March 7, 2012

Final Release

Ole Miss Rebels
(12-18 overall, 2-14 SEC)

Head coach: Renee Ladner
Career: 70-83 (5th)
At Ole Miss: Same

Rankings:
AP - NR
Coaches – NR

QUICK HITS
- Ole Miss ended the 2011-12 season 12-18 overall (2-14 SEC) after falling in its final game of the year in the SEC Tournament to Arkansas.
- The No. 12 seeded Rebels fell to the fifth-seeded Razorbacks, 67-47 on March 1.
- Freshman Danielle McCray recorded a career-high 14 points in the loss while also recording a team-high six rebounds.   
- Sophomore Valencia McFarland was named to the Second Team-All SEC as voted on by the league’s coaches.
- McFarland (13.5 ppg), senior Nikki Byrd (11.7 ppg) led Ole Miss in scoring and while Byrd scored over 300 points this season and McFarland scored over 400.
- Byrd (8.4 rpg) and McCray (4.6 rpg) led 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 finished her fifth season at the helm. She has a career record of 70-83 overall and 23-53 in SEC play.
ABOUT OLE MISS
Ole Miss finished the 2011-12 season 12-18 overall and 2-14 in SEC play after falling in its final game of the year to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament.  The Rebels were led by Valencia McFarland (13.5 ppg, 4.7 apg) and Nikki Byrd (11.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg).  Freshman Danielle McCray ended the year second on the team in rebounding, averaging 4.6 rebounds per game. Head coach Renee Ladner finished her fifth season at the helm.  

MCFARLAND SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
Sophomore team captain Valencia McFarland was named to the Second Team All-SEC as voted on by the league’s coaches.  McFarland, who was named to this season’s All-SEC Pre-Season Team, was named to the SEC All-Freshman last year.

This season, McFarland led the team and is sixth in the SEC in scoring averaging 13.5 points per game. She has scored in double figures in 23 of the team’s 30 games this season and has led or been tied for the team lead in scoring in 17 games.

McFarland posted 13 games this season with five or more assists and has played in 17 games this year with 38 or more minutes. She recorded her first career double-double this with 14 points and 10 assists in a win over Cleveland State. McFarland recorded a career-high 25 points in a win over Alabama and a career-high 11 assists in a win over SELA.

MCFARLAND NAMED C SPIRE WIRELESS GILLOM TROPHY FINALIST
Sophomore Valencia McFarland was named one of the three finalists for the 2012 C Spire Wireless Gillom Trophy as voted on by 51 statewide media members.  The award is presented annually to the top female collegiate basketball player in Mississippi and is named after former Ole Miss great Peggie Gillom.  The other finalists are senior Diamber Johnson from Mississippi State and senior Veronica Walker from Delta State.   Walker won the award Monday, March 5 at a banquet in Jackson.

LADNER STEPS DOWN AS OLE MISS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH
Renee Ladner announced March 2 that she is stepping down as head coach of the Ole Miss women’s basketball team. During her time at Ole Miss as both a head coach and assistant coach, Ladner was a part of six teams that advanced to postseason play including three NCAA appearances and three WNIT appearances.
 
Under Ladner’s tutelage, Rebel guard Bianca Thomas became a two-time All-SEC first team selection. Ladner had at least one All-SEC pick in each of her five seasons as head coach.

MCCRAY RECORDS CAREER-HIGH IN SEC TOURNAMENT
Ole Miss freshman Danielle McCray recorded a career-best 14 points in Ole Miss’ loss to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament.  Prior to the Arkansas game, McCray’s career-high was 12 points in a win over Cleveland State.

NEWS AND NOTES
In Ole Miss’ regular-season finale at Auburn, five of the Rebels’ players played at least 35 minutes in the game ... Ole Miss’ game against Auburn marked the second time this season Ole Miss led at the half but lost the game ... the Central Michigan game was the other ... Georgia became just the second team to shoot over 50 percent from the floor against Ole Miss (LSU, 55.2%, Georgia 52.6%) ... 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 ... Twelve 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 at Auburn and vs. Arkansas) ... Twelve 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 ... Prior to the Central Michigan game this year where Ole Miss allowed 61 boards, the Rebels hadn’t allowed 60+ rebounds since 2003.