OXFORD - High-scoring guard Bianca Thomas leads the Ole Miss women's basketball game into a three-game stretch against some of the game's traditional powers beginning today.

Ole Miss and Old Dominion tip off at noon at ODU's Convocation Center.

After today's game, the Rebels (6-1) play at home against Ohio State next Sunday and at Texas on Dec. 16.

Thomas scored 29 points Wednesday in the Rebels 70-51 win at Arkansas-Little Rock. In the process she knocked down seven 3-pointers, the first player in school history to do that twice, just the third to hit seven 3-pointers once.

Thomas leads the SEC and ranks ninth in the nation in scoring at 23.6 points a game. A senior from Henderson, Tenn., Thomas has scored 1,006 points for her career.

The Rebels have gotten a lift as guard Kayla Melson has returned from injury. Melson had 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists against UALR.

Ole Miss is looking for its fourth straight win.

Old Dominion enters play this weekend sporting an 0-5 record after falling to Louisville 82-75 in its most recent game. The 0-5 start is the worst start in school history. The Lady Monarchs' record might be a bit misleading however, as four of their five opponents were either ranked or receiving votes at the time of the game.

Old Dominion has managed to keep only one of its five losses within double digits, and the Lady Monarchs are being outscored by their opponents by 20.0 points per game. Two of their five losses have come by 33 points.

MSU update: A long holiday break for the Mississippi State women (5-3) continues until Saturday, when the Lady Bulldogs visit Louisiana Tech. MSU beat Southern Miss 85-52 on Wednesday to snap a three-game losing streak. At Tech, the team will be seeking its first win away from home this season.