Ole Miss women get pair of double-doubles and roll to 83-65 March Madness win over Ball State

By Canadian Press on March 21, 2025.

WACO, Texas (AP) — Starr Jacobs had 18 points and 11 rebounds, Kennedy Todd-Williams added 14 points with 11 boards and No. 5 seed Mississippi rolled to an 83-65 victory over 12th-seeded Ball State in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

Madison Scott scored 15 points as the Rebels (21-10) had a much better time on Baylor’s home court three years after South Dakota won a tournament game for the first time by beating Ole Miss in Waco.

The Rebels will face fourth-seeded Baylor, a 73-60 winner over Grand Canyon, in the second round Sunday.

Ally Becki scored 19 points for the Cardinals (27-8), who were making their second NCAA appearance 16 years after the first. Ball State was the 12th seed back then, too, knocking off Tennessee before losing to Iowa State.

Ball State, the Mid-American Conference Tournament champion, didn’t give itself much of a chance for another upset, shooting 31% before halftime while falling behind 37-23. The deficit reached 20-plus early in the second half and stayed there until the fourth quarter.

Ole Miss thought a fourth consecutive NCAA trip under coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin would lead to hosting the early rounds of the tournament.

Instead, the Rebels had to settle for their highest seed since 1994, also at No. 5, then went out and proved they probably deserved to be on their home court.

At least they can say they’re making better memories in Texas.

Ole Miss led by a point when Scott hit a jumper to start a 12-0 run bridging the first and second quarters. Ball State got no closer than nine points after that.

Jacobs and Todd-Williams led a dominant rebounding effort. Ole Miss had a 52-32 edge, including 18-6 on offensive boards for a 22-6 margin in second-chance points.

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AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Schuyler Dixon, The Associated Press

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