Ole Miss Rebels Fall Short of Comeback in SEC Tournament Loss to Texas

The Ole Miss Rebels fell just short of a comeback win in a loss to Texas to end their SEC Tournament run.

Mar 7, 2025; Greenville, SC, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) handles the ball defended by Ole Miss Rebels guard Sira Thienou (0) during the first half at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Ole Miss Rebels women's basketball's time in the SEC Tournament came to end on Friday as they fell just short of a fourth quarter comeback as the Texas Longhorns held on to win 70-63 in Greenville, S.C.

The Rebels and Longhorns had a back-and-forth start to the game, but Texas held a 23-17 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Ole Miss and Texas played a pretty evenly-matched first half, but heading into the break, the Horns held a 40-33 lead, and both sides knew this game was far from over.

The second half looked to be more of the same as Texas held a double digit lead for a majority of the half and seemed to keep Ole Miss quiet offensively. In the fourth quarter, however, the Lady Rebs caught fire, specifically KK Deans who scored 20 points total on the night, seemingly shooting the Rebels back into the game.

With just under a minute left in the game, Ole Miss only trailed by four points as Texas held a 66-62 lead, but with 58 seconds remaining, the Rebels fouled out the SEC player of the year Madison Booker.

Despite the loss of such a talented player, Texas held on behind some strong defense and time of possession as they knocked out the Rebels on their way to the SEC Tournament semifinals.

The game was decided by just a few shots. Texas finished the game with a slight advantage in field goal percentage as they finished the game shooting 47% from the field to Ole Miss' 41% and scraping in 19 free throws to Ole Miss' 16.

The Rebels now wait for Selection Sunday to see where they fall in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament as they look to go on a deep run as they were eliminated in the second round last year.