How It Happened: Ole Miss Women's Basketball Stuns Notre Dame in 69-62 Comeback Win

OXFORD, Miss. – With vengeance on the mind, No. 13/13 Ole Miss women’s basketball bested No. 18/19 Notre Dame, 69-62, in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Thursday evening at the SJB Pavilion.

The Rebels (8-0, 0-0 SEC) survived a 19-point deficit in the second quarter, tying its largest comeback in program history.

Last time Ole Miss came back from 19 points to win was on Jan. 29, 2023, against Arkansas. A win meant Ole Miss’ first in the annual ACC/SEC Challenge, as well as avenging its 2023-24 NCAA Tournament exit at the hands of Notre Dame (5-2, 0-0 ACC).

By defeating Notre Dame, Ole Miss is undefeated through eight games for the first time since 2000-01, and the first time in head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s tenure at the helm. It’s the 10th time Ole Miss has started 8-0 in its 51-year history and for the first time since the 2000-01 season under former head coach Ron Aldy. Aldy, Van Chancellor, Pam Davidson and now McPhee-McCuin are the only coaches to lead the Rebels to that historic start.

Ole Miss’ dynamic frontcourt duo of Cotie McMahon and Christeen Iwuala spearheaded the comeback, pacing the Rebels at 22 and 18 points, respectively. Iwuala had her fourth double-double in the last six games, collecting 13 rebounds on top of her point total. She’s the first Rebel since Madison Scott in 2022-23 to have that many double-doubles in the first eight games of the season.

Cotie McMahon: Ole Miss Basketball. — Courtesy of Ole Miss Women's Basketball.

The pair continue to excel offensively, as the remain the only players since 2020-21 to start a season with eight games of at least 10 points. They’re the first Rebel duo since at least 1998-99 to accomplish that feat as well.

Sira Thienou and Debreasha Powe each had solid outings as well. Thienou led the team with a career-high eight assists, the most by a Rebel since Tameiya Sadler had the same amount last season. Thienou was also a pest defensively, swiping four steals.

Powe hit a clutch 3-pointer late in the third quarter to give Ole Miss its first lead of the game, and made all four of her free throws in the fourth quarter, finishing the day with nine points.

Notre Dame controlled the pace of the match early on, scoring the first six points unanswered. However, the Fighting Irish’s momentum wore off as the Rebels mounted some of their own off the backs of McMahon and Iwuala.

The duo each scored a pair of field goals, which included a successful and-one finish from Iwuala midway through the quarter. After a 3-pointer from Denim DeShields, Notre Dame would once again find a rhythm, scoring 12 consecutive points to close the quarter with a 26-14 lead.

The Fighting Irish maintained control early in the second. Latasha Lattimore dropped a three five minutes into the quarter, followed by another converted and-one from Thienou.

Ole Miss Rebels Women's Basketball earns No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. — Courtesy of Ole Miss Women's Basketball.

A wild sequence came afterward, as the Rebels recorded two offensive rebounds before a turnover, then McMahon blocked a fastbreak layup before finishing a turnaround jumper from the elbow.

That started a strong kick in the Rebels favor, who closed the half on a 7-0 scoring run to minimize the halftime gap to 37-29.

McMahon kept Ole Miss on the right track to start the third, draining her second three of the night and the 75th of her overall career. Her bucket put the Rebels within two possessions of the Fighting Irish for the first time since the first quarter.

Ole Miss upped the pressure from there. DeShields drained another three to put the Rebels within two points of the Fighting Irish, and Powe succeeded that play with a three of her own to put Ole Miss on top for the first time in the game.

Afterward, a block by Thienou led to a fastbreak layup for McMahon and a 50-49 lead for Ole Miss entering the final 10 minutes. Ole Miss outscored Notre Dame 21-12 in the third.

The Rebels maintained the pressure and continued to build their lead. Iwuala and McMahon defined the period, scoring seven and six points, respectively, in the fourth.

Their collective effort, as well as Thienou’s two clutch steals and Powe’s made free throws, pushed Ole Miss past Notre Dame for good.

The Rebels allowed three late field goals from the Fighting Irish, but their effort wasn’t enough as the Rebels had mounted an unsurpassable lead. After two more free throws from Powe, the buzzer sounded with Ole Miss victorious, 69-62.

Up next, the Rebels are wheels up for St. Joseph, Missouri, to face Kansas State in the Bill Snyder Classic on Dec. 7. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with tipoff set for 2 p.m. CT.

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