After contentious week, Coach Yo reaffirms Ole Miss is her home. How far can she take it?

OXFORD — Win or lose, fans at the SJB Pavilion can expect Ole Miss women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin to reach for the public address microphone and speak to them as they file out after home games.

Her message typically is relatively routine. She offers one or two quick thoughts on the game and thanks the fans for coming. But what she said after the Rebels defeated Tennessee 80-75 on Sunday felt important.

Ole Miss had just secured a milestone win, beating the Lady Vols for only the third time since the original "Jurassic Park" film debuted in 1993. And the Rebels had done so three days after McPhee-McCuin — frustrated by Ole Miss' low attendance numbers — caused a stir by challenging the Oxford and Ole Miss communities to value women's sports.

"I don't know if everybody remembers my story," McPhee-McCuin told the crowd. "But I'm an immigrant. So when I came to Oxford, Oxford is home for me . . . So when I speak, I speak as a resident of Oxford, Mississippi. I am proud to be from Oxford, Mississippi. The 'Sip is the move. Thank y'all for coming. Thank y'all for sticking with me."

A healthy percentage of the 3,863 fans in attendance on Sunday came wearing orange. Still, it marked the third-best crowd of the season for the Rebels (15-5, 5-2 SEC).

Reiterating her original message to the fans while meeting with reporters postgame, McPhee-McCuin — who grew up in the Bahamas — said she was grateful for those who attended.

"It was a call to action, because I know how special this place is," she said. "And I'm also the one that promotes this university as well. And I can't promote it without the help of everybody. And so, when everyone's like, 'Oh, win a national championship.' Well, help me help you. (If we get) crowds like this on a consistent basis, we'll continue to win just like that."

As noteworthy as the victory was the fashion in which it came. On its way to the Sweet 16 last season, Ole Miss never scored 80 points against SEC opposition. It has now done so twice this week.

GAME RECAP: Pair of electric offensive showings drive Ole Miss women's basketball past Tennessee

McPhee-McCuin has delivered back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the Rebels on the back of elite defense — and only elite defense. If the Rebels didn't defend to their standard, they didn't win.

Tennessee (12-7, 5-2), one of women's basketball's historic powers, came into Oxford having won eight of nine. It shot 48% — tied for the second-highest success rate from the field the Rebels have allowed this season. Ole Miss won anyway.

On Thursday, the Rebels had turned in a middling defensive performance against Florida and won by double digits.

Even down star point guard KK Deans, who figured to be among the Rebels' best offensive players before her season-ending injury, Ole Miss has evolved to be able to win differently.

McPhee-McCuin thought before the season that the Rebels could score at a higher level than her previous teams. Maybe, having operated for months without a true point guard, they still can.

As of Sunday, the Rebels sat third in the SEC behind South Carolina and LSU. Year-to-year linear progress, despite the obstacles Ole Miss encountered on its path to this point in the season, remains firmly on the table.

"I told y'all, we're not playing our best basketball yet," McPhee-McCuin said. "So, I just want y'all to know that the best is yet to come."

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: For Ole Miss women's basketball coach, win reaffirms message to fans