MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Latasha Lattimore led a balanced offense with 15 points as Mississippi overpowered Gonzaga 81-66 on Friday.
Cotie McMahon scored 13 points and Sira Thienou had 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Mississippi, who will face the winner of the matchup between Minnesota and Green Bay on Sunday.
Denim DeShields added 11 points and four assists for the No. 5-seed Rebels (24-11), who were ranked 19th in the most recent AP poll
and are playing in their fifth straight NCAA Tournament.
Allie Turner led Gonzaga, champions of the West Coast Conference Tournament, with 27 points. Jaiden Haile had 11 points and eight rebounds and Lauren Whittaker added eight points and 13 rebounds.
After falling behind by as much as 13 in the first quarter, No. 12-seed Gonzaga (24-10) got a three-point play by Haile and a driving layup by Turner to cut the deficit to 25-19 midway through the second.
But Ole Miss responded with a 14-4 run that started with consecutive second-chance buckets by Lattimore in the low post. McMahon capped the run with a 3-pointer to send the Rebels into the locker room leading 39-23.
Gonzaga didn’t get on the board until Haile made a layup with 5:06 left in the first quarter, cutting the Ole Miss lead to 8-2. The Bulldogs missed their first seven field goal attempts and three of their first four shots were blocked. They finished the quarter 4 for 14 from the field and committed seven turnovers, including two shot clock violations forced by the Rebels’ swarming defense.
Gonzaga's offensive struggles were due in large part to Mississippi's lopsided size advantage. The Rebels had four starters and six rotation players standing 6-foot-1 or taller, compared to just three for Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs trailed 70–37 early in the fourth quarter but they closed out the game strong. Teryn Gardner hit three 3-pointers, while Turner added eight free throws and a three as Gonzaga cut the deficit to 10 points with 47 seconds left before Ole Miss closed it out.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
