Ole Miss Women's Basketball Ends Season in Round of 32

Lady Rebels finish 24-12 (8-8 SEC) with three wins over AP Top 5 opponents

Apr. 15, 2026 at 7:39pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting the action and energy of a women's basketball game, with sharp, overlapping shapes in navy, red, and gold.The Lady Rebels' season ended in the NCAA Tournament's round of 32, despite their impressive regular season victories over top-ranked opponents.Oxford Today

Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin's eighth season with the Ole Miss Women's Basketball team was a strong one. The Lady Rebels finished 24-12 (8-8 SEC), and they won three games against AP Top 5 opponents. However, their season ended in the round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament.

Why it matters

The Lady Rebels had a successful season, finishing ranked No. 21 in the final AP poll, the first time they were ranked in every weekly poll since 1995-96. However, their early exit from the NCAA Tournament was an underwhelming result for a team that had several impressive wins over top-ranked opponents during the regular season.

The details

The Lady Rebels dominated in non-conference play, scoring over 100 points in wins against Longwood and Mississippi Valley State, and defeating then-No. 18 Notre Dame. In SEC play, they had key victories over then-No. 2 Texas and then-No. 5 Oklahoma, but stumbled late in the season, losing four of their final six regular season games. In the SEC Tournament, they defeated No. 5 Vanderbilt for the second time but fell to No. 4 Texas in the semifinals. In the NCAA Tournament, they defeated No. 12 Gonzaga before losing to No. 4 Minnesota in the round of 32.

  • The Lady Rebels' season began with an exhibition win over Southern Arkansas on November 1, 2025.
  • Their first loss came against Kansas State on November 20, 2025.
  • They defeated then-No. 18 Notre Dame on December 5, 2025.
  • The Lady Rebels' SEC play began with a home win over Georgia on December 29, 2025.
  • Their season ended with a 63-65 loss to Minnesota in the NCAA Tournament round of 32 on March 25, 2026.

The players

Yolett McPhee-McCuin

The head coach of the Ole Miss Women's Basketball team, in her eighth season.

Cotie McMahon

A forward for the Lady Rebels who scored a career-high 39 points in a win over Tennessee, surpassing 2,000 total points in her college career.

Sira Thienou

A guard for the Lady Rebels who suffered a knee injury in the game against Tennessee and did not return until the NCAA Tournament.

Denim DeShields

A guard for the Lady Rebels who scored 20 points in their loss to Texas in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

Madison Booker

A star player for Texas who scored 31 points in their win over Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament.

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What they’re saying

“The energy that we had today, and the reason why we're doing it — we're doing it for the city of Oxford. We had a really rough patch, a really rough winter storm, so we're doing it for the city of Oxford.”

— Christeen Iwuala, Forward

“When I first came to Ole Miss, one of the things I understood was, one, they want us to win and they want us to win big, and second, we don't lose to Mississippi State. One of the goals we had was to respect the rivalry … and I hope you saw we respect the rivalry enough to put some belt to a– today.”

— Yolett McPhee-McCuin, Head Coach

What’s next

Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin will have to rebuild the roster for next season, with seven seniors graduating and two key players entering the transfer portal.

The takeaway

Despite a strong regular season that included several wins over top-ranked opponents, the Lady Rebels' early exit from the NCAA Tournament was a disappointing end to an otherwise successful campaign. The team's ability to adapt and compete at the highest level will be tested as they look to reload for next season.