OXFORD — Monday was a historic night at SJB Pavilion as Ole Miss women’s basketball raced past Kentucky, 74-52, to reach the 20-win mark for the second straight season. The Rebels hit the mark in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1993-94 and 1994-95.
Angel Baker also made her mark, eclipsing the 2,000-career-point threshold. Baker is now one of four to don a Rebel uniform to reach the milestone. Baker wrapped up her night with seven points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Ole Miss (20-5, 9-3 Southeastern Conference) bullied Kentucky (10-14, 2-10 SEC) off the glass by outrebounding the Wildcats by a margin of 21, its largest in SEC play. Five Rebels ended the night in double figures with Marquesha Davis leading the push at 14 points. Davis also snagged 10 rebounds for her second career double-double for her second in the last three games.
The lone Rebels freshman, Ayanna Thompson, dropped a career-high 12 points. Myah Taylor tied her season-high with 11 points while snagging four steals. Madison Scott earned her ninth double-double of the season off 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Rebels were smooth from deep, draining six 3s as a team. Hitting half of them was Elauna Eaton with a season-high 11 points, as she went a perfect 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.
After eight days off, Ole Miss wasted little time to get going with a 9-0 run in the opening minutes. Doing what it does best by defending, Ole Miss held the Wildcats without a field goal for over five minutes in the first frame. With the Rebels facing turnover troubles, Kentucky clawed its way up the scoreboard as Ole Miss held a three-point lead at 13-10 through one.
Crossing the 2,000-career-point threshold in the second quarter, Baker came alive as Ole Miss built up its lead. The 3-ball began to fall with the Rebels scoring three triples in a row to grab their largest lead of the game at 13. Once again restricting the Wildcats, the Rebels held them scoreless the final two and a half minutes of the quarter to take a 35-22 lead into the break.
The Rebels’ strong presence on the inside provided them with the opportunity to pad their lead and use second-chance buckets to their advantage. At the opposite end of the court, Ole Miss continued to throw the Wildcats out of rhythm, giving them very few chances to score from the field, holding them to 3-of-14 in the third.
With 10 minutes remaining and ahead 54-40, Ole Miss refused to coast. Once again holding the Wildcats to a multi-minute drought, while the Rebels’ hands stayed hot with a 7-0 run to put the victory in sight. At the final buzzer, Ole Miss walked away victorious for the 20th time this season and with its largest win over Kentucky since 1998.
Ole Miss treks to Baton Rouge on Thursday for one of its toughest tests to date at No. 5 LSU. The 8 p.m. matchup against the Tigers will air nationally on the SEC Network.
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