In front of 3,863 supporters on Sunday afternoon, Ole Miss accomplished something that hasn’t been done much. The Rebels moved
into a tie for second place in the SEC standings after defeating the Tennessee Lady Vols, 80-75. The Rebels finished the regular season
15-5 overall and 5-2 in the conference, level with Tennessee and LSU in the standings behind South Carolina, the team with the best
record. Tennessee’s overall record fell to 12-7.
The game was an unpredictable, back-and-forth contest that wasn’t settled until the very end, when Kennedy Todd-Williams made a
spectacular layup to extend the Rebels’ advantage to two possessions, 80–75.
The Rebels’ signature defense then forced a Tennessee turnover, and players started raising their fists in the air in
It was only Ole Miss’s third victory against Tennessee in the previous 30 years and their first over the Lady Vols since 2017.
“I got really emotional when the buzzer went off because there are now only two (SEC) teams that I haven’t lost to,” said Ole Miss head
coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. “I adore Pat Summit’s legacy so much. The first female coach I saw in action was Pat Summit. My dad is
a man, but he was my coach. It was not until I watched Pat Summit that I saw a woman coach.Pat Summit is my favorite.”
After being tied 39-39 at the half, Ole Miss went on a 6-0 run to start the third quarter, led by a shot from
“I just told them to not be afraid to do this,” McPhee-McCuin stated during her intermission speech. “I had to explain to them that you
look scared but I know you’re not afraid of Tennessee, you’re just afraid to fail.”
With 25 points and four rebounds, Davis led Ole Miss, followed by Kharyssa Richardson with 21 points. After letting go of the point
guard experiment, Madison Scott returned to her typical double-double performance, registering a team-high 10 rebounds and 15
points in the game. With an additional 12 points, Todd-Williams was the only other Rebel with double figures in the scoring column.
Jewel Spear’s game-high 30 points and Rickea Jackson’s 15 helped Tennessee to victory.
Richardson had arguably his best game of the year.
“I had a one-on-one with her yesterday before practice. She and I just had a conversation about her potential as the program’s future
face.I told her to just let me be her coach because she has so much skill.”I’m incredibly proud of her,” McPhee-McCuin remarked.
On Thursday, February 1, the Rebels will travel to Music City to play Vanderbilt as the first of a two-game road trip. The Memorial
Gymnasium tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus.
Following the Rebels’ victory over Florida last week, Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin gave an explanation for her outburst
over the Oxford and Ole Miss community’s support of women’s athletics.
McPhee-McCuin remarked, “I’m just really grateful for everybody that showed up.” “I definitely need to make myself clear, y’all, if you
missed my statement (to the fans) following the game. I’m a foreigner. From the Bahamas, I moved. My citizenship was granted to me
three years ago. I live in Oxford, even though some of you have residences elsewhere in America. Here is where I pay my taxes. This is
where I attend church. Here, I return the favor. I’m a part of this community, thus in terms of
“Knowing how unique this place is, it was a call to action. However, I’m the one that advertises this university as well. Furthermore, I
can’t promote it without everyone’s assistance. Help me help you when everyone says, “Oh, win the national championship.” If we
consistently draw crowds like this, we’ll keep winning.”
Yo’s criticism of Ole Miss was known to Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper, who made comments on women’s basketball later.
“I’ve been very fortunate everywhere I’ve been,” she stated. “Women’s basketball has had a lot of support from the majority of the
schools I have coached at. I believe I could sense it constantly. It’s difficult when you don’t, I know.”
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