OXFORD – The Ole Miss women’s basketball team opened up action in the 2015 WNIT with a 80-70 win over UT Martin from the Ohio Valley. Freshman Kelsey Briggs (Memphis, Tenn.) led the offense with a career-high 19 points, while the Ole Miss reserves scored 37 points in the win. Ole Miss moves to 2-0 in WNIT games at Tad Smith Coliseum and won its first postseason game since 2008-09.

Highlighted by Briggs’ career night, Ole Miss (18-13) had three players in double figures. Oxford native Erika Sisk added 16 points, while first team All-SEC selection Tia Faleru (Ozark, Ala.) added 12 points. Shequila Joseph (London, England) led the rebounding efforts with seven rebounds. Ole Miss shot 55.8 (29-of-52) percent from the field and reached the 50 percent mark for just the second time this season

Ole Miss opened the second half with back-to-back three pointers from Sisk and Briggs and really took the wind out of the Skyhawks as they extended their lead to a game-high 23 points at the 14:50 mark of the second half.

The Skyhawks cut the lead to seven points at the 11:26 mark by scoring 18 points in a span of four minutes, but the Rebels clamped down on the defensive end and were helped by timely buckets from Gracie Frizzell (Little Rock, Ark.) and A’Queen Hayes (Horn Lake, Miss.) Ole Miss pushed its lead back to double-digits and cruised to their first postseason win in six years and just the second-ever postseason win at Tad Smith Coliseum.

UT Martin opened the game with five straight points and it was obvious the Rebels were a little rusty after a nearly two-week layoff, but Ole Miss went to work on the defensive end and with buckets from Faleru and Ole Miss went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by a triple from Joseph over a span of 2:34 to take a 14-13 lead – their first of the game– at the 11:23 mark.

The first half was nothing short of a dogfight as the teams traded buckets for the majority of the half, but Ole Miss was able to us a 9-0 run, sparked by big baskets from the Ole Miss bench. Kiara Golden (Olive Branch, Miss.) nailed a triple, while Briggs and Shandricka Sessom (Byhalia, Miss.) combined for six points to help Ole Miss take a 27-20 lead.

UT Martin stopped the run with a bucket from Jessy Ward, but Ole Miss keptthe Skyhawks out of rhythm and forced them into 14 first-half turnovers and extended their lead to 39-27 at halftime.

Ole Miss shot 54.2 percent (13-of-24) in the first half and was paced by five triples. Joseph and Golden each had two three-pointers while Briggs also drained one from downtown. The Ole Miss bench was spectacular in the first half, scoring 25 of Ole Miss’ 39 first half points with Golden leading the Ole Miss scorers with eight points.

With the win, Ole Miss moves into the second round with the win and will face the winner of Georgia Tech vs. Elon in second round action. Georgia Tech and Elon will square off in Atlanta at 6 pm CT on Thursday.

Ole Miss Media Relations