Ole Miss women’s basketball blitzes Florida as Coach Yo’s team wins second straight

OXFORD — By the time Florida scored its first point Thursday night at the SJB Pavilion, Ole Miss women’s basketball had already recorded a highlight reel.

Forward Madison Scott galloped down the wing in transition and flung a beautiful cross-court pass to Snudda Collins, who drew a foul and caught nylon with her 3-point attempt anyway, completing a four-point play. On the next trip up the floor, Marquesha Davis flicked a remarkable reverse layup high off the glass and in.

A game-opening 10-0 run by the Rebels set the stage for an 81-70 Ole Miss victory that paired style with substance.

That point total marked the Rebels’ best against power conference opposition this season. And Ole Miss earned it.

The Rebels didn’t rely on a hot jump shooting streak to put up those offensive numbers. Instead, they got the ball inside – much as they have in their other strong offensive showings this season.

Ole Miss outscored Florida 40-26 in the paint, including a 26-6 advantage in a dominant first half that saw the Rebels go into the locker room with a 48-28 advantage.

That cushion was built on the back of two major runs.

First came that opening 10-0 run that saw the Rebels (14-5, 4-2 SEC) establish a firm grip on the game from its outset.

After the Gators (10-8, 1-5) rallied to respond and cut the advantage to six points with 1:38 remaining in the first quarter, Ole Miss ripped off a 15-0 run that gave the Rebels the second-half advantage they needed to survive a fourth-quarter Florida push.

Ole Miss women’s basketball turns defense into offense

The fuel for those runs came on the defensive end of the floor, where Ole Miss collected 12 steals that became 27 points off turnovers.

The Gators were sloppy with the ball, but the Rebels constantly disrupted their passing lanes to force them into mistakes.

Florida often found itself trying to make desperate plays in late-shot-clock situations that helped pad Ole Miss’ takeaway tally, too.

The Rebels weren’t perfect with the ball themselves, giving it away 16 times. But they defended effectively in transition. Those turnovers led to just seven Florida points.

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Marquesha Davis dominates for the Rebels

Davis, a veteran guard, has demonstrated the capability to completely take over games this season, and she did so again on Thursday.

Davis cooked the Gators for 23 points on 10-14 shooting.

She got to the rim frequently and created open shots for herself with an array of crafty crossovers and stepbacks.

“That’s just a move I always work on,” she said. “It’s one of my favorite moves.”

With the effort, Davis surpassed the 20-point threshold for the second time this season, having previously done so against LSU.

Rebels pick up important win for their NCAA Tournament hopes

Despite its difficult start to SEC play, Florida came into Thursday’s game with strong metrics.

It ranked 50th in the NET before the day’s action – two spots ahead of the Rebels.

A strong showing will no doubt move Ole Miss up when the rankings refresh, and also provide the Rebels with a positive point of comparison against one of their peers.

Another important résumé game is coming up when the Rebels host Tennessee ‑ which ranked 53rd in the most recent NET ranking ‑ on Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN).

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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