OXFORD — No. 25 Ole Miss women’s basketball earned its eighth 30-plus point margin victory of the season after besting Mississippi Valley State, 78-44, at the SJB Pavilion on Saturday.
The Rebels (8-3, 0-0 SEC) saw all five of their starters reach double-digit scoring. This is the first time since facing Louisiana on Dec. 12, 2018, that all five Rebel starters have reached double figures.
Madison Scott highlighted the day for the Rebels as she earned her 29th career double-double. The fifth-year senior had 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Devilettes (1-10, 0-0 SWAC), marking her first double-double of the 2024-25 season. She joins Starr Jacobs as the only Rebels to achieve that feat so far this season. Scott also led the team with six assists against MVSU. It’s the fifth time this season that Scott has paced the Rebels in dime dropping.
Sira Thienou had another strong performance, needing only nine minutes on the court to reach double figure points. She led the team with 18 points, the fourth time this season she’s led the Rebels in scoring. She added seven rebounds to her stat line, as well as tying a career-high four steals. She’s reached this mark for steals three times in the past five games.
Thienou also connected on her first three attempts from beyond the arc, marking seven in a row for the freshman across the past three games. Her miss in the third quarter was her first since facing NC State on Dec. 5.
Kennedy Todd-Williams grabbed the 700th rebound of her career in the first quarter. The Jacksonville, North Carolina, native and Madison Scott are the only active Rebels in the 700-rebound club. Todd-Williams recorded eight rebounds and added 12 points, reaching double-digit scoring in six of the last seven games.
Kharyssa Richardson and Starr Jacobs each guided the Rebels in the trenches. Richardson, in her first start of the season, scored a season-high 12 points. Richardson reached 10-plus points for the first time since the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament against Marquette. Jacobs added 13 points to the scoreboard for the Rebels. This is the second consecutive game for Jacobs reaching double figure points.
KK Deans and Christeen Iwuala provided valuable depth presence for the Rebels off the bench. Deans’ three assists put her at 400 for her overall career, while Iwuala scored eight points and hauled in five rebounds.
Thienou and Richardson formed a dynamic duo for the Rebels in the first quarter. They owned the first 13 points for Ole Miss, with Thienou scoring seven and Richardson scoring six. Ole Miss held MVSU scoreless in that span, not allowing the first Devilette points for the first four minutes of the game. Rebels played bully ball in the first quarter, forcing six turnovers by the Devilettes and blocking two shots.
Thienou kept her foot on the gas pedal for the second quarter, draining her second three pointer of the game off a dish from Richardson. Todd-Williams joined the three-point barrage with one of her own, her 30th as a Rebel. Madison Scott contributed three assists to the Rebel cause, including dishing out to Todd-Williams for a three-pointer to close the half with a 36-24 Ole Miss lead.
Scott, who had no points and only had one rebound in the first half of the game, turned up the tempo to reach her double-double in the second half. She picked up four rebounds in the third quarter, before exploding for six in the fourth. Her six rebounds in one quarter are tied for the most by a Rebel this season.
She led the Rebels in points for both quarters of the second half, tallying six and seven, respectively. She was a perfect five-for-five from the field in the second half and for the game. She’s the first Rebel to shoot 100 percent from the floor since herself on Dec. 5, 2021.
Ole Miss emphasized stronger defense in the second half, which it delivered. The Rebels forced 10 turnovers in the third quarter, including five of them in five possessions in the final five minutes of the third quarter. Fatumata Djaló stole the ball twice in that span, setting a career high. Scott drained a fadeaway midrange jumper at the buzzer to close the period and give the Rebels a 59-35 lead.
Scott and Iwuala combined for 11 rebounds in the fourth quarter to prevent the Devilettes from scoring more than 10 points in the final period. Ole Miss outrebounded MVSU 19-4 in the fourth quarter, which serves as the most rebounds by the Rebels in a single quarter this season. Scott secured her 10th rebound of the game in the final minute of action, as the Rebels held onto the 78-44 victory.
Ole Miss returns to the court following the holiday break to face Alcorn State on Dec. 30 at the SJB Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
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