In a thrilling battle that went down to the wire, Ole Miss (15-20, 4-14 SEC) suffered a heartbreaking defeat in overtime against the No. 3 seed Arkansas Razorbacks, with a final score of 93-90 in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
The tension peaked when Travis Perry attempted a three-pointer that could have tied the game after AJ Storr had given Ole Miss a brief lead at 93-92 with just 4.5 seconds left in overtime.
“This team didn’t quit,” Beard said. “Just so happy for these guys; they didn’t quit.”
Arkansas (25-8, 14-5 SEC) struck first, leading 4-2 within the first two minutes—a moment that marked Ole Miss’s first deficit of the tournament. The teams exchanged baskets before Arkansas established a stronger grip on the game, going up 10-7 by the 14:03 mark of the first half.
As time ticked away, Arkansas expanded their lead to ten points at 19-9 with just over thirteen minutes remaining. However, Ole Miss fought back valiantly. Storr led the Rebels with an impressive 24 points while Malik Dia contributed 16 points, Patton Pinkins added 15 points, and Ilias Kamardine chipped in another 13.
“We just kept fighting,” Beard noted. “These guys didn’t quit on themselves, team, or coaching staff.”
A pivotal moment arrived when Ole Miss launched a spirited 7-0 run to narrow Arkansas’s advantage to just four points at 23-19 with eight minutes left in the half. The Rebels continued to press on and managed to close in on Arkansas once more—back-to-back baskets from Storr made it a tight contest at 29-28 before Arkansas responded with six quick points to pull ahead again at 35-29.
But Ole Miss wasn’t done yet! They finished off the first half strong with a decisive 6-0 run that brought them within one point at halftime—37-36—in what was an electrifying end to an intense half where they held Arkansas scoreless for over two minutes.
On the opposing side, Meleek Thomas shone brightly for Arkansas, scoring an impressive 29 points alongside Darius Acuff’s notable contribution of 24 points.
Both teams emerged from halftime ready to fight as they exchanged scores relentlessly until they found themselves tied at 44 apiece about four minutes into play. Perry then sank a crucial three-pointer, giving Ole Miss their first lead of the second half at 47-44 with under sixteen minutes left on the clock.
Storr continued his stellar performance by tying things up again from the free throw line at 58-all around nine minutes into play. But then Arkansas surged ahead on a quick six-point streak that put them back up by six at 64-58.
The Razorbacks extended their lead further to ten points at one stage (70-60), but once again Ole Miss rallied back—thanks largely to Perry’s clutch shooting—that brought them closer with another three-pointer making it just a four-point game (70-66).
As time wound down, Perry delivered yet another spectacular shot from beyond the arc bringing it within striking distance again at just three points (78-75) as we neared one minute remaining.
In dramatic fashion, Storr managed to tie things up once more right before regulation ended—79-all—as both teams prepared for overtime.
Overtime saw high stakes as Arkansas initially took control leading by four (87–83). But Storr wasn’t finished; he hit another pivotal three-pointer bringing it back within one point (87–86). Unfortunately for Ole Miss fans, despite their best efforts—including an attempt by Perry—the Razorbacks sealed their victory late in overtime after adding two more points making it final at 93–90.
“Thank you to our fan base and administration,” Beard expressed sincerely after this valiant effort came to an end during this incredible SEC Tournament journey.
