Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 15, 2008 11:08:51 GMT -5
Ole Miss game notes
A TRIO OF FIRSTS
The Ole Miss women’s basketball team takes part in its first tournament of the season when the Rebels take part in the Winthrop Tournament from Rock Hill, S.C. Ole Miss opens the event by taking on North Carolina A&T in what will be the first meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. In fact, the Rebels have also never faced both Davidson and Winthrop, one of which will be the Rebels’ opponent Sunday afternoon in the second round.
SEASON OPENERS
The Rebels have enjoyed a great deal of success in season openers in their 34 years of basketball. Since the team’s inception in 1974-75, the Rebels are 28-6 all-time in season openers and have won five of their last six. When Ole Miss opens the season away from Tad Smith Coliseum, the Rebels own a 13-5 all-time record in those games.
REBELS AND AGGIES
Ole Miss and North Carolina A&T tangle for the first time in school history when the two teams meet Saturday afternoon. It will be just the second time ever that Ole Miss has faced a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Rebels are 1-0 all-time against school from the MEAC as Ole Miss defeated Morgan State 91-47 in the 2002-03 season.
SCOUTING NC A&T
North Carolina A&T opens its season following a 2007-08 year that saw the Aggies post a 25-8 overall record and a berth in the WNIT. Despite its success during the year, North Carolina A&T fell to South Carolina 102-74 in the WNIT First Round. This season the Aggies return all five starters and are picked as the preseason favorite to win the MEAC championships. In addition, three Aggie players were selected to the preseason All-MEAC teams, including Amber Bland who was picked as the preseason player of the year. Both Brittanie Taylor-James and Ta’Wuana Cook were named preseason all-conference. North Carolina A&T will be searching for its first win ever over an SEC school Saturday against Ole Miss. The Aggies are 0-7 all-time against the SEC.
REBELS AND EAGLES
Should Ole Miss and Winthrop face each other on Sunday, it would also mark the first time the two schools have ever played one another. It will also be just the second school Ole Miss has ever played from the Big South Conference. The Rebels are 1-0 all-time against the Big South after beating Radford 91-62 in the opening game of the 2000-01 season.
SCOUTING WINTHROP
Winthrop was picked to finish second in the Big South to mark the highest the Eagles have ever been picked in the Big South preseason poll. Winthrop set a school record last year with 20 wins, and return all five starters. Highlighting that group is senior Ashley Fann, who was named to the preseason all-conference team.
REBELS AND WILDCATS
Should Ole Miss meet Davidson in the Winthrop Tournament, it would also be the first meeting ever between the two schools. Despite never taking on Davidson, the Rebels have played against the Southern Conference a total of eight times and boast a 7-1 all-time record in those games. The last time Ole Miss faced a team from the Southern Conference was during the 2003-04 season. In that game, Chattanooga defeated the Rebels 79-77 in overtime to hand Ole Miss its first and only loss against SoCon competition.
SCOUTING DAVIDSON
Davidson was picked to finish in third place in the Southern Conference preseason poll after posting a 13-5 record inside the league a season ago. The Wildcats also return three of its five starters from last year’s team. Davidson senior Mercedes Robinson was tabbed as the SoCon preseason Player of the Year after a junior campaign in which she ranked in the top-five in scoring and rebounding in the conference.
EXHIBITION RECAPS
Ole Miss took part in a pair of exhibition games in preparation for the beginning of the 2008-09 season. In those two games, the Rebels posted an average margin of victory of 34.5 points. Ole Miss knocked off DT-3 by a final score of 77-45, before beating Christian Brothers 84-47. The Rebels used a suffocating defense in both games to force a total of 44 turnovers over the course of the two games. Ole Miss also tallied a total of 31 steals and held a 29.5 edge in rebounding average. In addition, both DT-3 and Christian Brothers combined for 64 rebounds, while Ole Miss collected 55 offensive rebounds in the two games. Junior Bianca Thomas provided the Rebels with two steady games on offensive as she led the way by averaging 11 points over the two gam es. Both Shawn Goff and Nikki Byrd averaged 10.5 points.
