The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

YOLETT McPhee-McCuin’s Ole Miss Rebels were back in the Southeastern Conference win column powered by another defensive effort.

The Rebels brought an end to a two-game losing streak with a 61-45 win over the Missouri Tigers at the Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi, on Friday.

The Ole Miss identity has been its defence all season long and they again led the way by limiting one of the best shooting teams in NCAA Division I. The win over the Tigers marked the programme’s first since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012.

Ole Miss forced 21 turnovers, forcing 15 or more in eight of nine SEC games. The 41 points allowed to the Tigers were the fewest points allowed in an SEC road game since 1991.

They improved to 18-4 overall, 6-3 in the SEC.

“We’re totally focused on dictating and disrupting. And we felt like Missouri would punish us if we gave up the three. We didn’t care if they shot 100 twos. We did not want to give up the three,” McPhee-McCuin said. “And so what you saw in the first and second quarter, all of the actions, all of the time it takes for them to get that shot off, we were right there.”

As one of the best teams in Division I in forcing turnovers, Ole Miss did just that, especially in the fourth quarter with five by the Tigers in a four-minute stretch. Ole Miss returns to the floor tonight with another ranked game in the SEC when they host No. 15 LSU Tigers. Just over a week ago, the No.25 Rebels suffered a 69-40 loss to No.1 South Carolina Gamecocks at Colonial Life Arena in South Carolina and followed with a 62-52 loss at home to No.15 Georgia Bulldogs at home.

The Rebels earned multiple honours as the NCAA and United States Basketball Writers Association Team of the Week once they earned the ranking in the AP poll. Ole Miss has two wins over ranked teams this season, over then No.23 Kentucky Wildcats and a December win over No.18 South Florida.