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Ole Miss women’s basketball ended their historic SEC tournament run with a 61-51 loss to the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks. The women had entered the SEC tournament with a double-bye in the No. 4 seed spot after going 10-6 in the SEC regular season.
The comeback against No. 1 South Carolina falls short…
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) March 6, 2022
But this journey isn’t quite over yet. pic.twitter.com/tqiVrjVTLN
The Rebels started off their tournament with a 70-60 win over Florida in the quarterfinals to send them to the semifinal game for the first time in 29 years.
Ole Miss drew an unlucky hand to face the No. 1 Gamecocks for their third meeting this year. South Carolina dominated throughout the first three quarters, until a late fourth quarter by the Rebels that put the game back into reach. Unsurprising to no one, Shakira Austin helped carry Ole Miss with another double-digit night with her 16 points. Angel Baker was especially dominant with 20 points, leading all scorers on the day.
And-1 by Kira has the Rebs in striking distance! (@Theylove_kira) pic.twitter.com/voR1kchx5w
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) March 5, 2022
The Rebels were able to get on the board first until South Carolina kicked everything into high gear seemingly putting the game completely away. Right towards the end, Ole Miss locked down on defense with not allowing a South Carolina field goal for the final 10 minutes and cut the deficit to only 10.
Ole Miss will have to wait until March 13 to find out their fate for the rest of the season. The NCAA selection show will feature the Rebs looking for their first bid to the March Madness tournament since 2007.