Coach Yo “not the least bit panicked” following Rebels loss to Belmont
OXFORD, Miss. (Ole Miss Athletics) – In the first outing of the season, Ole Miss was unable to fend off hot shooting beyond the arc from Belmont, falling 62-50 from SJB Pavilion on Thursday night.
Ole Miss (0-1) battled back in the second half but were unable to overcome eight made threes from Belmont (2-0) as the Bruins’ Destinee Wells led all scorers with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Madison Scott carried the Rebels with 16 points, one off her career high, and tied Shakira Austin with eight boards apiece. Senior point guard Mimi Reid shot a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and 6-of-6 from the line to finish with 12 points.
Belmont, which beat Gonzaga in the First Round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, is the first reigning tournament team Ole Miss has opened with since opening at Nebraska on Nov. 11, 2007.
“I was very nervous that was our first game, that kind of test out the gate,” said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. “That’s on me but I needed to see where we were so we know where to go.”
The Rebels struggled to find the basket early despite a few good looks from three, as they headed into the first media timeout trailing 9-1. It was ultimately Austin who found the basket first as the Rebels worked to get a stop on the other end of the floor yet were outscored in the first quarter, 16-3.
Scott gave Ole Miss a boost as they cut into the deficit at 19-7 in the second, but the Bruins were in control from beyond the arc, shooting 42 percent from deep in the first half. The Rebels scored nine points within the last two minutes of the half to close the gap to 37-24.
Ole Miss came out in the third quarter with renewed energy with an 8-2 run to start the half, pulling within seven at 39-32. However, a few more triples from the Bruins extended their lead by 16 heading into the fourth quarter.
With their backs against the wall, the Rebels pushed the Bruins with a 6-0 run to with four minutes remaining, led by Baker with all nine of her points coming in the final quarter. At the end of the night, though, it was not enough as Belmont left SJB Pavilion with a 62-50 win.
“I needed us to have this type of film and be tested the way that we could,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Easily I could have started off with another type of opponent, but this was intentional because we want to be an NCAA tournament team.”
The Rebels return to Craddock Court at SJB Pavilion for a Sunday matinee showdown on SEC Network against Mississippi Valley State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT.
