On Thursday, Nov. 21, Ole Miss Men’s Basketball defeated the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles 100-68 in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion. 

Ole Miss’s last action came five days ago, against Colorado State, a 15-point home victory. Jaylen Murray was the leading scorer for the Rebels with 16 points.

Oral Roberts, who, in 2021, advanced to the Sweet Sixteen as a 15-seed, came into the game in need of a statement win. The Golden Eagles are only 2-3 this season and reeling after a 10-point loss to Belmont on Tuesday. 

The Rebels first six field goals came inside the paint. Forward Mikeal Brown-Jones had three of those physical finishes at the rim.

Ole Miss was also active on the defensive end. They forced eight turnovers in the first 12 minutes. Sean Pedulla and Murray both had steals which turned into points.

But the Golden Eagles stayed in the game, tying the game at 26 at one point. Golden Eagles forward Sam Alajiki made a pair of three-pointers, and guard Isaac McBride had a few nice drives. 

Pedulla got hot towards the end the half, burying three triples on as many attempts. 

The Rebels got to the free throw line significantly more than the Golden Eagles, attempting 15 free throws to the Golden Eagles’s two. 

At halftime, the score was 50-40 Ole Miss. Pedulla was the leading scorer for the Rebs with 13 points. 

The Rebels remained in control after the half. Jaemyn Brakefield threw down a lob from Murray; Pedulla penetrated and continued to score. By the second media timeout, the Rebels were up 71-51. 

Ole Miss never looked back. The final score was 100-68. Pedulla and Matthew Murrell scored 19 points apiece, and Pedulla added five steals.

Most notably for the Rebels, the assist margin was 26-8 in favor of Ole Miss, reflecting a solid team effort.

Ole Miss return to action on Thanksgiving against BYU. It will be streamed on Fox Sports 1 (FS1).