NASSAU, Bahamas – One got the feeling that there was no way Yolett “Coach Yo” McPhee-McCuin’s core players were going to let her lose in her first collegiate coaching experience in The Bahamas, and collectively they answered the call in the fourth quarter, putting on a defensive masterpiece that would certainly make other top level teams take notice, The Nassau Guardian reported on Tuesday, November 22, in an article written by Sheldon Longley.
McPhee-McCuin and the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Lady Rebels women’s basketball team did what they had to do, cruising past the Dayton University Flyers, 63-50, in their inaugural game of the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship, inside the Baha Mar Convention Center at Baha Mar on Monday night.
The Rebels turned up the intensity in the fourth quarter, holding the Flyers to just 10 points – none in a six-minute stretch midway through the fourth when they really took control. The Rebels went on a 14-0 scoring run in the fourth, and ended the game on a 19-6 run, improving to an unblemished 5-0 win/loss record on the season. The Flyers remained winless at 0-5.
The Bahamian women’s basketball head coach at Ole Miss said it’s a testament to their program and how they play ball. Coming into the game, the Rebels were just outside of the Associated Press’ Top 25 Rankings in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women’s basketball.
“In the fourth quarter, we just decided to strap up and play ‘D’. At the end of the day, offense is something that we know we need but that is not our identity. Our identity is defending at a high level and I think that we did that in the fourth quarter. That’s our reputation and that creates easy baskets for us,” she said.
McPhee-McCuin leads one of the stingiest programs in the country, holding teams to just 50.8 points per game. They were right at that average on Monday night. The program’s first-ever McDonald’s All American Madison Scott was huge in the fourth quarter on both sides of the ball, chasing down ball handlers, swatting shots on defense and hitting key mid-range jumpers on the offensive side. She finished with eight points – all eight coming in the fourth quarter.
“I just told our girls to step up and be aggressive. Let’s be tough, disrupt their game and be aggressive in everything we do,” said McPhee-McCuin. “Maddy (Madison Scott) is a huge part of what we’re doing here at Ole Miss. She was in foul trouble late in the game, but she was itching to come in and have a big fourth quarter. When she came in, she was ready to go and we fed off that energy.”
Senior forward Tyia Singleton came off the bench to lead Ole Miss with 14 points and 13 rebounds last night – both game-highs. Senior guard Marquesha Davis added 10 points and five rebounds, senior guard Angel Baker contributed nine and junior forward Scott dropped in eight and added five rebounds. Senior point guard Myah Taylor scored seven points and added four assists and four steals. Junior guard Destiny Salary came off the bench to add seven for the Rebels. See complete article in The Nassau Guardian at https://thenassauguardian.com/coach-yo-comes-home-to-coach-ole-miss/