PRESEASON PLAUDITS
Ole Miss senior center Shawn Goff was selected as a member of the All-SEC first team as voted on by SEC media and national media along the league’s coaches. An All-SEC second team selection by the league’s coaches and the Associated Press in 2007-08, Goff finished the season ranked first on the team and 12th in the SEC with 13.0 points per game. The Tallahassee, Fla., native also pulled down 6.8 rebounds per game to stand second on the team and 13th in the conference. At the conclusion of the season, Goff was one of three finalists for the Cellular South Gillom Trophy, awarded annually to the top women’s college basketball in the state of Mississippi.
All-SEC First Team
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn
Marshae Dotson, Florida
Ashley Houts, Georgia
Shawn Goff, Ole Miss
Christina Wirth, Vanderbilt
PREASON PREDEICTIONS
Following a 2007-08 season that saw the Rebels post a 13-16 overall record and a 6-8 mark inside the SEC, the 2008-09 edition of the Rebels have been picked to finish eighth in the league standings as voted on by a select panel of local and national media. The Rebels were picked to finish ninth by the league coaches.
Preseason Media Poll
1. Vanderbilt (273)
2. Tennessee (261)
3. Auburn (246)
4. Georgia (216)
5. LSU (183)
6. Florida (174)
7. Kentucky (129)
8. Ole Miss (126)
9. Mississippi State (87)
10. Arkansas (81)
11. South Carolina (72)
12. Alabama (25)
SEC Champion: Vanderbilt (12), Tennessee (9), Georgia (4)
GET THAT OUTTA HERE
Ole Miss senior center Shawn Goff was a force on the defensive end and produced a record-breaking season in 2007-08. Goff ended the regular season first in the SEC and 23rd in the nation with 2.33 blocked shots per game. During the course of the season, Goff recorded three blocked shots or more in a total of 16 games, including a career-high six rejections in the Rebels’ 65-52 win over Miami. Her six swats against the Hurricanes were tied for the second most blocked shots by any player in the SEC this season.
Goff would go on to record 32 blocks during conference play to rank first in the league with the most blocks during league play. In the second to last game of the regular season, Goff turned away a game-high five shots to help Ole Miss to a 70-54 road win at Alabama. With those five rejections, Goff upped her season total to 62 blocked shots to surpass Susan Byrd for the most single season blocked shots in school history. Byrd recorded 60 blocked shots in 33 games played during the 1993-94 season. Goff finished the season with 67 rejections and enters the 2008-09 season on pace to set the school record for career blocked shots.
Ole Miss Career Blocked Shots List
1. 194 - Eugenia Conner - 1981-85 (126 games)
2. 184 - Susan Byrd - 1990-95 (113 games)
3. 174 - Amber Watts - 2002-05 (116 games)
4. 148 - Shawn Goff - 2005-present (95 games)
MAY I HELP YOU?
Rebel junior floor general Shantell Black proved to be one of the top distributors in the SEC last season. Black ended the season first in the conference with 5.03 assists per game and was the first Rebel to pace the league in helpers since Kim Bullard accomplished the feat during the 1985-86 season. That season, Bullard tallied 6.6 assists per game.
Black turned in her best assist game of the season in the second game of the year as she dolled out 10 helpers in leading the Rebels to an 86-60 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Overall, Black produced 15 games in which she collected five or more assists.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
In her first season as a head coach, Renee Ladner guided the Rebels to a 13-16 overall record, 6-8 inside the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss finished the regular season tied for seventh place in the league standings and entered the SEC Tournament as the No. 8 seed. Ladner and the Rebels defeated in-state rival Mississippi State in the first round to advance into the second round for the fifth consecutive season.
Ladner notched her first career win as a head coach in the second game of the season as the Rebels defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 86-60. Following that victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns, Ole Miss would go on to post an impressive 10-3 record inside Tad Smith Coliseum. Along the way, the Rebels upended No. 20 Arkansas 63-55 to give Ladner her first career victory over a nationally-ranked team.
POSTSEASON HONORS
Following an outstanding season on both ends of the court, Shawn Goff was rewarded for her performance with her selection to the All-SEC Second Team as voted on by both the league’s coaches and the Associated Press. Goff finished the season ranked first on the team and 12th in the SEC with 13.0 points per game. She was also second on the team and 13th in the conference with 6.8 rebounds per game.
FROSH OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Kayla Melson secured her first of what is sure to be many awards when she earned the SEC Freshman of the Week honor to open the month of December last season as a freshman. Melson posted a pair of back-to-back double figure scoring games against UAB and Ohio State in helping Ole Miss to a 1-1 record in those games. Melson would go on to appear in every game for the Rebels last season and earn starts in all but two contests.
