Ole Miss Takes Down UT Martin 90-43

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Ole Miss rolled past the UT Martin Skyhawks 90-43 in the last game before Christmas on Tuesday.

Ole Miss’ (5-1) defense held the Skyhawks to shoot 30 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc.

“I was really proud of our team today,” head coach Kermit Davis said. “Everybody worries about the game before you take off on a break – coaches do. Coming off of a tough trip in a really disappointing loss at Dayton, I thought our team handled it really maturely … I thought the ball moved and we played in transition. We get out in transition and our team is at its best.”

Ole Miss shot a season-high 59 percent (35 of 59) from the floor while forcing 20 turnovers and 26 points coming off of them. They had a season-high with nine players making threes and shot 41 percent (9 of 22) from beyond the arc.

The Rebels were led on the court by KJ Buffen and Jarkell Joiner who each scored 16 points. Matthew Murrell had a career-high 13 points and Austin Crowley added 11 points. Luis Rodriguez had nine boards and five points.

Ole Miss has played six games in the course of 12 days and played it the right way for 40 minutes, according to Davis.

“The guys brought great energy even when the score got what it was,” Davis said. “Eight teams in the SEC haven’t played a road game yet. We are the only team that has played two. I hope that will help us going into Alabama. It will be a good three days for them.”

The Skyhawks were dominated on the glass 45-21 and outdone 40-14 in the paint, shooting 30 percent as a team against a tough Rebel defense. The Ole Miss bench outscored UT Martin, 47-43. From the opening tip, the Rebels played one of their best games of the 2020-2021 season.

Ole Miss returns to the court on Dec. 29 as they open up conference play at Alabama. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on the SEC Network.