The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

COACH Yolette McPhee-McCuin’s Ole Miss Rebels continue to post historic numbers early in the season and after missing the first game of the year, Valerie Nesbitt returned to provide even more depth to the roster.

Nesbitt finished with a team high six assists and added six points in just 15 minutes of the Rebels’ 104-48 victory over Alcorn State at The Oxford Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi.

Ole Miss starts the season 3-0 for the first time since 2016-17.

Nesbitt led the team to 26 assists on the night which ranks as the most by a Rebels team since they posted 31 against Winston- Salem State in 2009.

It was three Rebels with at least four assists in the game. With a 99-44 win over McNeese State and a 70-53 victory over Kansas, the Rebels have an average margin of 42.7 points per win this season, but McPhee-McCuin said she continues to keep her squad grounded because of a challengening conference schedule ahead in the SEC.

Ole Miss completes its non-conference schedule against Mississippi Valley State, Jackson State, George Mason, Jacksonville State before the travel to Colombia, South Carolina to face the No.5 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks.

“I think these games give us the opportunity to get a consistent balance that we can trust in big games,” McPhee-McCuin said.

“I’m trying to get players to embrace these moments and focus on what we need to focus on.

“At the end of this month, we play the No. 5 team in the country. That’s how we open SEC play.

“These games are extremely important for us, and I hope it helps us get the balance we need.”

In the win over Alcorn State, they also recorded the second-best shooting percentage in Ole Miss women’s basketball history at 62 percent from the field.

After she missed the season opener against McNeese State, Nesbitt made her debut with four points, four assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes of the win over Kansas. In the offseason, Nesbitt, a general business major, was named to the SEC First Year Academic Honour Roll and was also an M-Club Student of the Month for July.

As a junior, she led the SEC in steals at 3.2 takeaways per game and had six games with at least four. She was the Rebels’ second-leading scorer at 11.3 points a game and was also second in minutes played at 24.3 per game.

This season, McPhee- McCuin welcomed the No.1 recruiting class in the SEC and No.13 class in the nation.

The class was highlighted by five-star signees Madison Scott and Jacorriah Bracey, and the addition of ESPN’s No. 1 rated transfer in 2020, Shakira Austin.