Melson finished her freshman campaign ranked 13th in the SEC with 3.10 assists per game. In addition, she was third among freshmen in helpers per game. Melson set a career-high with 10 assists in an 86-60 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
In a convincing 86-60 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette in the second game of the season, both Ole Miss starting guards Shantell Black and Kayla Melson registered 10 assists apiece. It was only the third time in school history that two Rebels had recorded double digit assists in the same game. Sandra Wells and Glenda Springfield were the first two to accomplish the feat as they finished with 13 and 11 assists respectively against Mississippi State March 4, 1978.
Prior to Black and Melson’s performance on November 18, Kim Bullard and Alisa Scott had done it most recently. Bullard totaled 11 assists and Scott collected 10 in a victory over Vanderbilt February 1, 1986.
WATCH YOUR BACK
Renee Ladner’s style of “pressure basketball” once again produced one of the league’s top teams in the steals department. After leading the SEC in steals in 2006-07, the Rebels were once again among the league leaders in thefts in 2007-08. Ole Miss finished the season ranked sixth in the SEC in steals as the Rebels collected just under 10 (9.69) thefts per game.
Shantell Black also ranked sixth in the SEC in steals as she piled up 2.28 per game and ended the year with 66 to her credit. Fellow guard Kayla Melson capped her season with a total of 51 steals to finish second on the team.
GILLOM TROPHY YEAR ONE
The Ole Miss women’s basketball team was well represented in the inaugural year for the Cellular South Gillom Trophy. The Cellular South Gillom Trophy, which is presented each year to Mississippi's best collegiate women's basketball player, is named in Ole Miss Associated Head Coach Peggie Gillom’s honor. Part of the Cellular South Outstanding Player Award Series, the first trophy was presented Mar. 31, 2008 in Tupelo, Miss. Media voters from across Mississippi determine the three finalists and the eventual winner.
Rebel Shawn Goff was selected as one of the top three finalists for the award last season and is once again one of the top candidates for the award in 2008-09.
NOTHING BUT NET
Rebel junior guard Bianca Thomas was nothing short of automatic from the free throw line in the second half of the 2007-08 season. Over the final 13 games of the season, Thomas shot 96.3 percent from the charity stripe and only missed one free throw during the time frame. Thomas sunk 24 of her final 25 free throws, including a stretch where she connected on 21 consecutive free throws.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Rebels were one of the SEC’s top offensive rebounding teams in 2007-08. In fact, Ole Miss ranked fourth in the conference with 14.76 offensive boards per game. Shawn Goff paced the team and ranked eighth in the conference with 2.79 offensive rebounds per game, while graduating senior Carla Bartee was 13th in the SEC with 2.59 per game.
Overall, Ole Miss had more offensive rebounds than its opponent in 15 of its 29 games last season. During conference play, the Rebels recorded 12 offensive rebounds of more in 12 of the 14 league games.
HOME COOKING
Ole Miss did an outstanding job last season in protecting its home court as the Rebels finished with a 10-3 record inside Tad Smith Coliseum. In those 13 games at the Tad Pad, Ole Miss outscored its opponents by a total of 7.8 points.
INJURY BUG HAUNTS OLE MISS
With two players lost for the season due to injury, the Rebels found themselves in a hole early and often in the 2007-08 season. Freshman center Kayla Holloway was lost for the year as she took a medical redshirt, while sophomore standout Alliesha Easley suffered a season-ending injury in the season opening game at Nebraska.
ACADEMIC HONORS
A pair of Rebels, Bianca Thomas and Elizabeth Robertson, found themselves on the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll for their outstanding efforts in the classroom. A total of 367 student-athletes were named to the honor roll by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.
The 2007-08 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2007 Spring, Summer and Fall terms. To be named to the list, a varsity student-athlete must have a 3.0 GPA or higher for either the preceding academic year or cumulatively.
A TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
Following several generous acts in the community, the entire Ole Miss women’s basketball team was selected to the SEC Community Service Team in 2007-08. The Rebels spent a weekend on the Mississippi Gulf Coast last September to help a community still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. On that trip, the team helped an elderly couple repair their house that still needed repairs following the storm. In addition, the Rebels helped the Ocean Springs, Miss., public library prepare for its grand re-opening by shelving books, installing computers and helping with general maintenance.
