Nesbitt scores team-high 18 points in a loss

Bahamian collegiate women’s basketball point guard Valerie Nesbitt tied a season-high with 18 points on Sunday afternoon to lead her team, the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Lady Rebels, in scoring, but they were turned back by the University of Florida Gators on their home court at the Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.

Bahamian Head Coach Yolett ‘Coach Yo’ McPhee-McCuin, Nesbitt and the Lady Rebels (7-5, 1-5 SEC) fell 78-68 to the Gators (9-6, 2-5 SEC), dropping their fourth straight game and fifth in their last six games. The Rebels had a sluggish start to the second half against the Gators and that cost them.

Nesbitt got the start and set the tone offensively as she also dished out a team-high seven assists. The guard was able to convert eight of her 12 shot attempts from the field, and all of her shots came from inside the three-point arc. She also finished with one rebound and a steal in 29 minutes of play.

The Lady Rebels were outscored 45-31 in the second half. McPhee-McCuin knew that the start of the second half was crucial.

“At half-time, we talked about the next three minutes,” McPhee-McCuin stated. “We’re going to either take the lead or get smacked in the face. We have to learn through adverse moments. That’s just what has to happen.”

After going into the half up 37-33, the Gators opened the third quarter with a 10-0 scoring run to go ahead 43-37 with 6:37 remaining in the third quarter. The Gators went on to control that quarter, outscoring the Lady Rebels 25-12 to take a comfortable 58-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Nesbitt’s layup with 14 seconds left in the third quarter cut the Gators’ lead from 11 points to nine points, pulling them to within single digits heading into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Rebels tried to chip away at the Gators’ lead but were unable to do so.

McPhee-McCuin said her team has to fight or else they will continue to come up short.

“Every time we step on the floor, we have to compete, and we have to grow… Until we get through it, we’re going to come up short,” said the coach.

Nesbitt’s first made shot of the afternoon was on a fast break layup after a Rebels’ steal with 3:34 remaining in the first quarter. That shot put her team up 8-6. Nesbitt ended the first quarter with a made jump shot with three seconds remaining to cut the Gators’ lead to 13-10.

At the start of the second quarter, it was the ‘All-Nesbitt Show’ as she assisted on the Rebels’ first four buckets and helped them take an 18-16 lead with 8:07 remaining in that quarter.

Kiara Smith led the way for the Gators with 25 points in the win.

Both McPhee-McCuin and Nesbitt’s schedules are not going to get easier moving forward. The Rebels will now begin a two-game road stretch on Thursday as they travel to Knoxville, Tennessee to face the 25th nationally ranked University of Tennessee-Knoxville Volunteers (10-3, 4-1 SEC) who are coming off a 70-53 upset win over the number 12 nationally ranked University of Kentucky Wildcats. Following that, McPhee-McCuin, Nesbitt and the Lady Rebels will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers (6-7, 4-3 SEC).

Tip-off for the Mississippi/Tennessee game is set for 6 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST), 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) here in The Bahamas.

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