Basketball
Rebels Pick Up 4th SEC Win at Home Against Alabama
Ole Miss took down the Alabama Crimson Tide 78-66 in the Pavilion on Tuesday night.
Ole Miss senior Deandre Burnett heated up from the start with a quick 5 points. He led the Rebels (11-9, 4-4 SEC) in scoring with 24 points on the night.
Alabama trailed early in the first half by 18-9 but went on a 15-0 run to take a 24-18 lead until Terrence Davis hit a free throw at the 4:47 mark to get the Rebels back on the board again.
“First off, our approach out of the gate was awesome,” Ole Miss Head Coach Andy Kennedy said. “Alabama settled in and was able to move the ball and make some shots.”
Ole Miss took a 41-31 advantage into the locker room at the half.
In the second half, Ole Miss continued to outplay Alabama on both sides of the floor, never letting the Tide regain the lead.
“After halftime, (Alabama) got out in the open floor again, and next thing you know, it’s a two- or three-possession game, and I think it might have gotten down to one, but we responded,” Kennedy said.
Two other Rebels finished the game in double-figure scoring as Davis and Markell Crawford both added 15 points each.
Kennedy singled Crawford out for one particularly dazzling play that energized the team and the home crowd. “Markell went 6 for 9 and made a huge play just off a scouting report,” Kennedy said. “He knew that guy was going to lift a 50/50 ball, and he makes a steal, goes down and gets that dunk to really infuse us [and get] that energy in the building back.”
Ole Miss shot 50 percent from the floor and held Alabama to 42 percent in the game. The Crimson Tide did out-rebound the Rebels 36-35.
Ole Miss will step out of conference on Saturday as they travel to Austin and take on the Texas Longhorns.
Adam Brown is the Sports Editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.