OXFORD, Miss. — No. 19 Ole Miss women basketball improved to 2-0 with a 72-51 win over North Alabama on Thursday night in Oxford, shaking off a sluggish first half to pull away after the break on their home floor.
Jada Richard paced the Rebels with 17 points and five assists, while Jaida Civil added 15 points and six rebounds. Doneelah Washington scored 13 as Ole Miss forced 30 turnovers and turned those mistakes into 33 points.
North Alabama led 27-25 at halftime after a clean early stretch that included a 9-0 run and strong shooting from the field. The Lions were 0-2 entering the night and looked ready to steal a ranked road win before Ole Miss flipped the script.
The Rebels answered with a 26-12 third quarter that decided the game. Ole Miss opened the second half by forcing three straight turnovers and scoring five points in the first 35 seconds, then kept extending the lead with better finishing around the basket.
Head coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin told her team at the break that the staff could only put players in position and that they would have to finish the layups themselves. The fourth quarter stayed one-sided as Ole Miss stretched the margin past 20 points.
Ole Miss shot more efficiently after intermission while keeping the defensive pressure that defined the night. Richard also added steals and playmaking as the Rebels closed out the nonconference win and stayed unbeaten through two games.
Fans filled the Pavilion for the early-season home date, and the Rebels used the second-half surge to close out a night that started with missed finishes and ended with a double-digit cushion.
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