The Ole Miss Rebels defeated the Missouri Tigers 76-69 on Saturday, Jan. 10 in the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
The Rebels went into this game needing a conference win badly. They were winless in their first two against Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Tigers were a hot team going in and had an overall record of 12-3. They also sat undefeated in conference play prior to this matchup.
With the Rebels being in need of a momentum shift, head coach Chris Beard shook up the starting lineup for this match.
Beard replaced Storr in the starting five with Patton Pinkins for the second straight game, likely due to Storr’s recent lull in performance in previous games. However, leaving Storr on the bench for the beginning of this game may have lit a fire under him to perform to his highest level.
Storr was the player of the game and the leading scorer with 26 points. Eighteen came in the first half, which is the most first half points by any player this season for Ole Miss. Storr also tallied five rebounds, an assist and a steal.
This breakout night was the game that coach Beard had been looking for from Storr, and also the cohesive team win that has been in the works for a while now. Each game has shown bright spots of its own, but this matchup was the first where all the pieces clicked together.
Storr talked about coach Beard’s message to the team during the rough start to the season in a postgame interview.
“Obviously, we’ve been going through a tough job, but that’s just bringing us more together,” Storr said. “We (are) just fighting, every day we’re going to practice, working hard and we (are) just being more connected now. That’s the message, just stay connected.”
Points flew all over the board by multiple athletes. Dia also had a night of his own. He shot 13-of-24 for 21 points, five rebounds and an assist. Klafke, Kamardine and Augusto Cassiá also tallied seven points each.
This game served as a picture of what happens when the Rebels fully buy in to playing at their highest level, and when they all work together to get the job done.
After an early rough patch in conference play, this win over a tough Missouri team could put energy back into the Rebels for the rest of the season.
What’s next?
The Rebels will travel to Athens, Ga., to take on the No. 18 Georgia Bulldogs on Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. ESPNU will broadcast the game.
