Feb. 24, 2012

Ole Miss Game Notes

Ole Miss (12-16, 2-13 SEC) at Auburn (12-16, 4-11 SEC)
Date: February 26, 2012
Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Arena: Auburn Arena
Radio: Q93.7(Graham Doty)
Online: Gametracker/ESPN3
TV: SportSouth | Dave Neal, Van Chancellor
Series vs. Auburn: AU leads, 29-22

QUICK HITS
- Ole Miss fell to 12-16 overall (2-13 SEC) this season after falling on the road to No. 16 Georgia, 87-52, Thursday night.
- The Rebels will end its non-conference schedule having played three of its final four games on the road.
- For the second consecutive game, sophomore Valencia McFarland led all scorers, recording 22 points at Georgia.  She has recorded six 20-point games this season and 10 during her career.  
- Ole Miss recorded at least six made threes in each of its last two games.
- Valencia McFarland (13.9 ppg) and senior Nikki Byrd (11.6 ppg) lead Ole Miss in scoring.
- Byrd (8.6 rpg) and sophomore Danielle McCray (4.4 rpg) lead the team in rebounding.
- McCray and freshman Tia Faleru each recorded career highs in rebounding at MSU, each recording 12 rebounds.  Fellow freshman Mo Jackson also recorded a career-high in rebounding, grabbing eight boards.
- Head coach Renee Ladner is in her fifth season at the helm. She has a career record of 70-81 overall and 23-52 in SEC play.

REBELS END REGULAR SEASON AT AUBURN
Ole Miss will finish the regular season on the road playing at Auburn on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.  The game will be televised on FSN and online at ESPN3 (subject to blackout in states with an SEC school).  Ole Miss (12-16 overall, 2-13 SEC) is 8-8 at home this season and 4-8 on the road.  With one regular-season games remaining, the Rebels have won more games this season (12) than they did all of 2010-11 (10).

ABOUT OLE MISS
Ole Miss is 12-16 overall this season and 2-13 in SEC play after falling on the road at No. 16 Georgia Thursday night.  The Rebels are led by Valencia McFarland (13.9 ppg, 4.9 apg) and Nikki Byrd (11.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg).  Freshman Danielle McCray is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 4.4 rebounds per game. Head coach Renee Ladner is in her fifth season at the helm.  

OLE MISS VS. AUBURN
Auburn leads the all-time series between the two schools, 29-22.  The Tigers won the first meeting between the two schools this year, 67-54, in Oxford on January 29.  Auburn is 14-7 all-time in games played in Auburn, Ala.  Ole Miss’ last win over Auburn was a 65-61 win in Oxford on January 25, 2010.  The Rebels’ last win over the Tigers on the road was a 74-66 win on January 4, 2007.     
 
A LOOK AT AUBURN
Auburn enters Sunday’s game 12-16 overall and 4-11 in SEC play.  The Tigers are coming off a 81-40 win over Alabama on Thursday night.  Auburn is led by Tyrese Tanner (10.5 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game) and Camille Glymph (9.5 points per game, 43 assists).  Parrisha Simmons leads the team in rebounding, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game.  As a team the Tigers average 58.9 points per game while its opponents average 58.1.                    

