For the third consecutive game, the Ole Miss men’s basketball team, 19-10 (9-7), found itself in a one-possession game with under 20 seconds to play. And for the second game in a row, the Rebels lost on the final possession of the contest, falling 74-73 on the road to Arkansas, a team that sits at 15-14 (6-10).
Ole Miss was in control for much of the first half, trailing for just 1:27 in the first 20 minutes of action. It was an efficient half for both teams. Ole Miss shot 50 percent from the floor, and Arkansas saw 54 percent of its shots go down.
Despite holding a lead for the majority of the half, the Rebels would cling to a 35-34 advantage at halftime. Blake Hinson and Terence Davis paced the Rebels with 7 points apiece heading into the locker room. Daniel Gafford led the way for the Razorbacks with 11 first-half points.
The second half was back-and-forth with 19 lead changes and four ties in the last 20 minutes alone. Tyree’s lack of production in the first half faded away, with 17 of his 20 points coming after halftime. Mason Jones, on the other hand, knocked down 4 threes en route to 16 second-half points for Arkansas.
The Rebels had possession with 40 seconds to play and an opportunity to build on its 73-72 lead. Tyree, who missed the front ends of one-and-ones in the final minute of each of the last two games, lost his dribble, creating a scramble for the loose ball that resulted in a jump ball where Arkansas was awarded possession.
After the turnover, Arkansas’s Jalen Harris slashed to the rim and scored the game-winner with five seconds left on the clock.
“We guarded really well for a long period of time,” head coach Kermit Davis said. “(Dominik Olejniczak) made a good play to block it. Harris just kissed it high off the glass. Give him credit. He made a good shot.”
Following a Kermit Davis timeout, countered by a timeout from Arkansas, Ole Miss broke the huddle needing to go the length of the court to get a quality shot. Tyree inbounded the ball to Olejniczak, who then threw the ball away after a failed handoff attempt to Tyree, allowing Arkansas to bleed out the remainder of the clock.
“We’ve been running it for a long time, and that’s the first time I’ve ever had a guy in history not hand it to him,” Kermit Davis said. “It is what it is. I’ll take full responsibility for it.”
Tyree paced the Rebels with 20 points and 5 assists and was followed by a trio of Rebels — Terence Davis, Bruce Stevens and Devontae Shuler — who finished with 12 points. Terence Davis scored his 12 points coming off of the bench after D.C. Davis was slotted in the starting lineup. Arkansas’s Jones scored 22 points while Gafford chipped in 17 of his own.
The Rebels will suit up next on Tuesday night, when the Kentucky Wildcats, 24-5 (13-3), travel to Oxford. The contest will occur on Senior Night when Terence Davis, Bruce Stevens and D.C Davis will suit up in their final game in The Pavilion.
The Wildcats sit at No. 3 in the SEC and are coming off an emotional defeat in their matchup with Tennessee on Saturday.
