Basketball
Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Steps into Conference Action at Mizzou
By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
Ole Miss women’s basketball team returns to action for the first time in the new year as they take on the Missouri Tigers on the road Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT inside the Mizzou Arena and will be on the SEC Network +.
Ole Miss (6-8) closed out the non-conference slate of the schedule with an 82-69 win over North Florida on Dec. 28. Senior Crystal Allen had a career-high 34 points in the victory which tabbed her as the SEC Player of the Week.
Allen was 11-of-17 from the field, which also included an absurd 9-of-15 line from beyond the arc, the second-most three-pointers in a single-game in Ole Miss history and the most by anyone in the SEC this season by two. Remarkably, she nailed five of her nine three-pointers in the first quarter alone. Allen set women’s Pavilion records in both points and threes made, and her nine threes rank tied for the third-most in a single game in the NCAA this season.
Missouri comes into the game with an 11-3 record on the season to open up their conference slate after a 70-50 win over Arkansas State on Sunday. The Tigers are explosive from behind the arc with 112 made 3-pointers on the season which ranks second in the conference. As a team, Mizzou is shooting at a .423 clip while outscoring their opponents 65.6-55.9.
The Tigers are led on the court by Sophie Cunningham (15.9ppg) and Amber Smith (14.2ppg) who both are averaging double-figures each time on the court.
Ole Miss and Missouri will be tipping the ball off for the 10th time in the series on Thursday with the Tigers leading the all-time series at 8-1. The Rebels lone victory came back in 1981 when the series started. Last season, Ole Miss fell to the Tigers 59-50 in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
Fans can listen to the game on the Ole Miss Radio or watch all the action on the SEC Network +.