REBELS FINISH WITH ONE WIN AND ONE LOSS IN PINK FLAMINGO TOURNAMENT
NASSAU, Bahamas — It came down to the wire in the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Tournament game between the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Lady Rebels and the University of Utah Utes inside the Bah Mar Convention Center at the Baha Mar Resort last night. A heave with 0.6 seconds left on the clock by the Lady Rebels’ Snudda Collins never made it to the rim and the Utes held on to win 69-67, The Nassau Guardian reported on Thursday, November 24.
The Lady Rebels now sport a 5-1 win/loss record while the Utes improved to 6-0 in early season play.
With 20 seconds left in the game, Collins made a jump shot to tie the game at 67 points apiece. The Utes dribbled the clocked down to the final second on the shot clock, and Kennady McQueen took a three-point shot from the right elbow. It rimmed out before the referee blew the whistle for a foul on Rebels’ guard Angel Baker. That meant three free throws were coming for McQueen. She missed the first one but made the second and third free throws to put her team up 69-67 with 0.6 seconds left on the clock. Collins was the intended target on the final play that her head coach, Bahamian Yolett “Coach Yo” McPhee-McCuin had drawn up, but the shot fell short and the nationally number 17 ranked Utes held on for the victory.
“It felt like an NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Tournament game,” McPhee-McCuin said. “That’s an NCAA Tournament team. I’d like to think we have a chance to be the same. I was super proud of my team. Everybody counted us out. We lost a draft pick and we have a lot of new pieces and just to watch them step up and make big plays and then being home, the crowd just having our backs, was a good feeling. I feel like that’s why we were in the game and took the lead. There were a lot of teachable moments. It’s November and we have so many more games. I’m not into moral victories, but I think we got better, and for that, I’m proud.”
The Rebels was led by Marquesha Davis who had 18 points and seven rebounds. Collins finished with 12 points.
McPhee-McCuin said it felt like the game was at the Sandy and John Black (SJB) Pavilion back in Oxford, Mississippi, as Bahamians came out and supported her and the Rebels. They cheered every time the Lady Rebels scored or the referees made a call in their favor. During timeouts and breaks, the group of supporters performed the Ole Miss chant.
Ole Miss led 52-50 coming into the final period. The difference in the final period was the Utes went to forward Alissa Pili who was too much in the post as she scored 10 points in that final period to keep her team in the game. Three other Utes finished in in double figures, namely Jenna Johnson (16), Gianna Kneepkens (10) and McQueen (10). See complete article in The Nassau Guardian at https://thenassauguardian.com/ole-miss-falls-to-utah/
