OXFORD — After Ole Miss women's basketball secured a victory over Florida, Rebels coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin arrived at her press conference with something to say.

The message didn't revolve around the game, which Ole Miss won 81-70 on Thursday night. Instead, it focused on what she saw − or, more accurately, didn't see − in the stands.

"It should have been packed up in here," McPhee-McCuin said in her opening statement. "How does a team that goes to the Sweet 16, that only has two (SEC) losses, not have an average of 5,000 people in the stands? How? You know what it is? It's the lack of value. And it needs to change. And I don't care who's upset about me saying this, because I'm going to speak the truth."

McPhee-McCuin asked the Oxford community to "catch up," citing increased enthusiasm for women's sports in other places.

As she spoke, a marquee women's basketball game between LSU and South Carolina was airing on ESPN. It was expected to draw 13,000 in Baton Rouge.

The Rebels reported an attendance of 2,450 against Florida. Against LSU, they drew 9,074 – many of them wearing Tiger purple. Over 7,000 attended their season opener against Queens, with local schools bussing students in for a matinee. Otherwise, the Rebels have not exceeded 3,000 fans for any of their home games this season.

She pointed toward the Rebels' recent road loss to Mississippi State. Over 7,000 fans filed into Humphrey Coliseum for that game.

"It’s disappointing when my team runs out here and (we) have won a whole lot and we don’t get the crowd support that we deserve," McPhee-McCuin said. "And some people will say, ‘Oh, she’s just complaining, she needs to shut up.’ Well, I’m not shutting up. I’m not shutting up. You know why? Because when I turn on the TV, when I look around, when we go to other places, women’s sports is a real thing. And so I’m going to be the voice for that here. Because our community needs to be better, man.”

She said she appreciated the loyal fans who do attend games, pausing to laugh and highlight a member of the sparse student section who showed up shirtless as part of a Jason Kelce impression.

McPhee-McCuin argued against what she described as a "false" and "half-assed" social media narrative surfacing after Ole Miss released its annual financial report, which showed the women's basketball program operated at a deficit exceeding $8 million.

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She said that "you can't put a dollar amount" on the publicity the Rebels generated with their run to the Sweet 16 last season, upsetting top-seeded Stanford along the way. That type of intrinsic value would not show up in the balance books.

"Someone tried to put out a narrative...as if all we do is we're a waste," McPhee-McCuin said. "We’re not a waste. That just pissed me off. And when I walk out and I see my fans, the fans come out, and we can’t get Club Red to come out, that pisses me off. Because why not come out and support us? Why not be a cool school for everybody? Turn on ESPN. There are people out there watching that game. So we’ve gotta catch up man. We’re behind. It’s disappointing."

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Coach Yo asks for more support for Ole Miss women's sports: 'We're behind'