Rebels roll past Michigan in Battle4Atlantis champ game
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas - Straight from the jump, Ole Miss led Michigan wire-to-wire in the 2023 Bad Boy Mowers Battle4Atlantis Championship, in a 60-49 victory from Imperial Arena on Monday. Madison Scott earned tournament most valuable player honors, while Marquesha Davis was named to the all-tournament team.
Ole Miss (5-1) led by as many as 20 over Michigan (4-1) in the complete victory in the Rebels third game in three days. Creating a big splash off the bench in relief for KK Deans, Marija Avlijas scored a career-high 11 points to lead the team and dished out three assists. Madison Scott added her third game in a row in double-figures with 10 points and seven rebounds. With nine points each, Snudda Collins and Marquesha Davis assisted Ole Miss in cementing its victory and Kennedy Todd-Williams added eight points. 11 out of 12 Rebels who appeared made their way onto the stat sheet.
In yet another defensive clinic, Ole Miss held another Power Five team under 50 points in the second straight game for the first time in program history.
The victory marked Ole Miss' second tournament title under McPhee-McCuin, as the 2021 Rebels won the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational Powered by Cal.
Back-to-back layups got the Rebels cooking, as five for Ole Miss made their way onto the scoreboard in the opening minutes. Todd-Williams found herself able to easily drive through the lane as Ole Miss quickly grabbed a 10-4 lead through the first quarter.
Controlling the tempo, the Rebels ran off to a 6-0 start to the second quarter while growing their lead over the Wolverines. On the defensive end, the Rebels restricted Michigan for over two minutes from reaching the basket and capitalized off of Wolverine miscues. As the Rebels struggled to hold onto the ball, Michigan slowly tacked on points through the free throw line as it remained stagnant from the field. Holding Michigan to 19 points, the fewest by an opponent in a first half this season, Ole Miss headed into halftime with a 27-19 lead.
Ole Miss and Michigan traded blows defensively throughout the third quarter, until Scott began to take over on both ends of the court. A 9-0 run provided Ole Miss its largest margin to date by 15 as the Rebels continued to build up its advantage. A layup at the buzzer from Tyia Singleton capped off the quarter to go ahead 48-30.
The Rebels refused to let up in the fourth, as the balanced scoring remained. With the finish line in sight, Ole Miss left little room for Michigan to make a comeback. As the clock hit zeroes, the celebration for Ole Miss began as the 2023 Battle4Atlantis Champions with a 60-49 victory over Michigan.
Ole Miss returns back to the United States to enjoy a few days off for Thanksgiving prior to welcoming Little Rock to Oxford on Saturday (Nov. 25). Tipoff against the Trojans is set for 3 p.m. CT, streaming on SEC Network +.