Ole Miss entered tonight’s home matchup against Vanderbilt looking for consecutive wins for the first time since January, and in a close game against the top-25 Commodores they came up just short. The Rebels led by as much as twelve in the first half, but the Commodores were able to come back and force the game to overtime where they ultimately picked up the win.
The Rebels jumped out to an early lead with an 8-0 run over the first two minutes of the game. They would go on to control the game for most of the first half, taking a four-point lead into half time. The second half was a battle for points, with Vanderbilt outscoring Ole Miss 43-39 to send the game into overtime.
In OT the Commodores would secure a victory, outlasting the Rebels to win by a final of 89-86. The Rebels, unable to keep their offense going in the extra period, would shoot just 2 of 10 from the floor and 6 of 9 from the free throw line while allowing Vanderbilt to go 3-5 and 6-8, respectively.
Ole Miss was led offensively by freshman Patton Pinkins, who shot 50% from the field and made 9 of 10 free throw attempts to score 16 points. Ilias Kamardine and AJ Storr each contributed 14 points, off a combined 9 of 25 effort. Malik Dia, who fouled out late in the second half, picked up 11 points and went 4 for 5 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Eduardo Klafke was also a key contributor for the Rebels, going 3 for 4 from the floor contributing 9 points.
The Rebels were outrebounded by Vanderbilt 44-40. The leading rebounder for Ole Miss on the night was freshman Corey Chest, who grabbed eleven boards for the Rebels.
The difference in the game could be attributed to the unusually high number of Rebel turnovers, seventeen in all, that led to 29 points by the Commodores.
“And so really the difference in the game, you got to control what you can control. We can’t control some of these calls and things like that. No problem, nobody can,” said Rebel coach Chris Beard. “But tonight, 17 turnovers against an NCAA tournament team, that’s ultimately what cost us the game.”
The Rebels close out regular season play in the SJB Pavilion on Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Tipoff is set for 12 PM and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network. Remember to stay here for the latest on all things about your Ole Miss Rebels!
