The Ole Miss Men’s basketball team suffered another ranked loss to Mississippi State 81-71 at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 15.
Guard Jaylen ‘JuJu’ Murray led the way with 14 points, two rebounds and one assist. There were two main factors that contributed to the loss: Ole Miss got into foul trouble early, and they did not shoot efficiently. They shot just over 38% from the field and 25% from three.
First half
Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard started the game, making a three, but forward Malik Dia struck back with one of his own. Ole Miss started fast, gaining 10 points in the first three minutes, and shooting 71% from the field to start the game.
Ole Miss continued to make shots, but the Bulldogs began to heat up as well. They cut the Rebels’ lead to four. Halfway through the first half, Ole Miss held a slim five-point lead, but started to miss shots they had made earlier in the game.
The Rebels consistently got out rebounded for most of the first half. Mississippi State made two free throws to take the lead. The Bulldogs continued to expand their lead, and Ole Miss was struggling from the field late in the half.
The Rebels ended the half on a three minute and 32 second drought during which they didn’t make a bucket. They went into the half down by seven. They were out rebounded by 10 and had the same number of assists as the Bulldogs. Murray led the way at the half with nine points. Ole Miss made five shots in the first five minutes, but only six the rest of the half.
Second half
Ole Miss was the first team to the free throw line to begin the second half, with Dia making both of his shots. Mississippi State followed that up by making an easy layup. Pedulla drilled a three to close the lead to four. Pedulla and the rest of the team started to get into foul trouble. They had three team fouls two-and-a-half minutes into the second half.
John Bol checked into the game and provided much needed interior defense for the Rebels. Ole Miss continued to struggle from the field, shooting just above 44% and around 33% from three. The Bulldogs took advantage of the turnovers as well, extending their lead to 11 with 14:20 to go in the game.
Mississippi State’s lead stayed at the double digit mark with the Rebels unable to get anything going. Jaemyn Brakefield got called for a technical foul, allowing the Bulldogs’ lead to grow.
Who’s next?
Ole Miss heads to Nashville for the next game against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, Feb. 22. The game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. and SEC Network will stream the game.
