Ole Miss Falls to Arkansas

Devontae Shuler shot 9-12 from the field en route to a 19-point outing, but the Arkansas Razorbacks had their way in the paint early and often as they knocked off Ole Miss (8-7, 3-5 SEC) 74-59 at Bud Walton Arena Wednesday evening.
 
The Rebels shot 44 percent (25-57) from the floor with 24 points coming from the paint. Jarkel Joiner and Luis Rodriguez joined Shuler in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Joiner became the fourth player on the Ole Miss roster to surpass 1,000 career points in the first half. Romello White led all players with eight rebounds.
 
Defensively, Ole Miss forced double digit turnovers (12) for the 15th time in 15 games, but the Razorbacks made up for it with a dominant effort in the paint and from the bench, scoring 34 points and out-rebounding Ole Miss 37-29. JD Notae made up 19 of 33 bench points for Arkansas, including a 14-point second half which secured the win down the stretch.
 
A minute and a half into the contest, Kermit Davis was forced to call timeout after communication issues gave way to a baseline dunk, giving the Razorbacks an early 5-2 lead. The Rebels responded with a few breakaway dunks from Rodriguez and Shuler and a transition layup gave his team a 7-0 run going into the game’s first media timeout up 9-5. Through five minutes of play, the Rebels forced four turnovers thanks to the 1-3-1 defense. 
 
The game would go back and forth nearing the mid-point of the first half before the Razorbacks went on a 9-0 run, attacking the rim and doubling up on defense. Arkansas held a 22-13 lead 10:09 left in the first half. Joiner and Sammy Hunter got Ole Miss back within five with 7:18left in the half on a few mid-range jumpers. The Razorbacks managed to create a little separation heading into the locker room due to a 2:05 scoring Rebel scoring drought and led 37-25.
 
Ole Miss shot 41 percent (11-27) from the floor in the first half offensively. Despite getting four steals, they were outdone in the paint (18-10) and on the glass (19-15). Shuler led the Rebels with tough points at the half on 3-4 shooting while Joiner and Rodriguez each added six points on 3-5 and 2-3 scoring respectively. White had a game high four rebounds. 
 
Shuler began the second half with a pair of pull-up jump shots, but Arkansas continued to find ways to the basket as they maintained a 12 point, 43-31 lead with 14:31 left in the half. A free throw from Jalen Tate gave the Razorbacks their largest lead of the game coming out of the media timeout. That played part in an 8-0 Arkansas run, giving them an 18-point lead with 11:49 left to play. At that point, Ole Miss was in the midst of a 3:40 scoring drought. It wouldn’t become much better the rest of the way, as the Razorbacks answered many Rebel attempts to get back in the game, coming away with the home win.
 
 
Up next, Ole Miss remains on the road by traveling to Georgia (Jan. 30). The Rebels and Bulldogs will meet for the second time in two weeks, and Ole Miss will look to avenge a loss from the first matchup. Tipoff from Athens, Georgia is set for 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports