STARKVILLE – Coming off an overtime buzzer-beater by freshman Patton Pinkins to beat Georgia, head coach Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels came in to Humphrey Coliseum Saturday night looking to cement themselves as contenders for the NCAA Tournament.
After a disappointing November and December, Beard’s team was firmly out of the bracket and knew they needed some big wins in conference play to get themselves back in the conversation. With their third conference victory in a row against their in-state rival, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, they have firmly moved into contender status.
The Rebels did not open the game the way they wanted, shooting under 20 percent for much of the first half, but came out in the second half looking like a team that wanted to win. In the second half the Rebels shot over 50 percent from the field and fended off Mississippi State, fighting down to the final possession to pickup a much coveted conference road win.
While the Rebels were unable to get their offense going the way they would like, shooting just 2 of 20 from three, they were able to make clutch plays down the stretch in an extremely tight game.
Ilias Kamardine and AJ Storr led the team with 17 points each, with Malik Dia contributing 8 points and 11 rebounds. The Ole Miss defense was able to hold Bulldog star guard Joshua Hubbard to only 3-of-16 from the floor for 13 points.
While Rebels were out-rebounded, the total boards for each team were close with Mississippi State taking the battle by just three 46-43.
“We knew we needed to compete on the boards,” said Beard. “We didn’t out-rebound the opponent, but we were competitive enough to give us a chance to win the game.”
The Rebels return to action on Tuesday night at home in the SJB Pavilion looking for their fourth straight conference win against the Auburn Tigers at 8 p.m. on ESPNU
If they are able to keep going in their winning ways, this Ole Miss team has a proven grit that will enable them to potentially make a deep run in March. As always, stay here for the latest on all thing about your Ole Miss Rebels.
