Razorbacks Open SEC Play At Ole Miss
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas women’s basketball team begins Southeastern Conference play on the road at Ole Miss on Sunday at 4 p.m. in The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
Coming off an 11-2 record in nonconference play, capped by a 101-40 win over Houston Baptist on Wednesday night, the Razorbacks and Lady Rebels’ game will air live on the SEC Network.
Jessica Jackson scored a career-high 34 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the year and the 14th of her career against Houston Baptist. Jackson has scored in double figures in all 13 games while leading the team and ranking second in the SEC in scoring, averaging 18.1 points per game.
Keiryn Swenson and Sydney Stout also scored career highs in the win over Houston Baptist, while Jailyn Mason recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 assists. As a team, Arkansas set season highs for points (101), margin of victory (61), 3-point field goals (10) and assists (27).
The 11-2 start to the season, all in nonconference action, represents the best start and best nonconference record under head coach Jimmy Dykes and the best marks since the 2013-14 season.
Arkansas begins SEC play on the road for the third time in three seasons under Dykes and the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Ole Miss (11-2) has already surpassed last year’s entire win total and enters the matchup with a five-game win streak and a 9-0 record at home, highlighted by a win over No. 25 Oregon on Dec. 14.
The Opponent
Arkansas is 16-25 all-time against Ole Miss but has won the last two meetings, including a 60-49 victory in last year’s regular-season finale in Fayetteville. The win gave Arkansas seven SEC wins, its most under head coach Jimmy Dykes and the most since the 2011-12 season.
Ole Miss holds a 15-2 advantage in games played in Oxford and won the most recent meeting in Oxford, 71-57, during the 2014-15 season. Arkansas’ last win over Ole Miss in Oxford came during the 2012-13 season.
The Lady Rebels enter SEC play with an 11-2 record, eclipsing last year’s entire win total, when they went 10-20 overall and 2-14 in SEC play, finishing in 14th place in the SEC regular-season standings.
Ole Miss has three players averaging in double figures, led by Madinah Muhammad with 14.1 points per game and Shandricka Sessom with 12.8 ppg. Erika Sisk averages 10.3 ppg and also leads the team and ranks second in the SEC, dishing out 4.9 assists per contest.
As a team, the Lady Rebels lead the SEC in scoring defense (49.2 points per game), field-goal percentage defense (.319) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.208), ranking in the top five nationally in all three categories.
Notable
• Arkansas is 1-2 in SEC openers against Ole Miss, defeating the Rebels at home during the 1992-93 season and lost to the Rebels on the road during the 2001-02 season and the 2014-15 season.
• Arkansas closed nonconference play with a 101-40 win over Houston Baptist, eclipsing the century mark for the first time since scoring 100 in a 100-54 win over Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 28, 2013.
• Arkansas set the school record with 31 points in the second quarter and tied the school record with 34 points in the third quarter, outscoring Houston Baptist 65-18 in the middle frames.
• Jessica Jackson’s 34 points against Houston Baptist were tied for second-most points by an SEC player this season and tied for the 11th-most points in Arkansas history.
• Arkansas ranks sixth in the SEC in field-goal percentage (.446) and fourth in the SEC in 3-point field-goal percentage (.371). Defensively, Arkansas ranks sixth in field-goal percentage defense (.355) and fifth in the 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.287).
• Arkansas ranks fourth in the SEC in defensive rebounding percentage (.401) and second in the SEC in defensive rebounding percentage (.732). Arkansas is one of two SEC schools, along with Mississippi State, to rank in the top four of both categories.
Looking Ahead
Arkansas continues SEC play with back-to-back home games against No. 5 Mississippi State on Thursday and LSU on Sunday, Jan. 8. The fifth-ranked Bulldogs (14-0) are the last remaining undefeated team in the SEC and one of eight remaining undefeated teams in the nation.
For more information on Arkansas women’s basketball, follow @RazorbackWBB on Twitter.