A TRIO OF FIRSTS
The Ole Miss women’s basketball team takes part in its first tournament of the season when the Rebels take part in the Winthrop Tournament from Rock Hill, S.C. Ole Miss opens the event by taking on North Carolina A&T in what will be the first meeting between the two schools on the hardwood. In fact, the Rebels have also never faced both Davidson and Winthrop, one of which will be the Rebels’ opponent Sunday afternoon in the second round.
SEASON OPENERS
The Rebels have enjoyed a great deal of success in season openers in their 34 years of basketball. Since the team’s inception in 1974-75, the Rebels are 28-6 all-time in season openers and have won five of their last six. When Ole Miss opens the season away from Tad Smith Coliseum, the Rebels own a 13-5 all-time record in those games.
REBELS AND AGGIES
Ole Miss and North Carolina A&T tangle for the first time in school history when the two teams meet Saturday afternoon. It will be just the second time ever that Ole Miss has faced a team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Rebels are 1-0 all-time against school from the MEAC as Ole Miss defeated Morgan State 91-47 in the 2002-03 season.
SCOUTING NC A&T
North Carolina A&T opens its season following a 2007-08 year that saw the Aggies post a 25-8 overall record and a berth in the WNIT. Despite its success during the year, North Carolina A&T fell to South Carolina 102-74 in the WNIT First Round. This season the Aggies return all five starters and are picked as the preseason favorite to win the MEAC championships. In addition, three Aggie players were selected to the preseason All-MEAC teams, including Amber Bland who was picked as the preseason player of the year. Both Brittanie Taylor-James and Ta’Wuana Cook were named preseason all-conference. North Carolina A&T will be searching for its first win ever over an SEC school Saturday against Ole Miss. The Aggies are 0-7 all-time against the SEC.
REBELS AND EAGLES
Should Ole Miss and Winthrop face each other on Sunday, it would also mark the first time the two schools have ever played one another. It will also be just the second school Ole Miss has ever played from the Big South Conference. The Rebels are 1-0 all-time against the Big South after beating Radford 91-62 in the opening game of the 2000-01 season.
SCOUTING WINTHROP
Winthrop was picked to finish second in the Big South to mark the highest the Eagles have ever been picked in the Big South preseason poll. Winthrop set a school record last year with 20 wins, and return all five starters. Highlighting that group is senior Ashley Fann, who was named to the preseason all-conference team.
REBELS AND WILDCATS
Should Ole Miss meet Davidson in the Winthrop Tournament, it would also be the first meeting ever between the two schools. Despite never taking on Davidson, the Rebels have played against the Southern Conference a total of eight times and boast a 7-1 all-time record in those games. The last time Ole Miss faced a team from the Southern Conference was during the 2003-04 season. In that game, Chattanooga defeated the Rebels 79-77 in overtime to hand Ole Miss its first and only loss against SoCon competition.
SCOUTING DAVIDSON
Davidson was picked to finish in third place in the Southern Conference preseason poll after posting a 13-5 record inside the league a season ago. The Wildcats also return three of its five starters from last year’s team. Davidson senior Mercedes Robinson was tabbed as the SoCon preseason Player of the Year after a junior campaign in which she ranked in the top-five in scoring and rebounding in the conference.
EXHIBITION RECAPS
Ole Miss took part in a pair of exhibition games in preparation for the beginning of the 2008-09 season. In those two games, the Rebels posted an average margin of victory of 34.5 points. Ole Miss knocked off DT-3 by a final score of 77-45, before beating Christian Brothers 84-47. The Rebels used a suffocating defense in both games to force a total of 44 turnovers over the course of the two games. Ole Miss also tallied a total of 31 steals and held a 29.5 edge in rebounding average. In addition, both DT-3 and Christian Brothers combined for 64 rebounds, while Ole Miss collected 55 offensive rebounds in the two games. Junior Bianca Thomas provided the Rebels with two steady games on offensive as she led the way by averaging 11 points over the two gam es. Both Shawn Goff and Nikki Byrd averaged 10.5 points.
PRESEASON PLAUDITS
Ole Miss senior center Shawn Goff was selected as a member of the All-SEC first team as voted on by SEC media and national media along the league’s coaches. An All-SEC second team selection by the league’s coaches and the Associated Press in 2007-08, Goff finished the season ranked first on the team and 12th in the SEC with 13.0 points per game. The Tallahassee, Fla., native also pulled down 6.8 rebounds per game to stand second on the team and 13th in the conference. At the conclusion of the season, Goff was one of three finalists for the Cellular South Gillom Trophy, awarded annually to the top women’s college basketball in the state of Mississippi.
