Ole Miss women's basketball must evolve to beat teams like LSU. Coach Yo believes it can

OXFORD — Ole Miss women's basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin began her news conference after the 84-73 loss to LSU with something she wanted to get off her chest.

The Rebels drew 9,074 fans to SJB Pavilion on Sunday. For Ole Miss, that type of support was unprecedented, setting an attendance record for a program that averaged 2,871 last season. For LSU, that's the standard for a Tuesday nonconference game against Kent State.

"I'm not being a Debbie Downer," McPhee-McCuin said. "But if we'd have this crowd every time we play — I'm not even asking 9,000, I'm asking for 5,000 . . . There's truth to that our players are just not used to playing in front of this type of crowd, and LSU is."

Ole Miss (11-4, 1-1 SEC) gave the Tigers a scare, using a 16-2 third-quarter run to briefly take a lead before the No. 5 team in the country and defending national champion restored order.

It was clear from the onset this was not the type of game Ole Miss could win. It traded buckets with the uber-talented Tigers in the first quarter, finishing down just 26-23. But when LSU (15-1, 2-0) rode the game's quick pace and open nature to a 24-point second quarter, the Rebels struggled to keep up, falling into a 13-point halftime hole.

"We're not at the point yet where we can average 23 points every quarter," McPhee-McCuin said.

And when the Rebels turned to a press defense in the third quarter that helped them get back into the game, their fuel reserves ran on empty.

"We expended so much energy to do it," McPhee-McCuin said. "I had to use so many timeouts, I couldn't manage the bodies the way I would have wanted to, to maybe try to get us to pull out a victory."

RECAP: Ole Miss women's basketball drops decision to No. 5 LSU

Are the Rebels capable of beating teams like LSU? Sure, they showed it when they knocked off No. 1 seed Stanford to advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last season. But doing so requires setting a game script that allows Ole Miss to compensate for a talent gap. It requires LSU to misfire on some of the countless jump shots it cashed in on Saturday, going 8-for-13 from deep. It requires composure in front of big crowds.

"LSU is an elite-level program," McPhee-McCuin said. "I don't think we're there yet, because we don't have the following yet.

"What I'm hoping is that people saw us tonight and said, 'Wow, those girls — maybe I do need to come to another game.' Because that's how it works."

These Rebels at present have one winning formula that serves them well. Their 55-45 road win at Alabama to open conference play earlier this week is the most repeatable path to victory. They're 1-3 this season when their opponent scores more than 60 points. They've won once in regulation when allowing more than 70 points since McPhee-McCuin became coach in 2018. They don't have a bevy of bucket-getting talents like Angel Reese, Flau'jae Johnson or Hailey Van Lith.

But they have progress. They've made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in two decades. They had more SEC wins in the past two seasons than in the previous six combined.

With continued investment, McPhee-McCuin believes Ole Miss can evolve to meet the likes of LSU on more even ground.

Kim Mulkey, the coach of the Tigers, is high on Ole Miss' prospects, too.

"Keep doing what you're doing," Mulkey said. "They're doing it the right way. Just keep recruiting. Keep making 'em play defense."

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: How LSU offers Ole Miss women's basketball program measuring stick