The Ole Miss basketball team dropped its first game of the 2018 Canada Tour to a Canadian powerhouse in Carleton 81-63 Wednesday in Ottawa.
The Rebels are 2-1 with one game remaining in the tour. Ole Miss was led in scoring by senior guard Terrence Davis with 23 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. His teammates Breein Tyree scored 13 points while Blake Hinson added eight of his own going 3-for-3 shooting (2-for-2 from beyond the arc) also recording seven boards.
Coach Kermit Davis’ squad found themselves in foul trouble as three players fouled out taking the game to a free throw contest. Carleton made 25 of 37 from the charity stripe, while the Rebels went 10 of 17. Munis Tutu paced the Ravens with 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Eddie Ekiyor recorded 16 points off the bench, finding the majority of his scoring at the line (10 of 16).
Ole Miss got off to a fast start behind Davis. The senior knocked down his first three shots, including a pair from long range, to give the Rebels an early 10-6 advantage. However, a dry spell lasting 5:46 led to a 17-0 run for Carleton. Tyree ended the drought, scoring the Rebels’ last four points of the quarter. After 10 minutes of play, the home team controlled the game 26-14.
Carleton increased its lead in the second, limiting Ole Miss to three made field goals while continuing to get to the free throw line. Foul trouble became an issue as five Rebels recorded at least two personals in the first half. The Ravens went to the charity stripe 19 times, making 14 of them. Meanwhile, freshman KJ Buffen made the only two free throw attempts for Ole Miss in the first half. Although the Rebels held the Ravens to 29.4 percent shooting (5 of 17) in the quarter, Carleton got to the line to outscore Ole Miss 19-9 and take a 45-23 lead into the locker room.
Despite the large deficit, Ole Miss fought hard throughout the entire second half and outscored Carleton in both quarters. The Rebels tallied 23 points in the third to equal their first-half output. Bruce Stevens led the way with seven points as the Red and Blue shot 53.5 percent (8 of 15) from the field. Stevens, Davis and Hinson all knocked down threes to help Ole Miss make 50 percent from long range during the quarter.
After being down as many as 26 early in the second half, the Rebels trimmed the deficit down to 12 in the fourth quarter. Davis found his groove from beyond the arc, connecting on a trio of three-pointers throughout the final 10 minutes. Carleton only managed 15 points on 5 of 15 shooting, and the Rebels closed out on the long ball to prevent any of the five three-point attempts from finding the bottom of the net. However, time ran out for Ole Miss, and the Rebels suffered their first loss north of the border.
Ole Miss returns to the hardwood this evening as they take on the University of Ottawa.
hottytoddy.com staff report
