Baker leads Rebels’ offensive attack to best Aggies

Greenville, SC — No. 4 seed Ole Miss ran away from No. 13 seed Texas A&M, 77-60, in the quarterfinals of the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

The Rebels’ offense was led by Angel Baker’s 23 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers. Madison Scott contributed 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals while Marquesha Davis racked up 14 points and Elauna Eaton connected on three from beyond the arc.

Baker started the first quarter from distance to put Ole Miss ahead before draining a jumping shot at the 5:15 mark, making the lead 6-2. Soon after, Eaton hit two triples to make the difference 10 points, 14-4.

The Aggies went on a quick 5-0 led by Janiah Barker coming in four before Baker dropped another 3-pointer with less than a minute left in the first, 17-10.

Sydney Bowles and Jada Malone recorded a pair of free throws before the first quarter ended with the score 17-14.

Texas A&M opened the second quarter in hot pursuit as Malone scored back-to-back layups, but Baker didn’t let up as he drilled his third shot from beyond the arc, 23-18.

With 7:33 left in the half, Davis and Scott took over for the Rebels, leading a 12-4 run to provide the largest lead in the half, 35-24, with only 1:36 left in the quarter.

As the Aggies appeared to mount their final drive before the half, Davis grabbed the ball, sank a layup and completed a three-point play to take a 40-29 advantage into the locker room.

At the half, Ole Miss shot 15 of 28 from the field (53.6%) compared to Texas A&M’s 8 of 22 (36.4%). Baker led the Rebels drive from distance, cashing in three of their five triples, while contributing a total of 15 points in the first half.

The Aggies’ perfect free throw shooting in the first half kept them in the game with Bowles making five of 13 shots from the free throw line.

Tyia Singleton started the second half with a smooth layup for Ole Miss, but Sarah Jones began to chip away at the Aggies’ deficit, 42-33. A 9-2 run brought the Rebels to a 16-point lead, 51-35, before a flurry of Texas A&M free throws along with a layup by Jones brought them back within range, 51-40.

With just over two minutes left in the third, Ole Miss scored another nine points led by Scott’s five, to take a significant 60-42 lead into the final quarter.

Baker and Singleton each scored early in the fourth quarter to widen the gap, 64-42. Barker and Bowles started to chip away, but Eaton quickly responded with a three to stay away, 71-49.

Despite Barker’s 11 fourth-quarter points from a 22-point performance, the Aggies couldn’t overcome the deficit.

Ole Miss claimed a 77-60 quarterfinal victory, winning an SEC Tournament game by more than 10 points for the first time since 2007 when it lost its biggest SEC Tournament loss to the Aggies.

Until Next Time

4-seed Ole Miss (23-7, 11-5 SEC) will face 1-seed South Carolina (30-0, 16-0 SEC) in the semifinals of the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday at 4:30 PM ET televised. on the SEC Network.

Texas A&M (9-20, 2-14 SEC) was eliminated from the tournament.