The eighth-seeded Mississippi Rebels have made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, beating ninth-seeded Gonzaga 71-48 on Friday night. The Rebels depended on their strong defense to prevent one of the country’s best 3-point shooting teams from scoring. Ole Miss is now set to face top-seeded Stanford on Sunday for a chance to compete in the Sweet Sixteen in Seattle next weekend.
Gonzaga struggled to find any offensive rhythm throughout the game and lost to Ole Miss 71-48. The Rebels have a strong defense and held Gonzaga to only 48 points, which was the team’s season-low points. Ole Miss is undefeated when they hold their opponents to 60 or fewer points. Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier expressed her disappointment, saying “The game was definitely played under Ole Miss’ terms.”
The Rebels and the Cardinal have only met once before on the big March stage, with Stanford winning 78-65 in the 1990 Sweet Sixteen at Stanford on the way to the program’s first national title.
The eighth-seeded Mississippi Rebels have made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, beating ninth-seeded Gonzaga 71-48 on Friday night. The Rebels depended on their strong defense to prevent one of the country’s best 3-point shooting teams from scoring. Ole Miss is now set to face top-seeded Stanford on Sunday for a chance to compete in the Sweet Sixteen in Seattle next weekend.
Mississippi’s Snudda Collins, who had been in a shooting slump during the Southeastern Conference Tournament, scored 15 points against Gonzaga. The Rebels’ defense has been holding their opponents to just 56.8 points per game, and Gonzaga’s season-low points scored was 48.
Last year, Mississippi was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by 10th-seeded South Dakota. This year, the team is determined to take a step forward and erase that memory. They have already earned back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time under coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, and this is their first consecutive NCAA appearance since 2004-05.
Mississippi’s Madison Scott had 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Angel Baker added 11 points and five boards against Gonzaga. The Rebels grabbed 24 offensive rebounds, and held WCC Player of the Year Kaylynne Truong to just six points on 2-of-9 shooting.
Mississippi’s next opponent, Stanford, won against No. 16 seed Sacred Heart with a score of 92-49 in Friday’s first game at Maples Pavilion. The Rebels will have to bring their strong defense and offensive skills to beat the Cardinal on their home court.
Gonzaga’s sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance ended with a loss to Ole Miss. The Zags missed six straight shots spanning halftime and struggled to find any offensive rhythm throughout the game. Ole Miss used a 9-0 run late in the first half to build a 26-16 lead and kept the pressure on Gonzaga’s defense, ultimately winning 71-48.
The Rebels have a strong defense and held Gonzaga to only 48 points, which was the team’s season-low points. Ole Miss is undefeated when they hold their opponents to 60 or fewer points, and they outscored Gonzaga’s reserves 33-6.
Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier expressed her disappointment, saying “We think that we’re good enough to compete with that team, I know that we are. My team is tough but we’re only good enough to compete today if it’s under our terms. The game was definitely played under Ole Miss’ terms.”
Ole Miss will now face Stanford for a chance to compete in the Sweet Sixteen in Seattle next weekend. The Rebels and the Cardinal have only met once before on the big March stage, with Stanford winning 78-65 in the 1990 Sweet Sixteen at Stanford on the way to the program’s first national title.
Don’t miss interesting posts on Famousbio
