OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss’ strong effort against No. 6/6 South Carolina, but fell short, 75-59, Thursday night in its final home game of the season at the SJB Pavilion.
The Rebels (18-9, 9-6 SEC) blocked nine Gamecock (26-3, 14-1 SEC) shots, the most South Carolina has given up all season. Additionally, Ole Miss held South Carolina to 24 points from its bench, the second-lowest scored by the Gamecocks this season.
Entering Thursday’s matchup, South Carolina averaged 42.6 points off the bench per game, which ranked No. 1 in the country.
Sira Thienou and Christeen Iwuala had similar stat lines to lead Ole Miss against South Carolina.
Thienou had a solid effort off the bench for Ole Miss, scoring a team-high 15 points and eight rebounds.
Iwuala made her second start in a Rebel jersey against the Gamecocks, scoring 10 points while defending the paint with a team-leading nine rebounds.
Her rebounding mark also tied a career-best.
A trio of Rebels eclipsed the 300-point mark for the season, all in the opening three minutes of the second quarter. Kennedy Todd-Williams did it first by converting an and-one, Starr Jacobs joined her shortly after with a jump shot in the paint off a dish from Kharyssa Richardson. Thienou’s impressive half continued as she scored two quick layups to give the Rebels the lead and to meet the feat. For Thienou, she became the 13th Rebel freshman to reach 300 points in a season.
Tameiya Sadler got the scoring started for Ole Miss after taking the ball coast-to-coast for a layup. Thienou then began her scoring streak, tallying seven points in the quarter, including a three to lead the team for the quarter. The freshman went 3-for-3 from the field to get her points, as South Carolina took a 19-14 lead to end the first quarter.
The first half of the second quarter came fast and furious, as the Rebels overcame a five-point deficit to keep the Gamecocks in check. Todd-Williams, Jacobs and Thienou each reached their 300-point milestone to put Ole Miss above South Carolina for the first time in the game. The two teams went back-and-forth on the scoreboard for the half’s remainder, with six lead changes in the quarter alone.
Thienou had established herself as the dominant scorer for the Rebels, pacing the team with 13 points at the end of the first half, as South Carolina held a 37-33 lead. Defensively, it took Ole Miss only one half of play to block seven South Carolina shots, which is the most allowed by the Gamecocks against an SEC opponent this season. South Carolina was also held to only seven points from its reserves in the first half.
Iwuala came alive in the third quarter to help Ole Miss keep the game close. She scored six points, while adding a pair of blocks. Her two blocks put her at four on the day, which tied herself for the most by any Rebel in a single game this season. She capped her high-quality quarter by securing an offensive rebound and converting a layup through heavy contact as the time expired in the quarter. South Carolina held a 55-47 lead entering the final 10 minutes.
The Gamecocks had enough momentum to take full control of the final quarter, defeating the Rebels, 75-59.
Ole Miss is back on the road for the regular season finale in Baton Rouge against No. 7/7 LSU. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. CT and will air on SEC Network.
Information from Ole Miss Sports is included in this story.
