The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribune media.net

THE Ole Miss Rebels returned to the floor after an eight-day layoff and delivered their most dominant offensive outing of the season as they concluded non-conference play.

The Rebels scored a 99-63 win over Alabama State behind some timely shooting from beyond the arc and an all-around game from Valerie Nesbitt who has quickly become an elite defender in the Southeastern Conference.

Nesbitt came off the bench and finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, four steals and one block.

In her first season with the programme, Nesbitt currently leads the SEC in steals at 3.2 per game. She has had six games this season with at least four takeaways.

The Rebels made 12 threes on the night at a 60 per cent clip and finished with 24 assists.

“We needed a night like this. We needed to be able to score and get out in transition and see what it felt like to play a fun brand of basketball again, especially with the bar of the SEC that we’re getting ready to go into,” said coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin.

“I thought that our team really controlled the pace of the game, which was really good for us. When we score a lot of points it’s because we get out in transition and we push the ball.

“I thought we did that well, and I thought we made good decisions. We shared the ball at a high level today with 24 assists.”

The Rebels are currently 7-6 and will begin SEC play Thursday against Georgia.

“We’re on the right track for where we want to go, I’ve just got to keep our kids uplifted through this because I call the SEC a jungle,” McPhee-McCuin said. “We’re getting ready to go into the safari, and we better not have butter knives. We better be ready to fight.

“We’re going to lean on the players that played in it last year to understand that, and as coaches we’re way more prepared because we’ve been through the jungle one time before.”