Men's Basketball's Winning Streak Ends at Hands of LSU

OXFORD, Miss. – Playing its first game as a ranked team in The Pavilion, in front of a sellout crowd, the No. 18 Ole Miss men's basketball team saw its 10-game winning streak come to an end. Breaking a 31-31 tie at the half, LSU handed the Rebels (13-3, 3-1 SEC) their first loss in conference play 83-69.

Senior guard Terence Davis posted his second double-double over the past three games with team highs in points (21) and rebounds (10). KJ Buffen added 13 points, five rebounds and a career-high three steals. The freshman forward was a perfect 5 of 5 from the floor in 19 minutes off the bench. Also reaching double figures was Breein Tyree, who scored all 12 of his points in the first half.

As a team, Ole Miss shot 40.6 percent (26 of 64) from the field. However, the Rebels uncharacteristically struggled from beyond the arc (8 of 28) and at the free throw line (9 of 17). Ole Miss entered the game leading the SEC in free throw shooting, while ranking second in the conference in field goal percentage.

LSU (13-3, 3-0 SEC) remained as one of three unbeatens in SEC play, led by huge nights from Tremont Waters (20 points, nine assists) and Kavell Bigby-Williams (14 points, 10 rebounds). The Tigers shot 47.4 percent from the floor (27 of 57) and beyond the arc (9 of 19), while recording 10 steals as part of forcing 16 Ole Miss turnovers.

With the help of the loud home crowd, the Ole Miss defense locked down and forced the Tigers to miss their first five shots. Both teams were ice cold to start before Tyree hit a pair of threes followed by a Shuler triple on three straight possessions. The Rebels held LSU without a field goal for more than four minutes, and a thunderous dunk by Tyree pushed Ole Miss out to a 20-14 advantage.

The Rebels held a four-point lead before a pair of free throws and a Waters three gave LSU its first lead since early in the ballgame. However, both teams went into the locker room tied at 31-31. Tyree's 12 points paced Ole Miss in the opening stanza, but the Rebels shot only 36.4 percent (12 of 33) from the floor. LSU didn't fare any better, going 10 of 28 (35.7 percent) in the first half.

The visitors used a 13-2 run early in the second half to take a 48-39 lead and force head coach Kermit Davis to call timeout. LSU ballooned its lead to 12, 62-50 before the Rebels made a late run.

Terence Davis sank a three to start the spurt. Buffen added a steal at the top of the 1-3-1 zone and finished at the rim. After two LSU buckets, Davis hit another three to slice the 12-point lead in half, 66-60, with 5:12 to go. Despite the late charge, the Tigers held their ground. LSU made free throws and stops down the stretch, while shooting 58.6 percent (17 of 29) in the second half, to come away with the upset victory.

Following Tuesday night's matchup, the Rebels remain at home for another conference contest Saturday (Jan. 19). Ole Miss welcomes Arkansas to Oxford for the first of two games against the Razorbacks this season. The noon tipoff will also air on SEC Network. Like all Ole Miss men's basketball games, you can catch all of the action on the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network.

For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.

TIP-INS

Ole Miss saw its 10-game winning streak come to an end and suffered its first loss in SEC play; it was also the first loss in The Pavilion this season (8 games).
The Rebels played as a nationally ranked team for the first time in six years, which meant it was their first game in The Pavilion as a ranked team.
Tonight's game was the fifth sellout in the history of The Pavilion.
Terence Davis posted a double-double, his second in the last three games; Davis has both of the Rebels' double-doubles this season.
Scoring 21 points, Terence Davis (1,268 career points) moved to 24th on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list by passing B.L. "Country" Graham (1,259 points); it was also his 20th 20-point game of his career.
Ole Miss pulled down a season-high 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 21 second chance points.
KJ Buffen scored 13 points on a perfect 5 of 5 from the floor, the first Rebel to go perfect from the floor (minimum of five shots) since Marcanvis Hymon went 6 of 6 at Middle Tennessee last season (Dec. 9, 2017).

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Team Stats

Terence Davis

KJ Buffen

Breein Tyree

Dominik Olejniczak

Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Terence Davis

Marcanvis Hymon

Breein Tyree

Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Terence Davis

Marcanvis Hymon

Breein Tyree

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