The Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team went into Starkville on Tuesday needing a win. Coming off of a brutal loss to Arkansas and not having senior guard Rasheed Brooks in the lineup, the Rebels were gasping for air.
The game did not start out well for the Rebels. The first half was slow and methodical, as both teams struggled to find the basket. Going into halftime, Ole Miss trailed by a score of 25-23.
The second half would be a different story. Both teams got hot at different moments, and it was the point guard play that changed the game.
Ole Miss took control of the game late in the second half, leading by nine points with just over three minutes left. Then, I.J. Ready took over. Ready finished with 20 points and hit a layup with one second left to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, it was the freshman Breein Tyree, who took over. Tyree scored the first eight points in overtime, which was ultimately too much for the Bulldogs to overcome. The freshman point guard finished with 24 points, going 9-15 from the field.
Sebastian Saiz recorded his eighth double-double of the year, notching 23 points and 10 rebounds. Terence Davis also got a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to continue his hot streak.
Ole Miss has now gotten back on the right track, winning five of their last seven games. Andy Kennedy needs to keep his team hot going into the SEC tournament; it seems the only way for the Rebels to make the big dance is to win the SEC championship.
The Rebels will now head back to Oxford to face the struggling Missouri Tigers today. Game time is set 2:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted by SEC Network.
By Cole Crenshaw, an intern for HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at tccrensh@go.olemiss.edu.
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