OXFORD, Miss. – The Southeastern Louisiana women's basketball team's upset bid fell just short, as Ole Miss pulled away in overtime for a 79-71 victory in the Lady Lions' non-conference finale Monday night at Tad Smith Coliseum.
 
Southeastern (4-7) held a six-point lead with less than three minutes left in regulation, but Ole Miss (10-3) retook the lead before SLU junior guard Peaches Anderson tied the game with 3.6 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. In the extra period, the Rebels shook off the Lady Lions' upset attempt by holding SLU to 1-of-9 shooting from the floor.
 
The win would've provided a satisfying homecoming for first-year Lady Lion head coach Yolanda Moore, who was three-time All-SEC forward for the Rebels and is a member of the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame. Despite taking her former school to the limit, Moore offered no talk of a moral victory.
 
"We're not going to beat an SEC team when we have 25 turnovers," Moore said. "We didn't execute well down the stretch of the second half and overtime. We have to do a better job of blocking out. All that being said, we head into Southland Conference play with the knowledge that we can play with elite competition. We have some things to clean up, but we can definitely build on some of the positives from the contest."
 
Senior guard Elizabeth Styles led four Lady Lions in double figures with 18 points, while also dishing out seven assists. Senior wing Annessa De La Cruz came off the bench with a season-high 13 points.
 
Junior forward Nanna Pool posted her sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds, while senior forward Jameika Hoskins chipped in with 12 points. Pool and Hoskins also finished with three steals apiece, as SLU forced Ole Miss into 20 turnovers.
 
Ole Miss was led by senior forward Tia Faleru's 18 points and 11 rebounds. Faleru was joined in double figures by A'Queen Hayes (15 points) and Danielle McCray (13 points).
 
After Southeastern jumped out to a 6-2 lead, Ole Miss scored the next 16 points over a five-minute span. A Faleru layup gave the Lady Rebels an 18-6 advantage with 12:12 remaining in the opening half.
 
Southeastern answered with five straight points of its own and methodically chopped into the Ole Miss advantage. The Lady Lions would close the half on a 15-4 run to take a 35-31 lead into the break.
 
Southeastern kept holding Ole Miss at bay throughout the second half. A three from the corner by Styles put SLU ahead, 62-56, with 3:14 remaining.
 
Taking a page our of the SLU playbook, Ole Miss grinded and slowly worked their way closer. A free throw by Hayes gave Ole Miss a 67-65 advantage with 22 seconds left.
 
On the final SLU possession of regulation, Styles penetrated but lost the handle going up. Hoskins was able to come out of a scrum with the loose ball and found Anderson in the corner. The Meridian, Mississippi native had the presence of mind to streak to the basket and scoop in a layup with 3.6 second left on the clock. Ole Miss was unable to get a shot off after a timeout to force overtime.
 
The two team's traded buckets to start overtime, as a Pool jumper knotted the score at 69 with 4:18 remaining. However, Ole Miss held SLU without a field goal for the remainder of the game, as the Lady Rebels closed out the game on a 10-2 run to win their fourth straight game.
 
Southeastern will open Southland Conference play at Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 5 in Nacogdoches, Texas. The 6 p.m. contest will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.