Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. (11/10/2026) — Talaysia Cooper poured in 29 points and Ole Miss connected on 17 three-pointers as the Rebels rolled past the UAlbany Great Danes 95-41 Tuesday night at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion, delivering a dominant performance on both ends of the floor in front of 2,305 fans.
How It Happened
Ole Miss controlled this contest from the opening tip, never trailing or allowing the score to be tied. Cooper wasted no time establishing herself, drilling back-to-back three-pointers from beyond 24 feet in the first quarter — both set up by Jada Richard — to push the Rebels ahead 8-2. Jaida Civil then connected from 25 feet off a Knisha Godfrey feed, and Ole Miss closed the opening quarter with a 22-8 advantage on a Richard jumper assisted by Lauren Jacobs.
The second quarter is where any drama dissolved. The Rebels constructed a 17-0 run, pushing their lead from 22-8 out to 37-10 and removing any realistic path back for the Great Danes. Cooper kept firing — dropping in two more long-range shots in the frame — and Jacobs added a 24-foot triple off a Civil assist before Maya Anderson connected from deep to cap a 45-17 Rebel halftime lead.
Ole Miss carried the same energy into the second half. Cooper opened the third quarter with another three-pointer to make it 48-17, and Jacobs hit twice more from beyond the arc. Anderson joined the barrage, drilling three consecutive three-pointers in the period — including a 26-footer with 13 seconds left — to push the lead to 71-30 heading into the fourth. UAlbany briefly sparked when Lara Langermann knocked down a 25-footer to cut the margin to 53-23, but the Rebels answered on the very next possession with another Jacobs triple to quickly restore a 33-point gap.
Godfrey added a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, and the Rebels methodically closed out a 95-41 final.
Turning Point
The decisive sequence arrived in the second quarter when Ole Miss turned a manageable 22-8 lead into an insurmountable 37-10 advantage with a 17-0 run. During that stretch, Cooper connected on two more three-pointers and Jacobs added another, leaving UAlbany with nowhere to turn on the perimeter. The Great Danes finished the night shooting just 28 percent from the field and 13 percent from three, compounding their struggles with 27 turnovers — the combination of offensive inefficiency and ball-handling breakdowns made recovery impossible.
Star of the Game
Talaysia Cooper owned the night. The Rebels' guard finished with 29 points, repeatedly finding her range from beyond 22 feet across all three quarters she was most active. Richard proved a reliable catalyst for Cooper's big night, registering eight assists overall while consistently finding her teammate in rhythm on the perimeter. Cooper's performance keyed an Ole Miss offense that shot 45 percent from the field overall and finished with 26 assists against just nine turnovers.
What It Means
For Ole Miss, Tuesday's victory was a showcase of what the Rebels can do when their perimeter attack ignites. Seventeen made three-pointers at 41 percent, a 46-38 rebounding advantage, and a 27-9 turnover differential all in the same game represents a complete performance. Jaida Civil added 13 points and seven rebounds while Richard contributed 11 points and eight assists, giving the Rebels multiple contributors beyond Cooper. Lauren Jacobs chipped in 10 points on three-pointers.
For UAlbany, it was a tough road outing against a Power Four opponent. Madison Roman led the Great Danes with 12 points and four rebounds, and Daria Shishkina contributed 10 points and five rebounds, but the team fell short in every major statistical category on a difficult night away from home.
