No. 25 Ole Miss turned the page from a tough loss to top-ranked Auburn and mounted an impressive shooting performance versus No. 14 Kentucky to get back in the win column.
The Rebels (17-6, 6-4 SEC) logged a 98-84 victory over the Wildcats (15-7, 4-5 SEC), marking the most points Chris Beard’s team has scored since conference play began and the second-most all season. It was also the Rebels’ first win over a ranked Kentucky, which lacked guard Lamont Butler in the contest, since 2011.
Ole Miss had a 23-point advantage at halftime and began the second half on a heater, leading by as many as 27, but Kentucky flirted with a backdoor comeback. The Wildcats whittled the Rebels down to as few as 11 points, but big plays by the red and blue enabled the home team to hold on to a double-digit advantage and walk away on top.
Game Recap
Malik Dia opened the game with a blocked dunk to get the home crowd on its feet and Sean Pedulla got to the free-throw line courtesy of a foul drawn in transition. The veteran hit both free throws to get the Rebels on the scoreboard first. Ole Miss proceeded to score often.
Dre Davis had a three-point basket and a second-chance jumper, Dia was money from deep, and Matthew Murrel had a layup off of a turnover to mount an early 12-4 run.
Kentucky, led by big man Amari Williams, cut its deficit to five with 13:43 on the clock. But Ole Miss did not budge. The Rebels continued to force turnovers while simultaneously knocking down shots. A three-ball by Murrell put Ole Miss up by double-digits midway through the half.
Shots kept falling as the defense maintained a strong showing for a home team desperate to rid itself of the taste of defeat. With 5:09 remaining in the half, Ole Miss led 39-28 after a Koby Brea triple ate into the Rebels’ deficit.
Ole Miss, led by Murrell and Jaylen Murray, closed out on a 15-3 run to lead 54-31 at the intermission. The Rebels were tied with their conference counterpart in rebounding and did not turn the ball over in the first 20 minutes.
Both squads began the second half determined. Dia connected on a triple to give the Rebels a larger buffer. However, Kentucky scored on its first five possessions, and specifically worked the paint, to keep the scoreboard manageable. Efforts by the Wildcats to claw back into the contest were initially fruitless, despite rare misses. With 14:08 left in the game, Murrell splashed a three-pointer to give Ole Miss a 27-point advantage — its largest of the night.
Then, an untimely series of scoring droughts opened the door for a potential Wildcat comeback. Over the next six minutes, the Rebels were outscored 22-7 as Jaxson Robinson and Otega Oweh found a groove from deep. Kentucky had a new lease on life and had seemingly flipped the script with just under eight minutes left in the top-25 showdown.
Murray, with a dwindling shot clock and a defender in his face, hit arguably the most important shot of the night, spurring a 5-0 run to rebuild Ole Miss’ lead. Kentucky managed to cut the deficit to 11 once more, but was never able to get within single digits on the scoreboard.
In the last two minutes, Ole Miss was a solid 7-8 from the charity stripe, preventing the Wildcats from exploiting possible mathematic advantages. When the clock struck 0.00, Ole Miss led 98-84.
Top Performers
Beard told the media on Saturday that Murrell had been battling adversity with injuries. The fifth-year senior certainly did not show a hitch in his giddy-up as he posted a season-best 24 points, 18 of which came from behind the arc. Murray was the top facilitator, earning a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
Davis scored 17 points and hit a couple of clutch jumpers late in the shot clock to stave off a comeback. Dia notched 16 points, two blocks, and one steal, and showed flashes of dominance like he had versus Arkansas and Alabama earlier this year.
Williams was “Mr. Consistent” for the Wildcats on Tuesday. The center from England had a coveted triple-double consisting of 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Oweh led Kentucky in scoring with 24 points. Robinson had 18, five of which came from deep.
Deciding Factor
In a high-scoring affair where both teams made at least half of their shots, clean basketball was the key — and that played to Ole Miss’ advantage. The Rebels had just one turnover all night, while Kentucky had eight giveaways, which were converted to nine points on the other end.
Ole Miss’ 23-point lead at the half also made a difference. While the rebounding battle was even at the midway break, Kentucky ultimately hauled in eight more boards the rest of the way.
Nonetheless, the Rebels were mostly effective in keeping the Wildcats off the offensive glass. Ole Miss only allowed six offensive boards by Kentucky, the fewest the team had surrendered in five games.
Coach’s Comments
Beard credited quality passing for his team’s impressive 55% shooting performance. Ole Miss had 24 assists on 35 made baskets, a number that elevated Beard’s confidence in his group.
“It helps to make shots. The basket got big for us. I thought we just played the right way,” Beard said. “We were sharing the ball. Most of our baskets were assisted. As a coach, that’s something you’re always looking at.”
The Ole Miss frontman reminisced about the team’s recent loss to No. 1 Auburn. Beard acknowledged the Tigers’ strong counter to each comeback attempt by the Rebels on Saturday. He argued that the roles were reversed on Tuesday with his team being the one that had the requisite amount of rebuttals to stay alive.
“We talked the other day about Auburn making some timely plays in big moments. They seemed to have an answer every time. I think tonight, offensively, we had an answer,” Beard said.
“We executed against our zone. I think our guys did a pretty good job, for the most part, with staying aggressive. You know, we felt the weight on our shoulders. We all understand that defensively, things weren’t going our way, but I thought our offense did a good job.”
Next Up
Ole Miss will begin a road stint with a stop at LSU being the first on the docket. The game will tip off on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be aired on the SEC Network as well as participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
