Ole Miss sustained an opening push from Mississippi State in Starkville, but a game-high 30 points from Madison Scott propelled the Rebels to another 71-63 win over the Bulldogs and notch another conference win this season.
For the Rebels, 13-5 (4-2 SEC), it put a complete game together behind the offensive explosion by Scott. Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin once again proved the Ole Miss program is elevating as the top hoops program in the state of Mississippi, winning five of the last seven meetings in the series.
With the win over the Bulldogs, Coach Yo extends her dominance over the Bulldogs under head coach Sam Purcell following the win inside the Humphrey Coliseum. Coach Yo and the Rebels are now 4-1 against the Bulldogs since coach Purcell took the helm. As head coach at Ole Miss, Coach Yo is now 5-7 during her time as head coach at Ole Miss against the Bulldogs.
Since the addition of Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference, Ole Miss and Mississippi State will only face once during the regular season this year. For Coach Yo, that is disappointing.
“I’m disappointed about it. I don’t know what went into a rivalry such as this, but it’s an easy fix. They had our fans in the nose bleeds; I was looking forward to returning the favor,” Coach Yo said following the win.
As for the series between the in-state rivalries, Ole Miss leads by a large margin, holding a 68-39 series lead over Mississippi State and a 27-23 advantage in Starkville.
This was not an easy rebuild for Coach Yo. When she took over the program in 2019, Ole Miss had only one conference win the previous season. Fast forward to a program that has brought prominence back to a proud program and fresh off of back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances; the 2024-25 season looks to be another excellent opportunity for the postseason.
With the win over Mississippi State, the Rebels have inched up the SEC rankings with only five teams ahead of the Rebels in the current conference standings. Ole Miss can chip into the lead when it hosts No. 7 Texas on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 inside the SJB Pavilion.
The head coach of the Longhorns? Former Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer.