Ole Miss takes down Florida for 13th straight victory

In its first contest in over two weeks due to COVID-19 postponements, Ole Miss proved that its still one of the hottest teams in the nation, walking away from Exactech Arena with a 74-56 win over Florida Thursday night in its SEC opener. The Rebels’ 13th straight win continues the third longest winning streak in program history.

The win marked the Rebels first conference opener victory since 2017, and their first opening SEC road win since 2007. Ole Miss moves to 4-0 on the road for the first time since the 1986-1987 season.

A balanced scoring attack from the Rebels (13-1, 1-0 SEC) allowed them to control Florida (10-5, 0-2 SEC) the final 20 minutes of the night to move to 1-0 in conference play.

For the fifth time this season, Shakira Austin brought in a double-double, leading the squad with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Following Austin was Madison Scott for her ninth double-digit outing of the year with 15 points, as the sophomore shot 6-of-7 from the field. Lashonda Monk added her fifth double figure performance this season with 11 points, dishing out a team-high three assists, and grabbing four steals.

Ole Miss proved why its one of the strongest teams defensively in the SEC and in the nation, forcing its fourth opponent this season to turn the ball over 25 times or more as the Gators gave up the ball 25 times.

The Rebels went to work on the inside quickly, scoring their first 12 points of the game in the paint. Tied through eight, an 8-2 run gave the Rebels control early and the lead for the remainder of the contest. In a trend continuing from its last outing, Ole Miss found itself once again disrupting its opponent, forcing eight Gator turnovers in the first quarter alone to lead 18-13 through one.

A Rebel scoring drought provided Florida the opportunity to cut the Ole Miss lead to four, with a little over four minutes remaining in the first half. Back-to-back buckets from Monk re-energized the Rebels, as they held the Gators scoreless from beyond the arc through the first two quarters and 0-of-8 the duration of the game. Despite a Gator charge, the Rebels headed into the locker room with their closest halftime lead this season, up 32-28.

A 10-2 run to begin the third set the tone for the remainder of the game, as Ole Miss outscored Florida 24-12 in the third quarter. Florida still had gas remaining in the tank with a 6-0 run in the fourth, but the Rebels padded their lead enough to walk away with the 74-56 victory.

The Rebels return back to Oxford to open a three-game homestand to put its winning streak to the test in a huge matchup against No. 7 Tennessee Sunday (Jan. 9). Ole Miss will take on the Lady Vols in a nationally televised game on SEC Network.