Nesbitt, ‘Coach Yo’ and Rebels fall in SEC quarters

One night after Bahamians Valerie Nesbitt and Yolett ‘Coach Yo’ McPhee-McCuin, player and head coach with the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Lady Rebels (11-11, 4-10 SEC), respectively, were a part of an upset of the nationally number 13 ranked University of Arkansas Razorbacks (19-8, 9-6 SEC), they and the Rebels fell short in a tightly-contested 77-72 battle against the nationally number 14 ranked University of Tennessee Volunteers (16-7, 9-4 SEC). The loss came on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I game was played at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

This game was an evenly matched game but a fourth quarter scoring run by the Vols put them over the edge after the Rebels held a 57-49 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Rebels had no response for a 28-15 fourth quarter Vols’ advantage.

Nesbitt, who started for the Rebels, finished with just four points in 12 minutes of play, shooting 2-for-8 from the field. It was a tough game for the guard who could not find the bottom of the net on most of her shots. She also had two assists and one rebound in the game.

McPhee-McCuin lost a key player, Shakira Austin, in the fourth quarter, to a back injury. Austin, who finished with 14 points, was subbed out at the 9:25 mark in that quarter with the Rebels up 57-51. With her on the bench, the Vols used a 6-0 run to tie the game at 57 with 8:11 left in the game.

The Rebels showed some grit down the stretch, trailing 73-64 with just under three minutes remaining in the game. Nesbitt nailed a jump shot with 2:38 remaining to cut the Vols’ lead to 73-66, and they were down 75-72 with 24 seconds remaining in the game but couldn’t complete the comeback. The Rebels’ Donetta Johnson, who led them in scoring with 20 points, was not able to convert a three-point shot with 10 seconds left in the game, and the Vols held on for the win.

With 6.5 seconds, an overturned out-of-bounds play, that originally went the Rebels’ way, took away their last chance for an upset.

The Bahamian coach said if she could have done it all over again, she would have utilized a different defensive scheme in the fourth quarter.

“If I could have a play back, I wouldn’t have went zone,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I would have just got her (Austin) out of the game. I thought they hit a big three when we did go zone. I have a lot of regrets about that right there… should have just gotten her (Austin) out of the game because she was definitely hurt. (I was) just trying to get us to fight. We had opportunities. J.B. (Jacorrriah Bracey) had a three she missed. Then, Netta (Johnson) had a three she missed that could have changed the game, but those were plays where it could have won the game. They didn’t lose the game, but those plays could have won the game.”

The Rebels, who were the underdogs, had a slow start to the game as the Vols went up 24-16. However, in the second quarter, they stormed back, outscoring the Vols 25-13 to take a 41-37 lead at the half.

It was more of the Rebels in the third quarter as they won that quarter 16-12.

Overall, Ole Miss shot the ball better from the field, 43.1 percent compared to 41.4 percent for the Vols. Defensively, the Rebels stole the ball 13 times compared to the Vols’ three steals. The Rebels only turned the ball over 13 times while Tennessee coughed it up 23 times.

In rebounding, the Vols dominated 45-25.

Rennia Davis led the way for the Vols with a game-high 33 points.

The Rebels will now have to sit and wait on the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, March 15, to see if they are selected to play in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament, set to start on Sunday, March 21, in San Antonio, Texas.

McPhee-McCuin believes that her team, which beat three ranked teams in the SEC, deserves to play in the tournament.

“If we’re not an NCAA tournament team, then who is,” McPhee-McCuin asked. “With our COVID-19 issues in the beginning of conference play, snowstorm issues, then continuously proving ourselves by beating quadrant one teams, then going on the road to Tennessee, losing by one, then tonight by five when our star player hurt her back to start the fourth quarter. Absolutely, we’re an NCAA tournament team. We’re fun to watch. We play a great style. We’re in the best league in the country. If we get in, we’re going to wreak havoc in the NCAA Tournament. I hope they consider all of this. We have more quadrant one wins than a lot of these conferences that they’re saying are in. They don’t even have top-25 wins. We have three of them versus teams that are in the top 16 in the country. We definitely should be in. Ask any SEC coach.”

The Rebels started the season with six straight wins. As a result of COVID-19 protocols, they were also forced to play with as little as eight players in early January. They took down the University of Kentucky Wildcats twice and the Arkansas Razorbacks once – both top ranked teams at the time.

If selected to the NCAA Tournament, it would be their first trip since the 2006-2007 season when they advanced all the way to the Elite Eight.

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