The Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team kicked off the season with a 88-58 win against Southeastern Louisiana on Monday, Nov. 3 in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
First half
The Rebels started the half off slow but gained momentum toward its end. Forward James Scott kicked off the scoring for the Rebels three minutes in with a put-back.
The team trailed for the first 10 minutes. Forward Malik Dia gave the Rebels their first lead with a fastbreak layup off a steal. With this basket, he also joined the 1,000-Point Club.
“I think (Kezza Giffa) came in and helped us out, gave us some energy off the bench,” guard AJ Storr said in his postgame press conference. “It started on the defensive end, we got in transition and made a couple threes.”
By halftime, the Rebels were up 45-29. Dia led the Rebels with 10 points. Storr led the team in assists with three, and Scott led the Rebels in rebounds with seven.
“We are going to try to play more people, but tonight we came into game one with a 10-man rotation,” head coach Chris Beard said in his postgame press conference. “I thought we had some stretches in that first half when we separated because it looked like (we were) a little bit more fresh (than) the opponent.”
Second half
The Rebels continued to play fast. The team shot with more confidence; Storr buried threes on back-to-back possessions and guard Ilias Kamardine scored several mid-range jump shots. The defense packed the paint and remained aggressive. Scott finished with three blocks.
By the 10-minute mark, the Rebels were up by 25, and the Lions never caught up. The same three Rebel stat leaders from the first half continued to set the pace. Dia led the team with 20 points, Storr led the Rebels with four assists and Scott led with nine rebounds.
The Rebels pulled through with a 30-point victory over the Lions.
Beard emphasized the possibility of depth being crucial for the Rebels this season.
“I do think that depth can be one of the identities of this year’s team,” Beard said. “We will have to make sure we all understand the unselfishness involved with that and how hard we have to play.”
What’s next?
The Rebels will take on the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks on Friday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the pavilion.
