If the first SEC game of the season for No. 15 Ole Miss is a sign of what’s to come, then all the talk about how tough conference play was undersold.
The Rebels hosted undefeated Georgia on Thursday afternoon at SJB Pavilion in a back-and-forth contest. However, Ole Miss’s defense and impressive shooting performance from a Rebel spurned Ole Miss to a 79-62 win.
The first half was closely fought affair. The biggest lead for either team was 10 points by Ole Miss midway through the second quarter.
ICYMI: James Scott’s efficient double-double powers Rebels past Alcorn State
But even when Ole Miss had that 10 point lead, the Bulldogs responded with an 11-0 run to retake the lead. The Rebels were scoreless in that stretch and nearly ended the half on a scoreless streak. Latasha Lattimore prevented that with a three-pointer with less than a minute until halftime.
The second half would see the Rebels hold onto the lead for most of the remaining game. A big reason for that was the play of Cotie McMahon.
LET. HER. COOK🫢#hottytoddy x #give pic.twitter.com/azetq0bPW6
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) January 1, 2026
The two-time AP All-American from Ohio State made a big splash in her SEC debut, scoring 24 points (7-of-20 field goals), grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists and committing just one turnover.
Georgia’s Dani Carnegie did her best to keep pace with McMahon, and she did, finishing the game with 24 points. However, McMahon had more help from teammates than Carnegie did.
Like Debreasha Power scoring 10 points on a near-perfect 4-for-5 from the field, Lattimore with 13 points and Sira Thienou with six points, five rebounds, two assists and a game-high three steals.
Green light🚦👌#hottytoddy x #give pic.twitter.com/vPKBftA4qs
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) January 1, 2026
It was a team effort that allowed the Rebels to begin to pull away in the second half. Ole Miss outscored Georgia by 13 points in the third quarter, accounting for the 62-48 score to start the fourth quarter.
Christeen Iwuala was on the court after missing the game against Alcorn State with an illness, but got in early foul trouble. She picked up her third personal foul with two minutes to go in the third quarter and her fourth in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter.
The Rebels’ leading rebounder ended the game with just eight points and four rebounds.
McMahon will garner some of the headlines, but the Rebels’ defense deserves a turn in the spotlight.
Other than Carnegie, only one other Bulldog scored 10 or more points and committed 16 turnovers as a team.
Top Performers
- Points: Cotie McMahon, 24
- Rebounds: Cotie McMahon, 8
- Assists: Cotie McMahon, 5
- Steals: Sira Thienou, 3
- Blocks: Latasha Lattimore, 2
Next up
Ole Miss will have a quick turnaround for its next SEC game. The Rebels will head to No. 2 Texas (15-0) on Sunday. The Longhorns play their first SEC game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against Missouri.
The Rebels and Longhorns will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
