Ole Miss drops second straight game in dangerous stretch, falling to Vandy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — While Ole Miss’ 77-72 road loss against Vanderbilt won’t eliminate any of the Rebels’ goals, they probably won’t be ranked next week.

That’s just the nature of college basketball this time of the year. In a league where some project as many as 12 or 13 teams being selected for the NCAA Tournament, Ole Miss should be safe there.

But they have to get back to winning and Ole Miss is now on a two-game losing streak after falling to Mississippi State at home last week.

It won’t get any easier, going to Auburn on Wednesday night.

The Commodores (18-9, 6-8 SEC) had four players in double-figures led by Chris Manon with 16 points. Ole Miss forward Malik Dia led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

Vanderbilt stormed out of the gates making four of their first seven three-point attempts. The Commodores would lead by as many as 19 in the first half, taking a 36-17 lead with 5:01 remaining.

Ole Miss would close the half on a 16-5 run, cutting the deficit to eight at the break. Sean Pedulla and Dia each scored 10 points over the first 20 minutes of action to lead the Rebels.

The Rebels would win the first four minutes of the second half, storming back to take a 47-46, lead with 16:08 to play. Ole Miss hit five of their first seven shots, including two triples from the guard tandem of Pedulla and Jaylen Murray.

Vanderbilt would extend the lead back to four before five straight points from Malik Dia to give Ole Miss a 64-62, lead with 7:12 to play.

The Commodores would push the lead back to five after a Chris Manon dunk made it 69-64, Vandy with 3:47 left in regulation, later pushing it to seven with 2:47 to play.

Ole Miss cut the deficit to five before Pedulla and Dia forced a Vanderbilt turnover in the backcourt with 1:39 to play. The Commodores would force a critical Rebel turnover, getting the ball back with 1:18 left.

Ole Miss forced another turnover followed by a Pedulla layup in transition, making it 73-70 Vanderbilt with 1:02 on the clock. Vanderbilt’s Tyler Nickel would convert a pair of free throws pushing the lead back to five to help close it out.

Ole Miss returns to the hardwood Wednesday in a matchup at No. 1 Auburn (24-2, 12-1 SEC). Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

Vanderbilt Commodores guard MJ Collins Jr. (2) and Ole Miss Rebels guard Dre Davis (14) fight for a rebound during the first half at Memorial Gymnasium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NOTABLES

• Malik Dia led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting. It marked his third 20-point game of the season and his 10th scoring in double-figures.

• Dia also led Ole Miss on the glass with seven rebounds.

• Sean Pedulla tallied his fourth 20-point game this season with 21 points on 50.0 percent shooting. It marked his 20th game this season scoring in double-figures.

• Jaylen Murray led Ole Miss in passing with five helpers. It marked his 12th game this season with five or more assists.

Information from Ole Miss Sports is included in this story.