Ole Miss Wins Electric Rivalry Game vs. Mississippi State at Home
OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team is officially on a heater.
The Rebels defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 86-82 on Tuesday night in the Sandy and John Black Pavilion, and in the process extended Ole Miss' win streak at home to 12 games, the longest in SJB history.
It was a bare-knuckle brawl, as both teams did not make it easy on each other offensively. Ole Miss recorded six steals and forced nine turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play, giving them a chance to tie the game at 39 apiece going into halftime. Guard Matthew Murrell led the way for the Rebels in the first half with 11 points.
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Ole Miss got out to a 10-point lead early in the second half, and maintained control until the final minutes. Fortunately, Ole Miss battled hard behind a record-setting crowd and picked up its 18th win of the season. The Rebels forced 15 total turnovers versus Mississippi State, and scored 18 points off of those turnovers. Ole Miss' bench was also out in full force, as the Rebels' reserves totaled 26 points compared to State's 19.
Ole Miss was led in scoring by guard Jaylen Murray with 21 points, and he was joined in double digits by Murrell (20), TJ Caldwell (18), and Jaemyn Brakefield (10). Caldwell was a force off the bench, as the sophomore knocked down six of his eight field goal attempts.
As a team, the Rebels shot 51 percent from the field and 40 from three compared to percentages of 54 and 44 from Mississippi State, respectively.
The Rebels are now set to host the No. 16 Auburn Tigers in the SJB Pavilion on Saturday to get their February slate started. Auburn owns a 16-4 overall record entering its matchup versus the Rebels. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network.
