Women’s Basketball sweeps Mississippi State, 78-63

Published 9:28 am Friday, January 27, 2023

From start to finish, it was all Ole Miss Thursday night from the SJB Pavilion as the Rebels defended home court taking down Mississippi State, 78-63. The win marked the first regular season sweep over the Bulldogs since the 2003-04 season.

A collective effort from Ole Miss (17-4, 6-2 SEC) with nine players scoring, lifted it over Mississippi State (15-6, 4-4 SEC) in the historic win.

Angel Baker was once again in her bag, with a team-high 17 points for her 15th double-digit outing this year and her fourth in a row. Joining her in double-digit scoring were Snudda Collins with 15, Marquesha Davis with 14 and Madison Scott with 11 points.

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Ole Miss shared the ball at an efficient pace as well, with an SEC-high 20 assists as a team. Against her former squad, Myah Taylor added to her count as the SEC’s active all-time assists leader with six dimes tonight for her 10th game of the year with five or more. Baker and Scott each added six of their own. Scott’s six assist set a new career-high.

Collins had the hot hand of the night, draining a career-high tying five threes. Altogether, Ole Miss combined to tie a season-high with nine made triples. The Rebels shot at an SEC-high clip, draining 29-of-58 field goals for a 50% clip.

With one of its hottest starts in SEC play the Rebels came out ready to go, beginning on a defensive lockdown with a 7-0 run. Ole Miss felt it early from beyond three, utilizing the deep ball to build up its lead against the Bulldogs and jump out 20-8 through one. The 20 points from Ole Miss were the most scored in a first quarter of SEC action this season.

Pushing ahead, Ole Miss’ fire remained strong getting around Mississippi State around in the paint. The Rebels defense held off MSU at the opposite end of the court, limiting it to a mere 33% clip in the first half. Meanwhile, Ole Miss rarely missed while shooting at 58% to extend its lead to 41-27 heading into the locker room at the break.

Baker became the first Rebel on the night to eclipse 10 points, with two smooth buckets to open the third quarter. Forcing turnovers left and right, Ole Miss capitalized off of Bulldog miscues to cement its lead. Despite the Bulldogs matching the Rebels with 14 points apiece in the quarter, Ole Miss retained its lead up 55-41.

The Rebels did not let off the gas, as a 7-0 run from Ole Miss in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter finalized its status as the top dog in the state with the 78-63 victory.

Ole Miss makes the trip to Fayetteville on Sunday (Jan. 29) wrap up the month of January at Arkansas. Tipoff against the Razorbacks is set for 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network.