Women’s basketball Ole Miss heads to South Carolina to face the Gamecocks this Thursday, February 25th.
South Carolina is currently 5th in the country and 1st in the SEC, with an overall record of 18-3 this season. 13 of those wins and only one of the losses was at the conference. The rebels are 11th in the SEC, with nine and nine overall records this season, with three conference wins and nine defeats.
The last time the two teams met, Ole Miss lost 87-32. At the time, Gamecocks were ranked No. 1 in the country. The rebels only managed to score two points in the first half after going goalless in the first quarter. The score after the first half tied with the NCAA Division I record for the smallest number of points scored in one time.
The rebels are hoping for better participation this time when they face the Gamecocks. The team is coming out of a difficult defeat for No. 3, Texas A&M, where the rebels lost by just 11 points.
Ole Miss will count on junior Shakira Austin to give the team a good offensive momentum. Austin has had a double-double performance in each of the last five games, and she averages 17.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
The rebels will also rely on the second-year Donnetta Johnson red shirt to bring momentum to the rebels during the game. Johnson averages 12.3 points per game, followed by freshman Madison Scott, who averages 10.9 points per game.
The rebels will have to be solid in defense and block the painting to end Gamecocks this week. Second year playmaker Zia Cooke is a key player for Gamecocks and averages 15.9 points per game.
Second-year striker Aliyah Boston also plays an important role in South Carolina, averaging 13.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. Boston is undoubtedly on the Gamecocks’ radar. The rebels will likely need to find a way to get Boston out of the fray if they want to fight the glass.
The game against South Carolina will air on SEC + Network at 12 noon on Thursday, February 25.