The Ole Miss men’s basketball team out-rebounded the SEC’s best rebounding team on their way to a big win on Saturday in Georgia. Ole Miss moves to 16-7 (6-4) after defeating a sloppy Georgia team 80-64 on the road. With the win, the Rebels finish the week 2-0 after having lost five of six, including four in a row, heading into the week.
The win in Athens marks the first time the Rebels have won in Stegeman Coliseum since January of 2012. Winning on the road is never easy, but the Rebels handled their business versus a Georgia squad who has now lost four in a row. While the win is not strikingly impressive, the fact that the Rebels had control on the road in an SEC clash speaks volumes about the team’s maturity.
After trailing by as much as eight early in the first half the Rebels found some separation courtesy of a couple big runs. The Rebels’ big three, Breein Tyree, Terence Davis, and Devontae Shuler, propelled Ole Miss to a 10-0 spurt en route to their first lead of the game at the score of 22-20.
Later in the half, freshman Blake Hinson knocked down back-to-back threes, starting an 11-0 run to take a 41-28 lead just before halftime. Ole Miss would take a 45-33 lead into the break, holding Georgia to just one bucket in the final seven minutes of the half.
The Rebels didn’t let up in the second half. Through the combination of key stops and a collective effort of attacking the glass, Ole Miss was able to cruise to a 16-point victory. Ole Miss won the rebounding battle 38-32 against a Georgia team that ranks 8th in the country in rebounds. After a couple games where Kermit Davis said the effort was lacking from the Ole Miss big men, Bruce Stevens and Dominik Olejniczak, it was Stevens who came down with nine boards, a team high for the Rebels.
“Bruce Stevens changes our team from a rebounding standpoint,” head coach Kermit Davis said after the game. “Bruce had 9 rebounds today and really made some big athletic plays for us.”
Tyree matched his career high with 31 points on 11-of-22 from the floor including converting on 3-of-8 from downtown. Tyree eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in the win and continues on his tear extending his streak to five games with 20 or more points, becoming the first Rebel since Stefan Moody to score 20 points in five straight games. (in 2016 Moody reached 14 games with 20 or more points).
“I was getting to the rim a lot today,” Tyree said. “I shot 22 shots, but I don’t think I was taking too many jump shots. I just had a great night scoring and I thank God for it.”
Blake Hinson dropped 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Most of his damage was done from beyond the arc going 3-for-5 from three. Terence Davis chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds and Devontae Shuler finished with eight points to go along with seven rebounds.
Next up for the Rebels is a road trip to Auburn on Wednesday where the Rebels will have an opportunity to add another marquee win to their resume. The Bruce Pearl-led Tigers have bounced in and out of the top 25 all season and currently stand at 16-7 (5-5) making the matchup all the more significant to make ground in the log-jammed SEC.