All-SEC First Team
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn
Marshae Dotson, Florida
Ashley Houts, Georgia
Shawn Goff, Ole Miss
Christina Wirth, Vanderbilt
PREASON PREDEICTIONS
Following a 2007-08 season that saw the Rebels post a 13-16 overall record and a 6-8 mark inside the SEC, the 2008-09 edition of the Rebels have been picked to finish eighth in the league standings as voted on by a select panel of local and national media. The Rebels were picked to finish ninth by the league coaches.
Preseason Media Poll
1. Vanderbilt (273)
2. Tennessee (261)
3. Auburn (246)
4. Georgia (216)
5. LSU (183)
6. Florida (174)
7. Kentucky (129)
8. Ole Miss (126)
9. Mississippi State (87)
10. Arkansas (81)
11. South Carolina (72)
12. Alabama (25)
SEC Champion: Vanderbilt (12), Tennessee (9), Georgia (4)
GET THAT OUTTA HERE
Ole Miss senior center Shawn Goff was a force on the defensive end and produced a record-breaking season in 2007-08. Goff ended the regular season first in the SEC and 23rd in the nation with 2.33 blocked shots per game. During the course of the season, Goff recorded three blocked shots or more in a total of 16 games, including a career-high six rejections in the Rebels’ 65-52 win over Miami. Her six swats against the Hurricanes were tied for the second most blocked shots by any player in the SEC this season.
Goff would go on to record 32 blocks during conference play to rank first in the league with the most blocks during league play. In the second to last game of the regular season, Goff turned away a game-high five shots to help Ole Miss to a 70-54 road win at Alabama. With those five rejections, Goff upped her season total to 62 blocked shots to surpass Susan Byrd for the most single season blocked shots in school history. Byrd recorded 60 blocked shots in 33 games played during the 1993-94 season. Goff finished the season with 67 rejections and enters the 2008-09 season on pace to set the school record for career blocked shots.
Ole Miss Career Blocked Shots List
1. 194 - Eugenia Conner - 1981-85 (126 games)
2. 184 - Susan Byrd - 1990-95 (113 games)
3. 174 - Amber Watts - 2002-05 (116 games)
4. 148 - Shawn Goff - 2005-present (95 games)
MAY I HELP YOU?
Rebel junior floor general Shantell Black proved to be one of the top distributors in the SEC last season. Black ended the season first in the conference with 5.03 assists per game and was the first Rebel to pace the league in helpers since Kim Bullard accomplished the feat during the 1985-86 season. That season, Bullard tallied 6.6 assists per game.
Black turned in her best assist game of the season in the second game of the year as she dolled out 10 helpers in leading the Rebels to an 86-60 win over Louisiana-Lafayette. Overall, Black produced 15 games in which she collected five or more assists.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
In her first season as a head coach, Renee Ladner guided the Rebels to a 13-16 overall record, 6-8 inside the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss finished the regular season tied for seventh place in the league standings and entered the SEC Tournament as the No. 8 seed. Ladner and the Rebels defeated in-state rival Mississippi State in the first round to advance into the second round for the fifth consecutive season.
Ladner notched her first career win as a head coach in the second game of the season as the Rebels defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 86-60. Following that victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns, Ole Miss would go on to post an impressive 10-3 record inside Tad Smith Coliseum. Along the way, the Rebels upended No. 20 Arkansas 63-55 to give Ladner her first career victory over a nationally-ranked team.
POSTSEASON HONORS
Following an outstanding season on both ends of the court, Shawn Goff was rewarded for her performance with her selection to the All-SEC Second Team as voted on by both the league’s coaches and the Associated Press. Goff finished the season ranked first on the team and 12th in the SEC with 13.0 points per game. She was also second on the team and 13th in the conference with 6.8 rebounds per game.
FROSH OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Kayla Melson secured her first of what is sure to be many awards when she earned the SEC Freshman of the Week honor to open the month of December last season as a freshman. Melson posted a pair of back-to-back double figure scoring games against UAB and Ohio State in helping Ole Miss to a 1-1 record in those games. Melson would go on to appear in every game for the Rebels last season and earn starts in all but two contests.
