This one never lacked drama. No. 14 Ole Miss delivered one of its worst halves of the season, then spent the second trying to claw all the way back against No. 18 Kentucky. Here’s how each half swung the game.
First Half Reaction
That may have been Ole Miss’ worst first half of the season. It was certainly the lowest scoring half this season.
The Rebels made just five field goals in the half, including only one in the second quarter. They closed the half on a brutal stretch of 15 straight missed shots, with nine turnovers, six of their attempts blocked, and just one made three-pointer.
The second quarter was a disaster. Kentucky ripped off a 19-0 run that didn’t end until there were just two minutes left before halftime.
The Wildcats shot incredibly well for most of the half. Carla Stack started 3-for-3 from the field and went into the break with 12 points and six rebounds. Asia Boone was on fire from beyond the three-point arc, hitting 4-of-6 from deep to lead Kentucky with 13 points. Tonnie Morgan, who entered the game with 219 assists on the season, piled up six more in the first half alone.
That hot shooting, combined with Ole Miss going ice cold from the floor, is how Kentucky built a 19-point halftime lead.
The bank 🏦 is open for @ChristeenIwuala #HottyToddy x #Give pic.twitter.com/66EuG4ernn
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) February 15, 2026
Cotie McMahon is 0-for-8 from the field with one rebound. Her only first-half points came on two free throws that finally stopped Kentucky’s scoring run. That trip to the line also marked the start of better play from Ole Miss, which got to the stripe multiple times in the final two minutes.
The Rebels also forced five turnovers in the last four and a half minutes and held Kentucky scoreless for the final three minutes of the half.
We’ve seen Ole Miss pull off a massive comeback before. The Rebels trailed then-No. 18 Notre Dame by 19 and wound up winning 69-62.
So, there’s a blueprint. But it’s going to take a drastically better performance on both ends of the floor for Ole Miss to make this interesting.
Second Half Reaction
The Rebels forced Kentucky turnovers on the Wildcats’ first three possessions of the half, drew fouls, and started winning on the glass. They put together a 6-0 run late in the third quarter, but Kentucky still held a double‑digit lead and had an answer for almost everything Ole Miss produced. The Rebels needed a real scoring burst to make it a game.
That run finally came in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss held Kentucky scoreless for nearly three minutes and cut the deficit to six with 6:44 remaining. But that was as close as the Rebels would get.
Back in it with a clutch shot by @cotiemcmahon23 👌#HottyToddy x #Give pic.twitter.com/M01PTEnn0H
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) February 15, 2026
Kentucky responded with the kind of run Ole Miss had been searching for all night — ten straight points, part of a 16-4 closing stretch in which the Wildcats made their final eight field goals.
Stack continued to dominate inside, twisting around defenders for acrobatic finishes and cleaning up the glass. She couldn’t be slowed and finished with 28 points, 12 of them in the second half.
Ole Miss never found sustained offensive rhythm, shooting 35% after halftime and making just two threes. The Rebels did go a perfect 13-for-13 at the free‑throw line, which is a big reason the game tightened late, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Kentucky’s closing punch.
In the end, the hole Ole Miss dug in the first half was simply too deep. The Rebels fought, tightened the game, and made Kentucky uncomfortable, but the Wildcats’ closing burst made sure the comeback never fully materialized and sent the Rebels home with a 74-57 loss.
Ole Miss Top Performers
- Points: Cotie McMahon, 18
- Rebounds: Latasha Lattimore, 11
- Assists: Four players with 2
- Steals: Christeen Iwuala, 6
- Blocks: Latasha Lattimore, 3
Next Up
Sunday wasn’t the start of an important four-game gauntlet, but the bright side is there are upcoming opportunities to get back on track. Ole Miss will host No. 22 Tennessee at 6 p.m. Tuesday on ESPNU.
