reach the Elite Eight.
Against Georgia, Angel Baker dropped her fifth 20-point game of the season, followed by season-best nights from Madison Scott and Myah Taylor. Scott added 18 points and tied a career-high with five assists. Taylor dished out a season-best eight assists as well as a season-high 11 points.
The Rebels also picked up their third straight SEC road victory. It’s the first time Ole Miss has started 3-0 on the road within the conference and the first time since 1991-92 the Rebels have won back-to-back-to back road games against SEC foes.
The correlation between Rebel wins and rebounding is evident, as all 16 Ole Miss wins have come when outrebounding its opponent. Through five SEC play, Ole Miss has outrebounded its opponents by an average of +7.4 boards per game.
Through the first five games of conference play Madison Scott ranks first in the SEC, draining .646 percent of her shots. On the season, Scott leads the Rebels in field goal percentage at .556. Scott went 5-of-7 from the field against Auburn for 13 points, 7-of-10 at Mississippi State for 15 points and 8-of-11 against Vanderbilt for 17 points. The junior shot .486 percent from the field last season through 32 games.
Ole Miss has started the 2022-23 season 10-0 at home for its best start in Oxford since the 2016-17 campaign. The Rebels only losses came versus Utah in the Bahamas and at Oklahoma. Both teams were nationally ranked at the time.
Alabama, meanwhile, is coming off a 31-point (88-57) win at rival Auburn.
It is the Tide, however, that holds the higher rating in the all-important NCAA Women’s NET rankings. Alabama is No. 18 entering Sunday, while Ole Miss is No. 28.
SCOUTING ALABAMA
Following an appearance in the WNIT Semifinals last season, the Crimson Tide returned all five starters heading into the 2022-23 campaign. 17 games in, Alabama sits at 13-4 and 2-2 in conference play. Alabama is one of the most dangerous teams in the country shooting the three, currently leading the SEC at a .387 clip. Ranking 26th in the nation in triples is Preseason All-SEC Second-Team member Brittany Davis, hitting 44 on the year. Jada Rice has been on a tear around the rim, ranking second in the conference and fifth nationally with 2.47 rejections per game
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
Tip-Off: 4 p.m. CT, The SJB Pavilion, Oxford
Television/Online: SEC Network
Play by Play: Sam Gore
Analyst: Tamika Catchings
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Station: 105.1 FM
Play by Play: Graham Doty