OTTINGHAM — It might be time to pay attention to what Oxford, Mississippi, head coach Chris Beard is creating. Behind a stellar performance by guard Jaylen Murray, the Ole Miss Rebels (7-0) defeated the Memphis Tigers 80-77 on Saturday afternoon at the SJB Pavilion.
The final seven Ole Miss points from the field sealed the victory for the junior Rebels player, who finished with 22 points overall.
Matthew Murrell, who had an incredible 6-of-7 three-point shooting effort, joined Murray in double ten scoring totals. Oxford, Mississippi, USA; December 2, 2023; Guard Jaylen Murray, five, of the Mississippi Rebels reacts after making a three-pointer against the Memphis Tigers in the first half at Ole Miss’s The Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports © Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports is required credit. At the half, Ole Miss was behind Memphis 37–30, but it battled back to outscore the Tigers 50–40.
The second half was mostly a back-and-forth game, but Ole Miss took a two-point lead with a Murray basket with 18 seconds left. After being fouled on the opposite end of the court, Ole Miss’ Jaemyn Brakefield was able to make one of his two free throws. The Rebels were able to secure the victory as time ran out by obtaining a stop when it counted most.
Ole Miss made a season-high 11 of 22 free throws from outside the arc as a team. Memphis shot 42.5 percent from the field, while the Rebels shot 45.3 percent. Despite their poor three-point shooting percentage (16.7%), the Tigers outrebounded the Rebels 42–39, including 16 offensive rebounds. Ole Miss will continue to play without a loss through the end of the week when it hosts the Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers in its next game.
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