Angel Baker, Snudda Collins Reflect On Ole Miss' First NCAA Tournament Win Since 2007
STANFORD, Calif. -- The Ole Miss Rebels are now officially a program on the rise.
For the first time since 2007, the Rebels won an NCAA Tournament game on Friday, blowing out the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71-48 to advance to the Round of 32. Following the win, head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin was made available to the media along with top-scorers Snudda Collins and Angel Baker.
The trio of Rebels discussed respect for Gonzaga entering the game but also brought in some personal goals for the game and the program.
"Tons of respect for Gonzaga," McPhee-McCuin said. "Incredibly well-coached program. They've done a lot of great stuff all season and fought through adversity. I'm just glad we're on the winning side. We knew it would be a physical game on their time zone.
"We felt like if we defend, good things can happen. One of the sayings we say is, 'We pack our defense in our suitcase no matter where we go.' Really proud of our group."
Angel Baker has been one of the focal points offensively for the Rebels this season, averaging 15 PPG throughout the year. Although she was tied for second in scoring on Friday night, she took pride in taking down a basketball brand like Gonzaga for her team's first tournament win in 16 years.
"It means a lot," Baker said. "It's very exciting. We've worked hard for this. We have a lot of goals, and this is one of them, so it feels great."
The honor of top scorer on Friday came from Snudda Collins who hit three shots from beyond the arc en route to a 15-point performance.
"Coming into this game, I think I was 0-for-22 [from three], and I took that personally," Collins said. "I knew I had to score for the team. Tonight, I guess I came in with a different mindset and just let it go."
Collins is a Rebel who has seen this program grow in success over the last few seasons, going from a team at the bottom of the SEC barrel to a team that wins in the NCAA Tournament.
"It means a lot to me," Collins said. "I've been here when we were the worst, even. Last year, we came and lost in the first round. That's been our goal since the beginning of the season."
With the win, the Rebels now advance to the next round of the tournament, and it will face the one-seed Stanford Cardinal on Sunday night to try and advance to the Sweet 16. Tip-off between the two teams is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT in Stanford, Calif., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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