Ole Miss Men’s Basketball hit the road to take on Mississippi State on Saturday, Jan. 17. In a wire-to-wire game that saw seven ties and 13 lead changes, the Rebels ultimately outlasted the Bulldogs in a crucial SEC matchup.
Rebel guard Patton Pinkins, who scored the game winner against No. 21 Georgia on Wednesday, Jan. 14, hit a floater with 19 seconds remaining to give Ole Miss a one-point lead.
Rebel guard Travis Perry then fouled Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard with 11.4 seconds to play; Hubbard, however, missed both free throws.
Rebel guard AJ Storr gathered the rebound and was fouled immediately. He missed on the front end of the one-and-one, but on the other end, Hubbard missed what would have been the go-ahead basket. Ole Miss grabbed the rebound to secure the win.
Neither team was efficient on offense; the game was a rock fight from start to finish.
As a team, Ole Miss shot 40.8% from the floor, a season-low 10% from three and 80% on free throws. Storr and guard Ilias Kamardine led the Rebels in scoring with 17 points each, followed by forward Malik Dia with eight.
Mississippi State shot 36.9% from the floor, 18.5% from three and 60.9% on free throws. Guard Jayden Epps led the Bulldogs with 14 points, followed by Hubbard and forward Jamarion Davis-Flemming with 13 points each.
Still, in what proved to be a gritty, defensive battle, Ole Miss refused to bow out, despite falling behind by as many as 11 points and trailing 30-27 at the half. Chris Beard’s unit displayed remarkable resiliency, especially considering the Rebels were playing in their second straight road matchup this week.
The Rebels are building momentum. This is their third straight win. Despite their rocky overall record of 11-7, they currently sit at No. 3 in the conference — ahead of ranked opponents such as No. 10 Vanderbilt and No. 18 Alabama.
The Bulldogs swept Ole Miss last season, so this should be a good morale boost for the Rebels. This also marks the first time Ole Miss has beaten the Bulldogs in Humphrey Coliseum since Jan. 19, 2022.
What’s next?
Ole Miss welcomes Auburn to the Sandy and John Black Pavilion on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. ESPNU will broadcast the game.
