In Greenville, South Carolina, Kennedy Todd-Williams and Madison Scott each netted 20 points, propelling the No. 7 seed Ole Miss to an 85-73 victory over the No. 10 seed Mississippi State on Thursday. This win earns Ole Miss a spot in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals for their fifth consecutive season.
Ole Miss, boasting a 20-9 record, has secured 20-plus wins four seasons in a row. They are set to face the top-ranked and No. 2 seed Texas in the quarterfinal matchup on Friday. During their previous encounter with Texas on January 26, Ole Miss narrowly lost 61-58 when SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker clinched the game with a jump shot in the final 13 seconds, erasing an eight-point deficit in the closing five minutes.
The game opened with Ole Miss making nine of their 11 shots around the first-quarter transition, subsequently closing the first half with a 7-0 surge, resulting in a 42-35 lead. Tameiya Sadler joined Todd-Williams and Scott with nine points each during this half.
Throughout the third quarter, Ole Miss maintained their lead and initiated the fourth quarter by scoring four consecutive points, expanding their advantage to 69-56. Mississippi State was unable to reduce the deficit to less than nine points after this.
Ole Miss reserves Sira Thienou and Christeen Iwuala contributed 13 and 11 points respectively. Collectively, the Rebels made the most of their opportunities from the free-throw line, going 21 of 28, including six successful shots each from Todd-Williams and Scott.
For Mississippi State, who now hold a 21-11 record, Madina Okot achieved a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Jerkaila Jordan also added 14 points. Off the bench, Destiney McPhaul contributed 11 points, and both Chandler Prater and Eniya Russell chipped in with 10 points apiece. Additionally, Ole Miss capitalized on Mississippi State’s errors, scoring 20 points from 21 turnovers.
