Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Narrowly Falls at Missouri 82-77

All five starters scored in double figures but a tight second half didn’t fall their way as the Ole Miss men’s basketball team dropped an 82-77 game at Missouri on Saturday, March 4 at Mizzou Arena to close out the regular season.

Despite the home team striking first, the Rebels (11-20, 3-15 SEC) took an early five-point lead after a bucket from Jaemyn Brakefield made it 14-9 with just over 14 minutes on the clock. While a rally from the Tigers (23-8, 11-7 SEC) sent them in front by as much as 11, Ole Miss was able to cut into the deficit and enter the locker rooms at half down 41-36.

A pair of early threes from Robert Allen and two scores from James White were punctuated with a steal and transition dunk by Myles Burns to put the Rebels on top 48-45. Coming out of the eight-minute media timeout, White added two more to his eventual career-high to give Ole Miss a 67-63 advantage with just over six minutes left. The Rebels would lead once more with minutes left on the clock following a three from Brakefield, the 10^th lead change of the second half and 18^thof the game, before the Tigers pulled out the five-point win.

Each starter for Ole Miss scored in double figures for the first time since December 2020, led by 18 from Brakefield, highlighted by a 7-7 performance from the free throw line. Burns recorded his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds, tying his season-best with four assists while collecting three steals. Burns now has 71 steals on the season, giving him the third-most in a season in Ole Miss history.

White chipped in a career-best 14 points, while Matthew Murrell added 12 and Allen scored 10.

Missouri was paced offensively by Kobe Brown and Noah Carter who each scored 17.

The Rebels now turn their attention to the SEC Tournament, which will begin in Nashville, Tenn. on Wednesday, March 8. Ole Miss will enter as the No. 13 seed and face the No. 12 seed South Carolina at 6 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena and on the SEC Network.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports