GREENVILLE, S.C. - March 8th, 2024
Highlighted by a career-high night from Marquesha Davis and a fourth quarter surge, Ole Miss women's basketball ran away in the final minutes to a 84-74 victory over Florida in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Rebels now advance to its third consecutive SEC Tournament Semifinal and knock off a conference foe three-times in a season for the first time since 1991.
Powered by Marquesha Davis with a career-high 33 points, Ole Miss (23-7, 12-4 SEC) grinded its way past Florida (16-15, 5-11 SEC) for its sixth straight win against the Gators. Not only did Davis' explosive night make her the first Rebel since 2019 to score 30 in a game, she now ranks No. 2 at Ole Miss with points in an SEC Tournament game.
Madison Scott and Kennedy Todd-Williams exploded in the second half, as Scott snagged a season-high 15 rebounds for the second most by a Rebel in an SEC Tournament game. 14 points from Scott gave her another double-double this season, bringing this year's total to seven. With 12 points in the second half, Todd-Williams ended her night with 18 points and dished out a team-best five assists.
Starting off hot from beyond the arc, Florida grabbed an early advantage over Ole Miss due to three triples from the Gators within the opening minutes. Shaking off the rust, the Rebels found themselves working to get going offensively in the first quarter. Despite holding Florida without a field goal for over four minutes, the Gators snagged a narrow lead at 21-15 over the Rebels through one.
With Davis taking charge, she hit double-figures to begin the second quarter for the 24th game this season. Forcing pressure on the defensive end, a 6-0 run from the Rebels provided an opportunity to meet the Gators at 21 all. Trading blows back and forth, Ole Miss found its way to the charity stripe to remain neck and neck with Florida. Due to a triple from Thompson and Davis adding to her point total in the paint, Ole Miss snagged its first lead of the game with less than a minute in the half. Foul issues plagued the Rebels as Florida regained a narrow margin to lead 37-36 at the break.
Once again preventing Florida from reaching the basket for a multi-minute stretch, both teams entered a lull to open the second half. With Davis finding it the easiest of any Rebel to drive to the basket, she assisted the Rebels to remain within striking distance of the Gators. A quick 5-0 run from Todd-Williams provided Ole Miss to grab the lead for the first time in the half at 52-50. Tied at 54 with under 20 seconds in the frame remaining, Scott drove through the paint for an easy layup to take a one possession lead at 56-53 with 10 minutes left.
Florida had no answer for Davis, Scott and Todd-Williams as the trio took off on an 11-0 run after being tied with the Gators at 71 with two minutes remaining. Wrapping up the fourth quarter on a 13-1 run, Ole Miss sealed the game and its third consecutive berth in the SEC Tournament Semifinals.
Ole Miss faces No. 8 LSU on Semifinal Saturday in its first SEC Tournament meeting since 2017 at 6:00 p.m. CT on ESPNU. A win over the Tigers would send the Rebels to its first SEC Tournament Championship appearance since 1983.
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin
Негізгі бет (3) Ole Miss vs (11) Florida | 2024 SEC Tournament: Quarterfinals | 3.8.24
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