Melson finished her freshman campaign ranked 13th in the SEC with 3.10 assists per game. In addition, she was third among freshmen in helpers per game. Melson set a career-high with 10 assists in an 86-60 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
In a convincing 86-60 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette in the second game of the season, both Ole Miss starting guards Shantell Black and Kayla Melson registered 10 assists apiece. It was only the third time in school history that two Rebels had recorded double digit assists in the same game. Sandra Wells and Glenda Springfield were the first two to accomplish the feat as they finished with 13 and 11 assists respectively against Mississippi State March 4, 1978.
Prior to Black and Melson’s performance on November 18, Kim Bullard and Alisa Scott had done it most recently. Bullard totaled 11 assists and Scott collected 10 in a victory over Vanderbilt February 1, 1986.
WATCH YOUR BACK
Renee Ladner’s style of “pressure basketball” once again produced one of the league’s top teams in the steals department. After leading the SEC in steals in 2006-07, the Rebels were once again among the league leaders in thefts in 2007-08. Ole Miss finished the season ranked sixth in the SEC in steals as the Rebels collected just under 10 (9.69) thefts per game.
Shantell Black also ranked sixth in the SEC in steals as she piled up 2.28 per game and ended the year with 66 to her credit. Fellow guard Kayla Melson capped her season with a total of 51 steals to finish second on the team.
GILLOM TROPHY YEAR ONE
The Ole Miss women’s basketball team was well represented in the inaugural year for the Cellular South Gillom Trophy. The Cellular South Gillom Trophy, which is presented each year to Mississippi's best collegiate women's basketball player, is named in Ole Miss Associated Head Coach Peggie Gillom’s honor. Part of the Cellular South Outstanding Player Award Series, the first trophy was presented Mar. 31, 2008 in Tupelo, Miss. Media voters from across Mississippi determine the three finalists and the eventual winner.
Rebel Shawn Goff was selected as one of the top three finalists for the award last season and is once again one of the top candidates for the award in 2008-09.
NOTHING BUT NET
Rebel junior guard Bianca Thomas was nothing short of automatic from the free throw line in the second half of the 2007-08 season. Over the final 13 games of the season, Thomas shot 96.3 percent from the charity stripe and only missed one free throw during the time frame. Thomas sunk 24 of her final 25 free throws, including a stretch where she connected on 21 consecutive free throws.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Rebels were one of the SEC’s top offensive rebounding teams in 2007-08. In fact, Ole Miss ranked fourth in the conference with 14.76 offensive boards per game. Shawn Goff paced the team and ranked eighth in the conference with 2.79 offensive rebounds per game, while graduating senior Carla Bartee was 13th in the SEC with 2.59 per game.
Overall, Ole Miss had more offensive rebounds than its opponent in 15 of its 29 games last season. During conference play, the Rebels recorded 12 offensive rebounds of more in 12 of the 14 league games.
HOME COOKING
Ole Miss did an outstanding job last season in protecting its home court as the Rebels finished with a 10-3 record inside Tad Smith Coliseum. In those 13 games at the Tad Pad, Ole Miss outscored its opponents by a total of 7.8 points.
INJURY BUG HAUNTS OLE MISS
With two players lost for the season due to injury, the Rebels found themselves in a hole early and often in the 2007-08 season. Freshman center Kayla Holloway was lost for the year as she took a medical redshirt, while sophomore standout Alliesha Easley suffered a season-ending injury in the season opening game at Nebraska.
ACADEMIC HONORS
A pair of Rebels, Bianca Thomas and Elizabeth Robertson, found themselves on the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll for their outstanding efforts in the classroom. A total of 367 student-athletes were named to the honor roll by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.
The 2007-08 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll is based on grades from the 2007 Spring, Summer and Fall terms. To be named to the list, a varsity student-athlete must have a 3.0 GPA or higher for either the preceding academic year or cumulatively.
A TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
Following several generous acts in the community, the entire Ole Miss women’s basketball team was selected to the SEC Community Service Team in 2007-08. The Rebels spent a weekend on the Mississippi Gulf Coast last September to help a community still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. On that trip, the team helped an elderly couple repair their house that still needed repairs following the storm. In addition, the Rebels helped the Ocean Springs, Miss., public library prepare for its grand re-opening by shelving books, installing computers and helping with general maintenance.
