The Ole Miss women’s basketball team withstood adversity and a defiant last-quarter charge by Sam Houston State, holding on to defeat the Bearkats, 75-69, in a wild game at The Pavilion on Tuesday night.
The Ole Miss (4-2) defense was ferocious throughout the game, forcing a season-best 31 turnovers – the most by a Rebel defense since forcing 40 against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2016. Combined with a 29-turnover performance against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 23, this marks the first back-to-back games of at least 29 turnovers since forcing 33 against McNeese State on Dec. 19, 2015 and 39 against Alabama A&M on Dec. 29.
In addition to the strong defensive effort, a slew of impressive individual performances allowed Ole Miss to emerge victorious. Deja Cage, who scored a career-high 30 points against Louisiana Tech, lit the net on fire again with 21 points and a crucial 7-of-8 clip from the free throw line. She finished the first quarter with 10 points and ended the game with a team-high 21 points and five rebounds.
Ole Miss returns to action at the Daytona Beach Invitational this coming weekend. Ole Miss will square off against Alcorn State on Friday and Pittsburgh on Saturday.
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