No. 14/16 Ole Miss women’s basketball was defeated by No. 18/19 Kentucky, 74-57, on Sunday at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington. The loss brings Ole Miss to a record of 20-6 overall and 7-4 in SEC play.
Ole Miss made efforts to rally in the second half but could not maintain momentum through the fourth quarter. Latasha Lattimore led with her third consecutive double-double, recording 15 points and 11 rebounds. She also contributed three blocks, reaching this mark for the tenth time this season. With a total of 56 blocks, Lattimore now has the highest single-season block total for an Ole Miss player since the 2021-22 season.
Christeen Iwuala and Cotie McMahon also scored in double figures with 10 and 18 points respectively. McMahon’s performance marked her eighteenth time leading the team in scoring this season, and she moved into the top five all-time career points for an Ole Miss player with a total of 1,999.
For Kentucky, Clara Strack led all scorers with 28 points and collected nine rebounds.
Ole Miss took an early lead but fell behind as Kentucky responded quickly. Debreasha Powe’s three-pointer and free throws kept Ole Miss within reach in the first quarter, while Iwuala provided strong defense with two blocks and a steal. Despite these efforts, Kentucky ended the first quarter ahead, 17-11.
Kentucky extended its lead in the second quarter by scoring 19 unanswered points. At halftime, Ole Miss trailed by nineteen points.
The Rebels narrowed the gap during the third quarter with a nine-to-two run sparked by McMahon’s three-pointer. Lattimore grabbed seven rebounds in that period alone as Ole Miss outscored Kentucky but still trailed entering the final quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Ole Miss cut Kentucky’s lead to six after a nine-point run featuring another three-pointer from McMahon. However, Kentucky regained control midway through the period and secured a seventeen-point victory.
Ole Miss is scheduled to play Tennessee next at home on February 17 at SJB Pavilion after their matchup was postponed due to Winter Storm Fern. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU starting at 6 p.m.
Single-game tickets for next season are available online through OleMissTix.com.
