Ole Miss Faces No. 3 South Carolina in Key SEC Showdown
Oxford, Miss. — The University of Mississippi women’s basketball team is set to play its fourth consecutive game against a top 25 opponent when it travels to Columbia to face No. 3 South Carolina on Sunday. The game tips off at 11 a.m. CT at the SJB Pavilion and will be streamed on ESPN, according to team officials.
Ole Miss, ranked No. 17 nationally, enters the matchup with a 21-7 record overall and an 8-5 mark in SEC play. The Rebels are led by eighth-year head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, who has compiled a 146-102 record at Ole Miss. South Carolina, coached by Dawn Staley in her 18th season, holds a 26-2 record and leads the SEC with a 12-1 conference mark.
This game marks the 50th meeting between the two programs. South Carolina holds a commanding series lead, 32-17, and has won 16 of the 20 matchups in Columbia. Ole Miss’s last victory over the Gamecocks was in the 2009 season. The teams’ most notable encounter was a 1995 win by Ole Miss, 91-58, which remains the Rebels’ largest margin of victory in the series.
South Carolina features star sophomore Joyce Edwards, the team’s top scorer, averaging 20.1 points per game. The Gamecocks also boast a strong defense, ranking fifth nationally in blocks per game and second in opponent field goal percentage, led by center Madina Okot. The team has won seven straight games since its only losses to Oklahoma and Texas earlier this season.
Ole Miss recently fell to No. 7 LSU, 78-70, in its last outing. Cotie McMahon led the Rebels with 25 points, and Latasha Lattimore contributed 13 points and eight rebounds. Lattimore also leads Ole Miss with 61 blocks, ranking third in the SEC. McMahon has been a key offensive contributor, with 17 games of at least 20 points this season, tying the program record for most such games in a season.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN, with Beth Mowins calling the action and Debbie Antonelli providing commentary. Radio coverage is available via the Ole Miss Radio Network, with Graham Doty as the play-by-play announcer. Ole Miss will close its regular season with upcoming road games, including contests at Florida and Texas A&M, before the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
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