MINNEAPOLIS — Latasha Lattimore scored 15 points and Ole Miss overpowered Gonzaga 81-66 on Friday, the box score shows.
Sira Thienou returned from a bone bruise on her left knee and finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, while Cotie McMahon added 13 points and Denim DeShields had 11 for the Rebels. Ole Miss (24-11) was the No. 5 seed and ranked 19th in the most recent AP poll, the school said.
Allie Turner led Gonzaga with 27 points. Jaiden Haile had 11 points and eight rebounds and Lauren Whittaker had eight points and 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs, the box score shows. Gonzaga entered the game as the No. 12 seed.
The Bulldogs fell behind by as many as 13 in the first quarter and missed their first seven field-goal attempts. Mississippi closed the first half on a 14-4 run capped by a McMahon 3-pointer and led 39-23 at intermission, the box score shows. “Just the pressure that they applied, it was different,” Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said. “That’s what happens when you play in the NCAA Tournament.”
Gonzaga mounted a late rally, including three 3-pointers by Teryn Gardner and eight free throws and a 3 from Turner, cutting the deficit to 10 with 47 seconds left. “I think our team showed a lot of fight and it was honestly fun — the end of the game was fun,” Turner said. Ole Miss will play the winner of Sunday’s Minnesota-Green Bay game, the bracket shows.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
