In front of a raucous crowd, Ole Miss welcomed the defending National Champion to Oxford for a Sunday heavyweight battle between two programs with something to prove. In her 6th year as Head Coach of the Rebels, Coach Yo has been searching for the win to take her program to the next level in pecking order in the Southeastern Conference. However, the Rebels faced Kim Mulkey and the Fighting LSU Tigers, and LSU was too much for the Rebels to overcome.

Ole Miss started the game on a terror, hanging in there with LSU, falling behind by three at the end of the first quarter. As the first half progressed, as did the LSU lead. It was all LSU at the half, as they jumped out to a 50-37 lead over the Rebels. Mikayla Williams led the way for the Tigers in scoring with 13 points. Angel Reese had 11 with nine rebounds, while the sharpshooting Hailey Van Lith finished with nine points. LSU finished the half shooting 80% from behind the arc and 56.7% from the field.

Ole Miss opened the second half with a run of their own, holding LSU scoreless for the first four minutes before a jump shot from Mikayla Williams got LSU back on track. During the Ole Miss run, the Rebels cut into the LSU lead and got it down to single digits. At 4:54 in the third, LSU held a 52-48 lead over the Rebels. At the end of the third, LSU clung to a 67-62 lead over Ole Miss.

As the 4th quarter approached, the energy inside The Sandy and John Black Pavilion was something to behold. Ole Miss fans in attendance knew Coach Yo and the Ole Miss Rebels had a chance to knock off Kim Mulkey and her LSU Tigers.

LSU opened the 4th quarter, drawing back-to-back offensive fouls on Ole Miss, leading to a basket and a jump ball on the other end for the Tigers. Those back-to-back offensive fouls were the dagger in the coffin for Ole Miss, as Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers used that as motivation to build a large enough lead to escape Oxford with a gutsy win over Ole Miss. Angel Reese, Mikayla Williams, and Flau’J Johnson were the leaders in scoring for the Tigers in the win over Ole Miss on Sunday afternoon. Angel Reese finished the day with 21 points.

No matter how ugly, a win in Southeastern Conference play is something to celebrate if you’re the LSU Tigers. Next up for the Tigers will be the Texas A&M Aggies in Baton Rouge on Thursday night.