Bahamian Head Coach for the University of Mississippi (Ole

Bahamian Yolett ‘Coach Yo’ McPhee-McCuin and the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Rebels women’s basketball team suffered a tough loss to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide over the weekend, and are out of the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 Rankings for just the second time this season.

The Rebels lost 84-78 on their home court at the Sandy and John Black (SJB) Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, on Sunday.

The Rebels were actually up by as much as nine points in the early going, but the No. 18 Crimson Tide rallied in the second quarter and carried that momentum straight over into the second half. They took their first lead of the game in the second quarter and carried a 31-27 advantage into the break. The Crimson Tide stretched their lead to double digits in the third quarter and the Rebels got to within five points in the fourth before falling short.

“I’m really disappointed that we couldn’t come out with a victory. We didn’t compete, and that’s something that we have to fix,” said McPhee-McCuin, now in her seventh year as head coach of the Rebels women’s basketball team. “In today’s times, you can’t make people do anything. They have to want to compete and they have to want to win. It’s disappointing when you have a good crowd support in your gym and you can’t stop two people. They (Crimson Tide) came off an embarrassing loss and they wanted to bounce back. We had an opportunity to get a ranked win so we should have wanted to do something. Their kids did it and we didn’t and I’m embarrassed to say that because that is not what my program has been built on. We just have to continue to work on it.”

McPhee-McCuin has said before that she feels they have a top 10 team but have been unable to get key victories over ranked opponents this year. The Rebels have an 11-5 win/loss record, 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Crimson Tide, now ranked at number 19 in the AP Top 25, improved to 16-2 overall, 3-1 SEC. They suffered a tough 84-40 loss to the No. 5 University of Texas at Austin Longhorns in their previous game.

Aaliyah Nye scored a career-high 32 points for the Crimson Tide and Zaay Green added 27. The two seniors combined for 59 of the Crimson Tide’s 84 points. The Rebels led 17-14 after the first quarter but fell behind 31-27 at the break. They trailed 56-46 at the end of three quarters and got to within five points four times in the fourth quarter but could get no closer.

“This program was built on being able to grind at a high level and we just didn’t do that today and that is what is most disappointing,” said McPhee-McCuin. “Defense is character and toughness and we didn’t show it today. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I have to see how I could get them to play with a lil bit more pride and toughness. It’s just unacceptable.”

The Rebels were led by 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting from senior forward Starr Jacobs. Kirsten ‘KK’ Deans added 13 points off the bench and Kennedy Todd-Williams and Christeen Iwuala added 11 points apiece. Bahamian sophomore forward Rhema Collins didn’t experience any playing time and is averaging 3.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field.

In the game on Sunday, the Rebels shot 42.6 percent from the floor (29-for-68) compared to 56 percent for the Crimson Tide (28-for-50). Led by Nye who hit seven three-point shots and Green who converted four, the Crimson Tide were 12-for-19 from distance. The Rebels shot just 7-for-21.

The Rebels allow just 18.6 field goals per game — second-best in the nation — but surrendered a whopping 28 field goals on Sunday. They also give up just 3.7 three-point shots per game and were tagged for 12 by the Crimson Tide on Sunday. In scoring defense, the Rebels are tied for third, allowing 51.3 points per game but gave up 84 to the Crimson Tide on Sunday.

The Rebels will host the University of Florida Gators at the SJB Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford on Thursday. That game will start at 9 p.m. and it will be televised on the SEC Network.

The Rebels were ranked throughout their entire non conference schedule, and peaked at No. 17, but now find themselves out of the AP Top 25 Rankings for a second straight week.