NEWS AND NOTES
Georgia became just the second team to shoot over 50 percent from the floor against Ole Miss (LSU, 55.2%, Georgia 52.6%) ... Ole Miss has recorded at least six threes in its last two games ... Freshman Tia Faleru played a career-high 45 minutes in Ole Miss’ overtime loss to Mississippi State ... At No. 6 Kentucky, Ole Miss was held without a player scoring in double figures for the first time since March of 2008 ... The Rebels turned the ball over a season-high 36 times against the Wildcats then responded one game later with its lowest amount of turnovers in six games (13) at Florida ... Ten times this season, Ole Miss has held its opponent to under 68 points but lost the game (at Lamar, Florida, at Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Georgia, at South Carolina, Auburn, Alabama, at Mississippi State, vs. Tennessee) ... Eleven of Ole Miss’ game this season have been decided by nine points or less ... The Rebels won back-to-back SEC games for the first time since January of 2010 when the team won five straight conference games ... Ole Miss’ 14-point margin of victory at Alabama marked the Rebels’ biggest margin of victory over an SEC opponent since January 21, 2010 when Ole Miss beat Mississippi State, 66-58 ...  Ole Miss shot a season-best 57.1 percent from the floor (32-56) in a win over Cleveland State ... Ole Miss’ game against Central Michigan marked the first time this season the Rebels led at the half but lost the game ... Prior to the Central Michigan game this year where Ole Miss allowed 61 boards, the Rebels hadn’t allowed 60+ rebounds since 2003.

MCFARLAND RECORDS MOST ASSISTS BY A REBEL SINCE 2009-10
Sophomore Valencia McFarland, who has led or been tied for the team lead in assists in 26 games this season, has 137 assists in 28 games for an average of 4.9 assists per game.  During the 2009-10 season, Shantel Black recorded 135 assists.  Kayla Melson recorded 178 assists that same season.  The program record for most assists in a season is 212 held by Kim Bullard (1985-86).

McFarland recorded three assists against Alabama to give herself a career-high for assists in a season on February 9.  As a freshman last year, she finished the season with 123 assists.  She has recorded at least five assists in 24 career games for Ole Miss. This season she has recorded double-digit assists in two games with 10 against Cleveland State and a career-high 11 in a win over SELA.

MCFARLAND RECORDS 10TH CAREER 20-POINT GAME
Sophomore Valencia McFarland recorded her 10th career 20-point game with 22 points to lead all scorers at No. 16 Georgia on February 24.  Earlier this season she scored a career-high 25 points in a win at Alabama, 24 points against Central Michigan, added 23 in a win over Lipscomb, 21 against No. 10 Tennessee and scored 20 in a win over Grambling State.  McFarland recorded four 20-point games last season.

CAREER NUMBERS WATCH
Senior forward Nikki Byrd is on pace to score nearly over 830 career points and grab nearly 650 career rebounds.  To date, she has recorded 809 career points (302 this year) and 635 career rebounds (223 this year).  Byrd is averaging 11.6 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game this season.
Sophomore point guard Valencia McFarland is on pace to end her sophomore year with a total of nearly 760 career points and close to 280 career assists.  McFarland has recorded 759 career points (388 this year) and 260 career assists (137 this year).  This season, she is averaging 13.9 points per game and 4.9 assists per game.

MCFARLAND LOGGING MINUTES
Sophomore Valencia McFarland has played 38 minutes in 12 of the team’s games this season, 44 in an overtime game against Central Michigan, 43 in a loss at Mississippi State and 40 in a win at Lipscomb, a loss to No. 15 Georgia and a loss to Auburn.  For her career, she has played in 35 career games with 38 or more minutes.

UNDERCLASSMEN GET THE START
Ole Miss’ starting five against Mississippi State consisted of all underclassmen, one sophomore and four freshmen.  Prior to the MSU game, the last time Ole Miss used a starting lineup with at least four underclassmen was against No. 6 Tennessee in Oxford on February 24, 2011 when the team started one junior, two sophomores and two freshmen. Ole Miss started all underclassmen for the second time this season at No. 16 Georgia.

REBELS TIE SEASON HIGH IN THREES
Ole Miss matched it season high with eight threes in its game against Tennessee on February 19.  The Rebels also recorded eight threes against North Florida on November 11, 2011.  While the team is shooting just 28.0 percent from three-point range for the season, the Rebels exploded from three-point range in its two SEC wins over Arkansas and Alabama.  Ole Miss shot just under 60 percent from three point range in its last two games going 13-22.  Valencia McFarland has made six threes in the two SEC wins while Whitney Hameth has made five.