Coach Yo’s Rebels ride third quarter surge to road win at Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Published 3:44 pm Saturday, December 23, 2023

By Ole Miss Athletics

In its second road game of the week, Ole Miss stuck together to surpass a physical Arkansas-Pine Bluff team, 62-47 on Thursday afternoon. Marquesha Davis pieced together her first double-double of the season with 13 points and a team-best 10 rebounds.

With four scoring in double-figures, Ole Miss (9-3) held off Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-8) in the second half to earn its ninth win of the season and second on the road. For the sixth time this season, Madison Scott joined Davis with 13 points, as well as dishing out a season-high five assists and three steals.

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For the third game in a row, Kennedy Todd-Williams totaled double-digits in scoring with 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Around the rim, Rita Igbokwe could not be stopped with eight points, nine rebounds and tied career-high six blocks.

In a tightly contested start, the Rebels and Golden Lions traded blows back and forth remaining tied through most of the first quarter. A deep three from UAPB gave it its first lead of the game to go on to remain ahead in a narrow margin of 13-12 through 10 minutes.

Ole Miss battled against UAPB’s aggressive defense with Todd-Williams leading the way, with the Rebels re-gaining the lead midway through the second at 18-16. Once again through the three-ball, the Golden Lions went ahead to grab its largest lead to date by four as the first half dwindled. The Rebels responded back with a 4-0 run to end the half tied at 24 all.

The physical affair continued into the second half, yet the Rebels gained separation through their collected nature at the free-throw line by hitting 11-of-14 from the charity stripe in the third. Staying together as a team and limiting miscues in the third proved to be key for the Rebels, leading 46-33 with 10 minutes remaining.

UAPB made a charge, cutting the Ole Miss lead to seven with a little over five minutes to play. Pounding it in the paint, Ole Miss continued to extend its hold to limit the hope of a Golden Lion comeback and close out the game with a 62-47 victory.

The Rebels enjoy a short break to celebrate the holidays before returning home to conclude non-conference action against Alcorn State on Saturday, Dec. 30. Game time against the Lady Braves is set for 3:00 p.m. CT, streaming on SEC Network +.