OXFORD, Miss. - The ULM women's basketball team closed within six points of Ole Miss thanks to an 8-2 run to open the second half, but the Rebels answered back with a 19-6 run to take a 19-point lead and rolled to a 66-42 win in ULM's season opener Sunday afternoon at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.

"I thought there were some positives to be taken away from today," head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "Defensively to start the game, it was really good. I think we had six stops in a row early on and just looked really sharp defensively. I thought we also had some really good looks at the basket. We had some really great looks and the ball didn't go in. Then I thought we got a little anxious and caused us to not play as patient and took some quick shots, and that turned in to some easy baskets for them and a big momentum swing for them."

Both teams opened slowly, with Ole Miss picking up the first points of the game on a basket by Taylor Smith with 6:55 left in the first quarter. ULM closed within one at 6-5 on free throws by freshman Gara Beth Self, but the Rebels responded with an 8-0 run, and extended the lead to 10 at the end of the quarter, 17-7.

Offense was at a premium in the second quarter, as Self scored all five Warhawk points, including a 3-pointer, but Ole Miss finished the half with a three-point play by Iyanla Kitchens to extend the Rebel lead to 24-12 at halftime. ULM shot just 4-for-26 from the field in the first half, good for just over 15%.

"I thought we settled back in and battled back in in the second quarter," Williams said. "I'm proud of some of the things we did do well. Certainly you can always take positives and look at those on film and show the things that they did well, and there's a slew of things we need to get better."

The Warhawks opened the third quarter with a quick 8-2 burst. Maddi Gatte knocked down a pair of jumpers, while Diamond Brooks and Lauren Fitch also added buckets to get within six at 26-20. However, the Rebels answered with a 19-6 run to extend the lead to 19 at 45-26, and eventually led by 20 at the end of the third quarter, 48-28.

"Having this bunch fight back and getting a little fight and competitiveness out of them, it's in them," Williams said. "It was good to see them fight back. Basketball is such a game of runs. We all know that. That's what we're trying to explain to these guys. You really can't get too high or get too low. After Ole Miss made their run early in the third, we have to learn how to sustain and not get so discouraged and punch back again. We're finding ourselves. There are a lot of little things I think were very sloppy, certainly offensively."

In the fourth quarter, the Rebels pushed the lead out to as much as 25 before picking up the 66-42 win.

Self and Brooks led the Warhawks with 11 points apiece, while Gatte added 10. Brooks hauled in eight rebounds. The Warhawks warmed up from the floor in the second half, shooting 47% after the break to finish at 32% for the game.

For Self, a native of nearby New Albany, Mississippi, it was a chance to play in front of a large group of friends and family.

"She's a competitor," Williams said. "It's really great to see her have such a good day in front of her home crowd. She helped fill up the arena. We hoped that she'd have a good day. We knew that she would. This is also not far from home for Lauren Fitch and Amber Thompson. I'm so happy that they had some fans as well. Gara Beth, as a freshman, for her to be able to come into an SEC school in her home area and play with such poise and do some of things she did offensively, I think she's got a really special career ahead of her."

Ole Miss was paced by Deja Cage's 21 points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting. Kitchens added a double double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Rebels shot 49% from the field and outrebounded ULM 43-23.

The Warhawks continue the season-opening road trip at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Tennessee Tech. Links to live video, audio and stats are located on the women's basketball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.