The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A LATE rally fell short and the Ole Miss Rebels concluded the 2021 season as the runners-up in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

The Rebels suffered a 71-58 loss to the Rice Owls yesterday afternoon in Collierville, Tennessee.

The Rebels finished the season 15-12 for their first winning season since 2016-17.

“Super proud of my team,” head coach Yolett-McPhee-McCuin said. “When I went out with COVID, some of my close friends told me we wouldn’t get out of the first round, just because my team depends on my effort and energy so much. Yet, we’re playing in the championship game against a Rice team that was ultra-experienced.

“Of course, we wanted to win, but in hindsight if we couldn’t win then I still feel like I got a victory for this programme out of this. I know that may sound cheesy to some people. I could list the wins that we got from this experience and this season. Obviously my team is heartbroken, but I talked to them about good things that they did, and I am very appreciative of them.”

Nesbitt finished with four points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals.

The Rebels opened the NIT with a 65-45 win over the Samford Bulldogs followed by a 72-61 win over the Tulane Green Wave in the second round and a 65-56 win over Colorado in the Quarterfinals. They defeated Northern Iowa 60-50 in the National Semifinal. Rice finished their season 23-4 en route to the NIT Championship.

“I was telling the team that two years ago, Rice was in the NCAA Tournament. Those same kids played in the tournament,” McPhee-McCuin said. “They understood the moment, you could tell from the beginning of the game. They understood it and my players didn’t. The only player that has played postseason for me is Shakira Austin. I don’t have any other players that have played in the postseason. So, they understood the moment and we didn’t. I don’t know how to explain that other than that’s what happened the whole game. Even when we made a run back, I felt that they were in control the whole 40 minutes.”

Ole Miss recently signed McPhee-McCuin to a new four-year contract extension that runs through 2025.

The Rebels finished the regular season with a record of 11-11, 4-10 in a highly competitive SEC and advanced to the first SEC Quarterfinal since 2004.

Their resume included three wins ranked teams and four Top-50 NET wins. It was the first time the Rebels advanced to the SEC Quarterfinals since the 2003-04 season.

Nesbitt appeared in 29 games with 10 starts. She averaged 6.2 points and 2.4 assists per game. She finished second on the team with 79 assists and tied for first with 35 steals.