Ole Miss races past South Alabama on the road

MOBILE, Ala. – Ole Miss packed its signature defense in its trip to the Gulf Coast, rolling past South Alabama 64-41 from the Mitchell Center on Monday night. Eclipsing the career milestone, Kennedy Todd-Williams surpassed the 1,000 career-point mark. For the fifth game this season, Ole Miss held its opponent under 50 points.

Ole Miss (8-3) kept all of South Alabama’s (7-4) starters out of double figures in scoring, as Marquesha Davis led the Rebels with 12 points. Madison Scott and Todd-Williams joined Davis in double-digit scoring, finishing with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Off the glass, Ole Miss dominated South Alabama by a margin of +20 with the Rebels collecting 52 rebounds. Rita Igbokwe led the Rebels with nine rebounds, followed by Tyia Singelton with eight. Igbokwe also added to her count as one of the nation’s best active shot blockers, with two rejections.

Jumping out to a 10-0 start, the Rebels held the Jaguars scoreless for almost the first six minutes of the game. The Rebels experienced a short scoring drought of their own yet were still able to stave off South Alabama through their defensive front. Going a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe, Ole Miss secured a 16-8 lead through one.

Going to work in the paint, Ole Miss relied off of Davis and Scott to keep them in the ahead. Meanwhile the Rebels remained consistent from the free throw line to go up by as many as 13 in the second quarter. A three from Todd-Williams in the waning minutes of the half, allowed the senior to eclipse the 1,000 career-point threshold as Ole Miss led 31-19 heading into the break.

Utilizing the three-ball, South Alabama refused to go away quietly cutting the deficit to seven within the opening minutes of the third quarter. Scott responded herself, nailing her first three of her career to extend Ole Miss’ lead to double-digits once again. Forcing the Jags to cough the ball up, the Rebels controlled the remainder of the quarter by ending on a 7-0 run to remain ahead at 49-32.

The Rebels stood strong at the charity stripe, while adding to its advantage over the Jaguars within the final quarter. Holding South Alabama scoreless for the final four remaining minutes, Ole Miss took care of business to run away with a 64-41 win over the Jaguars.

The Rebels continue their road swing with its last game before the holidays at Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday (Dec. 21). The matchup against the Golden Lions will be available to stream on the UAPB Sports Network at 1:00 p.m. CT.