History was made at the SJB Pavilion as No. 18 Ole Miss women’s basketball shut down Alabama State, 89-24, on Saturday.

The 65-point margin of victory is the largest in Ole Miss program history, while 24 points from the Lady Hornets tied the Rebels’ program record for fewest points allowed. The Rebels previously held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 24 points in this season’s home opener.

The Rebels (5-2, 0-0 SEC) set season highs in points in the paint (58), points off turnovers (42) and points off the bench (50). Ole Miss’ trademark defense remained a key factor in the Rebel victory, collecting 20 steals off 33 turnovers by Alabama State (2-5, 0-0 SWAC). The last time Ole Miss forced more than 30 turnovers in a game was when it forced 30 against Sam Houston State on Nov. 26, 2019.

The Rebels held each Lady Hornet to under 10 points of scoring, which they did earlier in the year against UAPB.

The SEC Freshman of the Week Sira Thienou showed out for the home crowd, tying a career-high 16 points for the third time this season, while adding six rebounds and a career-best five assists. Additionally, she pickpocketed four steals against the Lady Hornets, also the best mark of her career.

In her 129th game at Ole Miss, Madison Scott officially entered the top-10 in most games played in a Rebel jersey in program history. The fifth-year senior put up a balanced stat line with nine points, three assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block.

Kennedy Todd-Williams had a strong first half which led to an 11-point, five assist afternoon. The Jacksonville, North Carolina, native and Thienou led the team in dimes, the second time for Todd-Williams this season and first for Thienou.

Starr Jacobs had another impressive outing on the glass, leading the team with eight rebounds and contributing 12 points. Jacobs has had five or more offensive rebounds in the last three games.

Christeen Iwuala tied a season and career-best with 12 points off the bench. She shot 5-6 from the field and tacked on five rebounds.

Ole Miss caught fire early, going on a 16-0 run to start the game. Jacobs got the scoring party started with a second-chance layup in the first 30 seconds of competition. Todd-Williams and Tameiya Sadler made two-straight three-pointers off Alabama State turnovers. After giving up the Lady Hornet’s first points of the day, the Rebels made four-straight field goals to close the first quarter. Jacobs and Thienou had six points each as the Rebels held a 24-4 lead.

Buckets didn’t stop falling for the Rebels to start the second, with the Rebels going on a 22-0 run. Ole Miss started the quarter making eight of its first nine shots, including five in a row. All five of the field goals came from different players, including two three-pointers from Thienou and Mariyah Noel. Defensively, Ole Miss totaled eight steals and five blocks while forcing 18 turnovers from Alabama State in the first half. Todd-Williams, Jacobs and Thienou reached double figures in scoring in the second quarter.

The Rebels have never gone into halftime with a more comfortable lead than they did against the Lady Hornets. Ole Miss went into the locker room with a 57-10 lead. The 47-point advantage is the largest in program history while 57 is the most points the Rebels have put up in a half this season.

Scott got going to start the second half by draining a layup for the Rebels’ first points of the third quarter. Scott would have five points in the period and tallied both of her steals. Later in the quarter, Ayanna Thompson kicked off Ole Miss’ longest scoring streak of the afternoon as the junior and the Rebels made six straight shots in the final five minutes of the third.

Entering the fourth quarter leading 75-22, Ole Miss had its strongest defensive quarter of the season. Alabama State could only muster two points in the quarter, and had 10 turnovers, matching the same number of shot-attempts it had in the quarter.

Seven different players scored in the fourth quarter. Noel had a strong quarter, having an assist, a block and a steal. She also scored a tough layup in the paint while getting fouled for Ole Miss’ final field goal of the day. Rhema Collins scored three points in the quarter, and freshmen Heliosa Carrera, Fatumata Djaló and Jite Gbemuotor each got minutes off the bench. Collins connected on a free throw in the final 30 seconds, solidifying the final score of 89-24.

The Rebels are back on the road next week as they take on No. 17 NC State in Raleigh for the SEC/ACC Challenge on Dec. 5. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 2 with tipoff set for 6 p.m. CT.