Ole Miss women’s basketball drops their second straight SEC contest in OT at Auburn 77-76

Jan 23, 2023 - 9:55 PM

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There was a time, a decade+ worth of time, that the women’s basketball program at Ole Miss was simply overlooked. There was no excitement, no crowds, not a lot of talent coming in. That time is officially over as Coach Yo has these ladies playing meaningful basketball games and anytime your fanbase feels the devastation of a horrible loss such as this one, that’s not a bad thing.

The Rebels hit the road to take on an Auburn squad that was winless in the SEC at 0-6. They were also attempting to bounce back from their first league loss to Alabama. It was a frustrating loss to say the least, frustrating because the program finally has some type of expectation/realistic goals.

Coaching is not easy. The in game adjustments are simply one component of finding success day in and day out, but this is one of those few games where the adjustments just did not make sense.

Sure losing Tyia Singleton for a stretch hurt, literally. Singleton did return to gut it out, but was clearly hobbled down the stretch. Snudda Collins fouled out and Myah Taylor just is not much of an offensive threat. So with the Ole Miss offense struggling to even produce a quality look, Coach Yo literally told everyone to get out of the way and just let Angel Baker play one-on-one.

Baker answered the call in huge way. Scoring six straight, Angel led the Rebels in a furious comeback in the fourth quarter to force OT. But perhaps tired legs got the best of them as Baker missed a transition lay-up, opting for a backhanded right hand scoop rather than a left hand lay, that would have put the Rebs up 1 in OT.

Sometimes coaches don’t push the right button, no one is perfect, so while things could have been done differently, Coach Yo will have an answer when Mississippi State comes to town. A tough resume loss, sure, but the Rebels very much control their own tournament destiny going forward.