The Recap: Ole Miss Women's Basketball Earns 83-75 Statement Win Over Vanderbilt – Sports Illustrated

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A complete, all-around effort from No. 17/17 Ole Miss women’s basketball led to a toppling of No. 5 Vanderbilt, 83-75, Friday afternoon in Birmingham, Alabama.
With the win, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has guided the Rebels (18-4, 5-2 SEC) to a pair of victories against top five opponents this season, the other being against No. 5 Oklahoma earlier in January.
The Rebels have accomplished this team feat only twice before, last time being during the 1995-96 season when they bested No. 5 Vanderbilt and No. 3 Tennessee just 10 days apart. For McPhee-McCuin, it marks her 17th ranked win as the leader of the Rebels, and her third against top five opponents.
Ole Miss extended its win streak against Vanderbilt (20-2, 6-2 SEC) to six games, the longest such streak in series history. Once again, the Rebels were tasked with halting one of the best 3-point shooting schools in the SEC and completely shut them down from long distance. Vanderbilt averaged 9.9 3-pointers per game entering today’s contest but made only four on a 25 percent shooting clip.
Cotie McMahon and Christeen Iwuala paved the way for the Rebels, scoring 27 and 18 points, respectively. Iwuala tied her career-high in rebounds with 14 to earn her eighth career double-double, all of which have come this season. She also paced the team in blocks (with two) and steals (with three) in 35 minutes of action. She shot a highly efficient 72.7 percent clip for the day.
On the season, McMahon has 12 games north of 20 points, which ties Armintie Price (2005-06) and Clara Jackson (1993-94) for the 14th-most 20-plus point games in a single season by any Rebel. She’s two games away from tying her personal career high in single season 20-plus point games, which she set at her previous school. She added three assists and four rebounds.
Latasha Lattimore and Kaitlin Peterson joined the double-digit scoring club for the day, adding 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Ole Miss came out swinging from the tipoff. McMahon and the Rebels ignited early, as the senior superstar scored five quick points. Vanderbilt would retaliate after each made Ole Miss shot, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Sira Thienou and Peterson allowed the Rebels to pull ahead by multiple possessions.
Iwuala also stood out in the period, scoring six points and making all three of her field goal attempts. Iwuala closed the strong first quarter with a last-second layup off a beautiful feed from Peterson, extending Ole Miss’ lead to 23-15.
The story remained unchanged in the second, as the Rebels began to rattle off more points. Iwuala kicked it off with a layup, followed by two more from McMahon. The Rebels would then score nine unanswered points, which McMahon capped off with a Jordanesque fadeaway to force a timeout from Vanderbilt.
The Commodores made a free throw following the timeout to end their drought, but the Rebels dropped three more layups in consecutive possessions to extend the lead to 20. Another free throw in the final 30 seconds for Vanderbilt cut the lead once more, but Ole Miss still held a 44-25 lead going into the second half.
McMahon and Iwuala both had double-digit points in the first half, scoring 15 and 10, respectively. Iwuala also had achieved her double-double by the start of the third with an even 10 rebounds, she also had three first half steals.
Ole Miss shot 51.4 percent from the field, including 2-for-2 from long distance. Oppositely, Vanderbilt was only 1-for-8 from long distance.
The switch flipped in the second half, as Vanderbilt began to mount a comeback. The Commodores scored eight points early as the Rebels struggled offensively. Lattimore added a layup to stop the bleeding, and Denim DeShields added a 3-pointer afterward. The remainder of the quarter saw Ole Miss scoring by way of the free throw line.
The Rebels made nine shots from the charity stripe in the quarter to maintain their lead as the Commodores kept threatening. Peterson ended Ole Miss’ field goal drought with a layup to give the Rebels a 60-51 lead with 10 minutes to go.
It didn’t take long for Vanderbilt to minimize the gap even further at the start of the fourth. The Rebels fouled the Commodores too many times, which allowed them to take their first lead since the first quarter.
Ole Miss responded by making three field goals, including a three from Thienou, to reclaim a lead by multiple possessions. After a three from Vanderbilt, Iwuala added another bucket, and Thienou had a clutch steal that led to another tip-in basket from Iwuala.
Following more back-and-forth basketball, Vanderbilt missed a shot that Thienou rebounded, leading to the Commodores intentionally fouling. Debreasha Powe made both of her attempts, giving the Rebels a six-point lead.
After an extended phase of both intentional and personal fouls, McMahon would make the last two free throws for the nail in the coffin. Her last two free throws, her 26th and 27th points of the game, led to the final score of 83-75.
Ole Miss will stay in Birmingham for another neutral site match, this time against Auburn. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.
Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Ole Miss Rebels On SI, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Rebel Football, Baseball, Basketball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving Ole Miss athletics. Nagy has covered the Southeastern Conference for over half a decade after being born and raised in New Orleans (La.).
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