Despite facing its largest deficit of the season by 19 points, there was no quit from Ole Miss to complete the comeback to knock off No. 24 Arkansas in overtime, 76-73 from Bud Walton Arena on Sunday.
In her return to Arkansas, Marquesha Davis came to play as she went off for a career-high 20 points to lead Ole Miss (18-4, 7-2 SEC) to its first win at Arkansas (17-7, 4-5 SEC) since 2011. The win over the Razorbacks was also the Rebels first overtime victory since defeating Georgia Southern in 2019. The ranked win marked the eighth over a ranked team for McPhee-McCuin in her five seasons at Ole Miss.
Erasing the 19-point deficit, was the largest comeback to win for Ole Miss since storming back from being down 12 against MTSU to win 65-56 in 2017.
Along with her career-high in points, Davis also tallied a season-high tying eight rebounds. Leading Ole Miss on the boards however was Madison Scott with her eighth double-double of the season off of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Scott continues her career long double-digit scoring streak, with double digits in the last 12 games.
Snudda Collins, Myah Taylor and Ayanna Thompson added eight points apiece to contribute to the Rebel comeback. Collins was a force around the rim, tying a career-high with three blocks.
Facing an early deficit, Ole Miss worked to get its way out of the hole down 12-4 five minutes in. The Rebel defense quickly got to work, holding the Razorbacks without a field goal the following four minutes. A quick 8-0 run with assistance from Scott and Thompson evened the score back up, tied at 12 all. Arkansas then utilized the three-ball to take an 18-16 lead through the first quarter.
Ole Miss found itself in a scoring slump, as Arkansas took off on an 8-0 run of their own to rebuild its lead. A Taylor jumper broke up the Razorback run, yet Arkansas remained hot from deep with five triples in the first half alone. Headed into the locker room at half, Ole Miss faced its largest deficit of the season trailing, 39-20.
The re-energized Rebels came out on a 6-0 run to start the second half, as they begin to cut into the Razorback lead. A triple from Collins brought Ole Miss within 12, down 45-33 with 5:16 remaining in the third. Davis remained a reliable scoring option for the Rebels, with eight in the quarter as Ole Miss trailed 50-39.
Right out of the huddle, Baker drove to the basket followed by another jumper from Scott to come within seven at 50-43 with 8:55 left on the clock. The Rebels remained in the fight, pulling within three off a 6-0 run at 54-51. Wearing the Razorbacks down, Ole Miss strung together a 7-0 run within a minute to even the game up once again at 58 all while limiting the Razorbacks without a field goal for over four minutes. Both teams traded swings back and forth, until the Rebels found themselves down 64-62 with seven seconds remaining. It was Tyia Singleton getting it done in the paint with a layup to force overtime for the second time in the last three games.
Taylor took over in overtime with two layups to provide the Rebels with breathing room, yet it was Collins securing it at the line with three straight free throws after being fouled from beyond the arc. Her three consecutive makes iced the game for Ole Miss to complete the comeback and secure its first win in Fayetteville since 2011, 76-73.
The Rebels remain on the road heading to Knoxville on Thursday (Feb. 2) to take on Tennessee. The matchup against the Lady Vols is slated to stream on SEC Network + at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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