Ole Miss Women's Basketball during the game against Tennessee at The SJB Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, MS on February 17, 2026. | Ole Miss Athletics
Ole Miss Women's Basketball during the game against Tennessee at The SJB Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, MS on February 17, 2026. | Ole Miss Athletics

Cotie McMahon Joins Elite Company as Ole Miss Surges Past Tennessee

BY Taylor Hodges

Some milestones sneak up on you. Cotie McMahon’s didn’t.

She needed one bucket to reach 2,000 career points, and she got it less than three minutes into the game, a simple jumper from the elbow.

Nothing flashy, nothing forced. Just a player doing what she’s done her entire career. And from there, she didn’t slow down.

By the time Ole Miss finished off a 94-81 win over Tennessee on Tuesday night, McMahon had stacked up 39 points, a new SJB Pavilion record and one of the best scoring nights anyone in this program has ever had. It tied her with Eugenia Conner and Peggie Gillom for the third‑most points in a single game by a Rebel. Only Gillom and Bianca Thomas have ever scored more.

But the number that mattered most wasn’t 39. It was 2,000, a club with only four other names in it: Peggie Gillom, Jennifer Gillom, Armintie Price, and Angel Baker.

McMahon joined them in less than four seasons of college basketball, and only she and Baker did it after transferring to Ole Miss.

That’s not something you stumble into. That’s consistency, night after night, in two different leagues, in two different systems, with two different sets of expectations.

And now she’s doing it in Oxford, where she’s become the centerpiece of a team that’s won two of its last three against Tennessee and sits at 21-6 overall.

Her night wasn’t just about scoring, either. She grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out five assists, and became the first Rebel in 25 years to put up at least 35 points and 10 boards in a game. It was the kind of performance that doesn’t need embellishment, just let the box score do the talking.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like that. Cody is a generational player. She’s obviously incredibly talented, but she also lets me coach her. That’s something I really appreciate about her,” coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said after the game. “With the way Tennessee plays, the game really opened up for her, and she’s good enough to have a night like that.”

Ole Miss also quietly put up its highest point total ever against Tennessee, breaking the old mark by 11. The Rebels shot well, moved the ball, and kept the pace where they wanted it. But everything kept circling back to McMahon, because that’s how this team works. When she’s steady, they’re steady. When she’s aggressive, they follow.

“I know this team goes as I go, so I really wanted to set the tone and make sure that they knew I had their back,” McMahon said.

She now has 16 games of 20‑plus points this season, tied for the fifth‑most in a single year by any Rebel. The last time someone had more was Bianca Thomas in 2009-10. That’s the kind of company she’s keeping.

And now, with LSU coming to town next, Ole Miss has a chance to stack another big moment on top of this one.

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