Ole Miss Pulls Away From Marquette, Advances in NCAA Tournament
By John Macon
The No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels pulled away to claim a 67-55 win over the No. 10 Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, thanks in large part to a strong fourth quarter in South Bend, Indiana.
The Rebels trailed Marquette 16-14 at the end of the first quarter, but they had gained a 36-33 advantage by the intermission. Ole Miss held a slim 49-46 lead entering the fourth and final frame, but the Rebels outscored the Golden Eagles 18-9 to put the final score in their favor.
Ole Miss forward Madison Scott led the way for the Rebels with 20 points, and she was joined in double digits by Kennedy Todd-Williams (15), Tyia Singleton (12) and Kharyssa Richardson (10 bench points). As a team, the Rebels shot 43.5 percent from the field and an even 40 percent from three, percentages that were countered by marks of 34.5 and 25 percent in those categories, respectively, by Marquette.
Also a big boost for the Rebels was the performance of center Rita Igbokwe who hauled in nine total rebounds, and Ole Miss outrebounded Marquette 43-33 as a team on Saturday.
With the win, Ole Miss draws a stiff challenge in the second round of the bracket as it will face the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday. In the regular season, the Irish went 27-6 overall and held a mark of 13-5 in conference play.
The tip-off time for the game between Ole Miss and Notre Dame has yet to be announced.