LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - All-SEC guard Bianca Thomas became the 23rd player in Ole Miss history to score 1,000 or more career points in leading the Rebels to a 70-51 victory over UALR Wednesday evening from the Jack Stephens Center.
Thomas finished with a game-high 29 points and tied the school record for the most three-pointers in a game with seven. It is the second time in her career that she has hit seven treys, duplicating the feat last season at Mississippi State. She joins Becky Myatt and Regan Seybert as the only three players in Rebel history to have seven three-pointers in a single game.
Thomas has scored 1,006 points during her career at Ole Miss.
Kayla Melson returned to the Ole Miss lineup after missing a pair of games and finished with 14 points, a game-high nine rebounds and five assists.
UALR forward Chastity Reed paced the Trojans with 23 points and seven rebounds, while guard Shanika Butler added 13 points and seven rebounds.
UALR (3-4) took its largest lead of the game midway through the second half when Britteni Williams scored her only two points of the game on a layup following a pass through traffic from Asriel Rolfe. Exactly one minute later, Elizabeth Robertson hit a three-pointer from the wing to stop the Trojans' 6-0 run and pull the Rebels with three points.
Reed answered on the other end with a basket to put UALR up by five points, but Ole Miss quickly responded with an 11-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 52-46 lead with 7:26 left to play. During the run, Thomas hit a deep three-pointer at the 10:27 mark to put Ole Miss ahead for good.
UALR cut the Rebel lead to four points with just under seven minutes remaining on a layup from Butler, but Robertson swished a three-pointer in transition on the ensuing Ole Miss possession to stretch the lead back to seven points.
Reed pulled the Trojans back within five points with six minutes left on the clock before Thomas hit another dagger from three right in the face of her defender to push the Ole Miss lead out to eight.
The Rebels closed the game on a 12-1 run highlighted by three-pointers from Thomas, Shantell Black and Whitney Hameth.
Ole Miss improves to 6-1 this season and has now won three road games to match all of last season's total.
Ole Miss returns to action Sunday at noon when the Rebels travel to Norfolk, Va., to take on Old Dominion from the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
