The second-round March Madness game between Ole Miss and Minnesota caught the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Questionable calls on Cotie McMahon and poor officiating that led to the former being fouled out of the game are among the issues mentioned by head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. But the aftermath of it is gradually escalating, with a Minnesota player’s recent admission and subsequent consequences even forcing the victim, McMahon, to come forward and defend the latter.

Golden Gophers guard Amaya Battle, in a recent press conference, admitted that she had faked her fall in the fourth quarter that led to McMahon’s fifth personal foul, forcing her to sit out the rest of the game. “I mean, she got a ton of buckets on me, on us. It was because she was like powering through. And I was like, ‘Alright, I’m just gonna try and fall and see what happens.’ And it worked out,” Battle said.

This admission left Battle in the crosshairs on social media, prompting McMahon to clear the air with a post. “Just wanted to say, by no means necessary, should Amaya Battle be getting attacked for what she said in her press,” McMahon wrote in a post. ‘She played the game. Basketball is full of tactics, strategy, and a little bit of acting🤣. She made a basketball play and hoped for the best. Leave her alone!!”

The moment unfolded in the fourth quarter of the game. The Rebels were comfortably ahead by five points, 59-54. McMahon, who had been in-and-out of the game due to foul struggles, drove the ball near the paint and scored a basket on Battle, who, in turn, collapsed on the ground while defending McMahon.

Subsequently, McMahon was called for an offensive foul, and the basket was not counted. The extremity of the touch was in question following the match. McPhee-McCuin clearly pointed it out in frustration during her post-game press conference.

“From my point of view, the last call was incorrect. We watched it 1500 times,” the Rebels’ head coach said. And as reality set in, McPhee-McCuin was correct. Battle’s confession made it clear that it was a false move that led to McMahon’s fifth foul of the game.

Without McMahon, Ole Miss struggled with scoring from the field and scored just twice in the final four minutes of the game. The comfortable lead they had for most of the fourth quarter went out the window. Sophie Hart and Amaya Battle dropped consecutive two-pointers in the final minute of the game to score a close 65-63 win over Ole Miss.

With this defeat, Cotie McMahon’s collegiate career also went up in smoke. Of course, it wasn’t the perfect goodbye that she would have wanted to give the Ole Miss nation. Yet, despite this heartbreaking moment, McMahon’s supportive message shows that she’s not looking to extend things off the court, and it perfectly redefined the meaning of sportsmanship.

Furthermore, the officiating issues coach Yo mentioned in the post-game press conference also need to be looked into by the NCAA, especially in a tournament like March Madness, where a single wrong call can result in a cruel elimination. But apart from the foul, Ole Miss also struggled with several technical issues on the court.

Cotie McMahon Pinpoints First Half Struggles for Defeat Against Minnesota

Winning in March Madness requires a total team effort. And in her post-game press conference, McMahon aligned with the same ideals when asked about her team’s loss to Minnesota in the dying minutes of the game.

“It’s just a tough pill to swallow just being in this position,” McMahon said. “I mean, after a game like this, all you can do is think about it. I mean, it was all in our hands. I feel like the first half, we just didn’t want it. We got ourselves in the position we put ourselves in, and it was unfortunate. But that’s just what it was. So, now we just have to take it on the chin and deal with it.”

Ole Miss trailed 29-32 at halftime, a deficit created by poor ball security and missed shots. The problem was compounded by star Cotie McMahon playing only limited minutes due to foul trouble, though Sira Thienou did provide a spark with 6 points in her absence.

Ole Miss appeared to seize control with a dominant 25-14 third quarter, but the momentum vanished as Minnesota answered with a 19-9 run in the fourth to close out the game. Despite McMahon’s efficient 15 points in just 21 minutes, the box score tells the full story: Minnesota simply outperformed the Rebels across the board.

The Golden Gophers scored more, rebounded more, and moved the ball much better. Although McMahon’s absence cast a spell over the Rebels’ camp, it was ultimately the performance that held back Cotie McMahon’s team.