Ole Miss dominates Ball State in NCAA Women’s Tournament opener

Published 8:29 pm Friday, March 21, 2025

WACO, Texas — No fuss. No muss. Just a dominant, businesslike win for Ole Miss in its NCAA Women’s Tournament opener.

The Rebels held Ball State to 30 percent shooting in the first half while building a double-digit lead, and rolled to an 83-65 victory in a first-round match-up on Friday.

Ole Miss (21-10) advanced to face No. 3 seed Baylor (28-7) in a second-round game Sunday in Waco. Baylor beat Grand Canyon 73-60 on Friday.

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It’s the third year in a row that Ole Miss has won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament.

Starr Jacobs and Kennedy Todd-Williams both had double-doubles, and 11 players scored a point for Ole Miss. Jacobs finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Todd-Williams had 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Madison Scott also reached double figures with 15 points.

Ally Becki had a game-high 19 points for Ball State (27-8), but the Cardinals started slow and never recovered. They were just 9-for-30 from the field in the first half as Ole Miss took a 37-23 lead at halftime. The margin swelled to as many as 29 points in the third quarter.