Ole Miss Takes Down Lady Vols in Thriller at Home

The Ole Miss Rebels women's basketball team beat the Tennessee Volunteers for the first time since 2017 on Sunday.

OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels women's basketball team ended the weekend on a high note, as they managed to take down the Tennessee Volunteers 80-75 in the Sandy and John Black Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.

The win propels the Rebels (15-5, 5-2 SEC) over the Lady Vols (12-7, 5-2 SEC) to the No. 3 spot in the Southeastern Conference standings. Ole Miss was led in scoring on Sunday by guard Marquesha Davis with 23 points, and she was joined in double digits by forwards Kharyssa Richardson (21), Madison Scott (15), and guard Kennedy Todd-Williams (12).

Ole Miss entered halftime tied with Tennessee but immediately went on a 6-0 run to start the third period. The Rebels did not trail from that point forward, and were able to hold off the Lady Vols' final comeback attempt thanks to two clutch buckets from Davis and Todd-Williams.

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Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin was vocal about the lack of value in women's sports this week, and in the process encouraged Ole Miss fans to pack the Pavilion for their home matchup versus Tennessee. Fans answered the call and created an electric home court advantage for the Rebels. Coach Yo spoke about her challenge to Rebel nation during her postgame press conference, and expressed gratitude for the packed house.

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"It was a call to action," McPhee-McCuin told reporters. "Because I know how special this place is. I'm the one who promotes this university, and I can't promote it without the help of everybody. Everyone's like ‘oh win a national championship,’ well help me help you. Crowds like this [vs. Tennessee] will continue to win just like that.

"This victory means a lot to us."

The Rebels are now set to travel to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores on Thursday in the Memorial Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on SEC Network +.