Ole Miss Blasted by Notre Dame, Falls Out of NCAA Tournament

The Ole Miss Rebels saw their season come to a close on Monday afternoon at the hands of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Ole Miss Rebels saw their season come to a close on Monday afternoon, falling to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 71-56 in South Bend, Indiana, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Irish jumped out to a 21-9 lead by the end of the first quarter, and the only frame where Ole Miss outscored Notre Dame was the fourth (14-10) when the game was out of reach. This loss means the Rebels fall one round short of the Sweet 16 where they finished their year in 2022-23.

Only two Rebels reached double digit point totals on Monday afternoon as both Madison Scott and Kennedy Todd-Williams had 15 points apiece. As a team, Ole Miss shot 38.6 percent from the field in the loss and 25 percent from three.

By comparison, Notre Dame shot 50 and 44.4 percent in those categories, respectively. The Rebels were able to outrebound the Irish 33-27 overall, but they also committed more turnovers, giving the ball up 22 times compared to Notre Dame's mark of 15.

That paired with the Irish's red-hot shooting performance inevitably sank the Rebels in the end. Notre Dame's Maddy Westbeld had the best offensive day for the hosts, putting 20 points on the board and followed closely behind by Hannah Hidalgo with 19.

Ole Miss finishes the fifth season of the Yolett McPhee-McCuin era with an overall record of 24-9.