Ole Miss made the nation’s top-ranked sweat a little bit, but in the end the Rebels weren’t able to pull off the upset of the season.
No. 1 Texas ended the Rebels’ run at the 2025 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament with a 70-63 win Friday, but Ole Miss was able to close a 15-point deficit to within two points with less than five minutes to play. However, the Longhorns would go on a 10-5 run in the game’s final minutes and head into Saturday’s semifinal against No. 9-seed LSU.
Ole Miss entered the fourth quarter facing an 11-point deficit, and Kirsten Deans ignited a spark for the Rebels after draining a three-pointer and followed with a three more three-pointers to make the score  60-58
The Rebels went on an 18-6 run and made seven consecutive shots in that span, highlighted by Deans scoring 12 straight of those points for Ole Miss. Scott rejoined the scoring effort with a layup to extend the shooting streak.
Madison Scott was the only starting Rebel to score 10 or more points (14 points, 5-of-7 field goals). Kirsten Deans led all Ole Miss scorers with 20 points on 6-of-12 field goals and accounted for all five three-pointers Ole Miss made.
The Rebels should expect to receive an invitation to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Sunday, especially after beating their instate rival, Mississippi State 85-73 in Wednesday’s second round. Ole Miss was ranked as No. 4-seed for the tournament in ESPN’s Charlie Crème’s most recent women’s bracketology article.
The 68-team bracket for the women’s tournament will be announced at 7 p.m., March 16.
