No. 19 Ole Miss women pull away from North Alabama in second half, win 72-51 as Richard scores 17

Jada Richard contributed 17 points as No. 19 Ole Miss University women's basketball team defeated North Alabama's Lions 72-51 on Thursday night. The Rebels, ranked 19th, overcame a sluggish beginning to gain a significant advantage. After trailing 14-11 at halftime and 27-25, they finally broke through early in the second half when Talaysia Cooper scored a 3-pointer, pushing the score to 33-31.

Ole Miss further solidified their lead with a 7-0 run led by Jaida Civil, who also had four free throws in the span. This run pushed the score to 48-38. In the final quarter, Ole Miss scored the last three points and the first 13 of the game to cement their victory, ending with a final score of 64-39. Emma Deste had 13 rebounds for the Rebels, who had a 36-29 edge in rebounds but also had 30 turnovers.

Ole Miss shot 32% in the first half, but improved to 68% in the second half. The Rebels had 16 points close to the basket before halftime, more than doubling that to 32 after. Mississippi will host Albany on Wednesday.