OXFORD — The Ole Miss women’s basketball became a part of Division I history Sunday, as father and son coached against each other for the first time as head coaches.
Senior Cheyenne Parker scored a game-high 25 points and had 10 rebounds to help coach Rick Insell beat Ole Miss coach Matt Insell at Tad Smith Coliseum.
“You learn a lot about your team in situations like that,” Ole Miss coach Matt Insell said. “I’m really proud of the fight our team had this afternoon and continued to play every possession, and when things went against us, they continued to fight every possession to try to win this basketball game.”
Parker, who was suspended for her team’s first three games, was 9 of 14 from the field and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line in helping MTSU improve to 2-2.
Sophomore guard Erika Sisk, an Oxford native and Murray State transfer, led Ole Miss with a season-high 20 points, including a 6-of-6 effort from the free-throw line. Senior forward Tia Faleru had 19 points and nine rebounds.
“I’m really happy with the progression we have made with a young team,” Insell said. “We just played a really good basketball team. All credit to them. The big kid they have inside is as good as any kid we will play all year. I knew she was good. This was her first game back. If she had played the other three, they would probably be 3-0 instead of 1-2 coming in here.”
MTSU stretched a 36-31 halftime lead to 49-36 thanks to a 13-5 run to open the half. Ole Miss responded with a 10-1 run to cut the deficit to 51-49 with 9 minutes, 29 seconds left, but it wasn’t able to get closer.
The Rebels had a final opportunity, looking to make it a one-possession game with 1:30 left, but the Blue Raiders forced a turnover and went the other way for a layup to extend the lead to 68-61.
MTSU turned 24 Ole Miss turnovers into 27 points, including 17 points off 15 turnovers in the first half.
Ole Miss will play host to Southeast Missouri State at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Tad Smith Coliseum.
n Alabama 58, Temple 51: At Lawrence, Kansas, Sophomore Ashley Williams and freshman Hannah Cook combined for 33 points Sunday to lead the Crimson Tide past the Owls in the Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge at Allen Fieldhouse.
The win was the third in three days for Alabama (4-2) at the tournament. The loss dropped Temple to 2-3.
“I really liked the growth and toughness in our team this weekend,” Alabama coach Kristy Curry said. “We got off to great starts, and our bench really brought us great energy.”
Williams had a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds for the seventh double-double of her career, and second of the season. Cook added 13 points and eight rebounds, while redshirt freshman Karyla Middlebrook had a game-best six assists. Senior Tyonna Williams had 15 points to lead Temple.
The game was tied at 27 at halftime. Alabama scored the first six points of the second half and didn’t relinquish the lead. A 3-pointer by senior Sharin Rivers with 9 minutes, 19 seconds to go gave the Crimson Tide a 48-37 lead. Temple cut the deficit to five on two occasions, but it didn’t get any closer.
Alabama will play host to Alabama A&M at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
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