BATON ROUGE, La. – Ole Miss women’s basketball rode a 54-point second half scoring spree to close out its regular season on top for the third consecutive season, as it bested No. 7 LSU, 85-77, in Baton Rouge on Sunday.
For the first time since Jan. 24, 2010, the Rebels’ (19-9, 10-6 SEC) toppled an AP top 10 ranked team on the road. Ole Miss last did so when it bested No. 8 Georgia, 66-65, in Athens. Ole Miss’ 85 points against LSU (27-4, 12-4 SEC) is the fifth-most in program history against an AP top 10 team in games that the Rebels’ won.
The Tigers led by as much as 15 points early in the third quarter, but the Rebels took advantage of an influx of mistakes to secure the victory. The Rebels played some of the best defense the Tigers have faced so far this season. LSU gave up 23 turnovers, 14 of which came in the second half, marking its most against any team this season.
Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has led the Rebels to four consecutive seasons of double-digit SEC wins, starting in the 2021-22 season. McPhee-McCuin becomes the program’s first head coach to guide Ole Miss to four consecutive 10-plus conference wins. Ole Miss’ starting backcourt of Tameiya Sadler and KK Deans fronted the team’s effort toward the comeback and upset.
Sadler had her best showing as a Rebel, scoring a team-high 19 points and a career-high five 3-pointers. She showed up in the clutch to help put the Tigers away in the final quarter, scoring five of Ole Miss’ last seven points. Sadler also paved the way defensively for Ole Miss, tying a season-high in steals with five.
Ole Miss’ victory snapped LSU’s 12-game winning streak over the Rebels and is Ole Miss’ first win in Baton Rouge since Feb. 7, 2010. The Rebels have now beaten the Tigers 10 times in their series history when LSU is ranked. Ole Miss is LSU’s only lose at home this season, with the Tigers holding a near perfect 17-1 record at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
This is Ole Miss’ second win over an AP top 10 team this season, its other being against then-No. 8 Kentucky on Feb. 10. The last time a Rebel squad won multiple games against top 10 opponents came in the 2006-07 season, when that team beat three.
Deans added 17 points and made all six of her free throws, including the final two to put the dagger in the victory. Christeen Iwuala made her second consecutive start, scoring 11 points and nine rebounds. She’s scored in double figures the past three games and has led the team in rebounds in that same stretch.
Starr Jacobs found a rhythm off the bench, scoring 18 points on an efficient 7-of-8 shooting. Sadler led the team in scoring through the first 20 minutes of competition, draining a trio of threes in the process. Her three triples foreshadowed her great shooting night, as that tied her career-high for most threes in a game.
Sira Thienou was a workhorse on the glass, hauling in five rebounds to lead the team. The Rebels and Tigers exchanged baskets throughout the first half, maintaining close scores throughout. LSU ultimately found momentum late in the second quarter, as it expanded its lead to 13 at the end of the first half.
Once again, Ole Miss’ third quarter magic struck to help their hopes of a comeback. The Rebels made eight of its last 11 shots in the quarter, as they scored 32 total points. Ole Miss’ 11th field goal of the third gave the Rebels their first lead of the day in the final two minutes. LSU made two free throws to give it back the lead, but Ole Miss was at the doorstep with a one-point deficit going into the fourth.
Sadler made her fourth 3-pointer of the game to start the third quarter, which set up the scoring barrage. Deans stepped up in the third to lead the Rebels, scoring 13 points alone. She made three triples in the quarter, her first ones of the day, her third of which gave Ole Miss its first lead.
The game’s intensity picked up in the fourth quarter as neither team was willing to give up the lead for long. Jacobs began working the post, taking advantage of two LSU turnovers and converting a pair of layups on the other end to put Ole Miss up by four. LSU stormed back to take a lead again, but it was short-lived after Iwuala banked a layup to tie the game at 70-70 entering the media timeout.
Iwuala and her fellow paint protectors continued to contribute to Ole Miss’ scoring in the fourth quarter. Jacobs, Kharyssa Richardson and Madison Scott each contributed points in the final five minutes of regulation. Sadler reentered the conversation by making her fifth 3-pointer of the game to give the Rebels a nearly insurmountable six-point lead.
After failing to score more points, LSU resorted to fouling. Sadler and Deans each made a pair to put Ole Miss up by three possessions. The eight-point lead the Rebels built would stand, as they walked out of PMAC with an 85-77 win.
Clinching a No. 7 finish in the SEC, Ole Miss earns a bye at the 2025 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament. Ole Miss will play the winner of Missouri and Mississippi State on Thursday (March 6) at approximately 5:00 p.m. CT, on SEC Network.
