by Don Mooney
Coach out of answers as Ole Miss pull away in overtime win over Lady Tigers. photo by Altonita Washington
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A defensive battle took place at Elma Roane Fieldhouse as No. 13/16 Ole Miss bested Memphis, 73-64, in overtime on Tuesday evening. It was an inspired effort from the Tigers (2-3) in their first matchup with the Rebels in 15 years, pushing their lead up to 13 late in the third quarter, but the undefeated visitors stormed back in the final period and overtime to take the victory.
Chaé Harris again led Memphis behind 24 points and four threes, and Daejah Richmond was just as crucial with 22 points, both career highs for the guards. Even with the extra five minutes, it was the lowest-scoring performance of Ole Miss’ season. The 18th-ranked offense in the nation was held to just 37% shooting and 18 turnovers. It was clear from the start that it was going to be a hard-nosed, grind-it-out type of game; neither team scored in the opening three minutes. Ole Miss led 4-0 before a 14-2 Tiger run, with six points coming from Richmond. The Rebels (4-0) hit a pair of three-pointers out of a quick timeout, and the lead would change eight times in the first half as Memphis led, 29-28.
The Rebels (4-0, 0-0 SEC) have won their first overtime since Feb. 18, 2024, when they beat Mississippi State in Oxford, 75-71. Ole Miss came back from as far out as 13 points late in the third quarter while the two teams switched leaders 10 times with eight ties. Despite Memphis (2-3, 0-0 AAC) having two players at 20-plus points, its depth pieces were unsuccessful at contributing, with only four points coming from the bench for the Tigers.
With the win, Ole Miss is undefeated through the first four games of a season for the third time under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and only the sixth time in the 21st century. McPhee-McCuin is now 5-4 in overtime games as the Rebels head coach.
photo by Altonita Washington
Cotie McMahon and Christeen Iwuala have continued to be a dominant frontcourt tandem, with both once again recording a double-double. McMahon paced the team in points with 19, adding 12 rebounds, while Iwuala had a career-high 14 rebounds alongside her 15 points.
They became the first Rebels since all-timer Madison Scott in the 2023-24 season to record a double-double in two consecutive games. Adding to their strong start to the season, Iwuala and McMahon became the first pair of Rebels to begin a campaign with at least 10 points in the first four games since the 2020-21 season.
Sira Thienou tied McMahon for the most points on the night with a season-high 19 points for the Rebels and led the team with a trio of 3-pointers made. Thienou added six rebounds to her stat line.
photo by Altonita Washington
Defensively, the Rebels forced 23 Tiger turnovers while collecting 13 steals, both the most allowed by Memphis in the young season thus far.
McMahon helped Ole Miss push the tempo in the first, scoring the first four points of the day. Her first basket, a coast-to-coast layup was followed by a turnaround jumper from the elbow. However, Memphis captured momentum early on, scoring eight unanswered points in a two-minute timeframe. Ole Miss answered with a three each from Thienou and Tianna Thompson, but Memphis retained a 14-12 lead at the conclusion of the quarter.
photo by Altonita Washington
Ole Miss’ frontcourt answered the call in the second quarter. After a pair of quick layups from Iwuala and Latasha Lattimore, Thienou made a baseline jumper to give Ole Miss its first lead of the night. Lattimore built it with another layup, but Memphis would quickly reclaim the lead after a fastbreak layup and a 3-pointer just before the media timeout. After that, McMahon converted an and-one opportunity to once again flip the lead. McMahon continued to put up points for the Rebels, but they found themselves down, 29-28, heading into the locker room.
The first five minutes of the third quarter belonged to Memphis. The Tigers stacked 12 points together before the media timeout and the Rebels struggled to respond. While Ole Miss put some more points on the board through the latter half of the quarter, Memphis continued adding until the score was 52-41 entering the fourth.
Despite the deficit, Thienou and the Rebels wouldn’t yield. The sophomore guard drained two threes in back-to-back possessions to force a Memphis timeout and put the Rebels within five points of the lead. With the flip switched, Ole Miss kept scoring through Iwuala who reached double-digit points and rebounds in the period.
Physical gameplay on both ends of the court led to McMahon tying the game once more, this time at 54 apiece. On a fastbreak, McMahon would give Ole Miss its first lead since the second quarter. The Rebels and Tigers traded baskets and kept forcing ties on each other until it came down to a last-second heave from McMahon, which missed, with the score at the end of regulation tied at 58.
photo by Altonita Washington
In overtime, it was all Rebels. Ole Miss stifled Memphis’ defense, allowing only six points while relentlessly attacking the basket and converting. Iwuala began the period by adding three free throws, while Thienou made two tough layups through contact to separate the Rebels scoring margin. Denim DeShields had two clutch steals in the final minute and a half, one of which resulted in her taking the ball across the court for an easy layup, which would ultimately put the lead permanently in Ole Miss’ favor.
After two more field goals for good measure, the Rebels capped the game with a 73-64 victory. Memphis will be back home this Saturday, November 22, to take on ETSU at 2:00 p.m.