Beating Long Island Not Problem for Rebels in 90-60 Win

OXFORD, Miss. — Senior guard Jaylen Murray led Ole Miss with 24 points as the Rebels won their first game of the 2024-25 season over Long Island by a score of 90-60. Ole Miss has now won ten-straight to start their schedule, including 20 of the last 21.

It was a defensive battle the first eight minutes of regulation as the two teams were knotted at 10 with 12:36 to play in the first half. Ole Miss found their groove offensively after the under 12 timeout, going on a quick 10-0 run over 4:03. Senior guard Sean Pedulla connected on a three pointer and Murray followed that with a layup off a Long Island turnover.

Senior guard Dre Davis got in on the action with a jumper inside the paint and Jaemyn Brakefield capped off the run with a three of his own.

Ole Miss would close the half up 17 with Murray leading the way with 18 points in the first 20 minutes. Brakefield added 10, including 5-of-6 at the charity stripe.

Defense led to offense as the Rebels forced nine turnovers in the first half generating six fastbreak points.

The offensive efficiency continued in the second half as Ole Miss shot 53.1 percent (17-for-32) from the floor, knocking down four triples.

Junior forward Malik Dia added seven second-half points on 40.0 percent shooting. The Rebels crashed the glass often grabbing nine offensive rebounds generating 12 second-chance points.

The defense remained stout as Ole Miss forced seven turnovers and blocked 10 shots in the second frame.

Murray led all scorers with 24 on 7-of-10 shooting. Brakefield led the Rebels with seven rebounds and Pedulla led all passers with five helpers.

All 13 Rebels that touched the floor recorded a basket as the team shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the field.

NOTABLES

• Jaylen Murray surpassed the 1,000 career-points milestone in the win over Long Island. The Bronx, N.Y. native led all scorers with 24 points including 18 in the first half.
Four Rebels scored in double-figure: Murray (24), Brakefield (12), Matthew Murrell (11), and Dre Davis (11).

• Ole Miss went to the line 32 times making 78.1 percent of their chances (25-for-32).
The Rebels finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points.
Eight new faces cracked the scoring column for Ole Miss accounting for 41 of the 90 points. The freshman duo of Eduardo Klafke and John Bol both scored their first collegiate baskets in the win.

• Ole Miss blocked 13 shots in the win, tied for the second-most in a game in school history, including 10 in the second half. Davon Barnes and Malik Dia led the way for Ole Miss with three each.

Ole Miss (1-0) returns to action this Friday in a matchup against Grambling State. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on SEC Network.