Ole Miss Drops Hard Fought Battle to No. 6 Kentucky 80-76

OXFORD, Miss. – On Senior Night, in front of a sold out crowd at The Pavilion, Terence Davis delivered a memorable performance with 25 points and 12 rebounds. However, it was not enough against No. 6 Kentucky, one of most well-balanced teams in the nation. The Ole Miss men's basketball team took a one-point lead into the halftime locker room, but the Wildcats (25-5, 14-3 SEC) prevailed 80-76 in a battle of SEC heavyweights.

Terence Davis and Breein Tyree, the highest scoring duo in SEC play, accounted for 46 of the Rebels' 76 points. After Davis' game-high 25 on 8 of 15 shooting, Tyree added 21 points to go along with a team-high four assists. Bruce Stevens put together a solid senior night with 11 points and seven rebounds in a season-high 33 minutes. Sophomore guard Devontae Shuler added 10 points and six boards. As a team, the Rebels (19-11, 9-8 SEC) continued their trend of making free throws. The SEC's best free throw shooting team went 20 of 22 throughout the night for a 90.9 percent clip.

Kentucky shot 55.4 percent (31 of 56) from the field behind a pair of 20-point games by Keldon Johnson and Tyler Herro. Johnson tallied 22 points and seven rebounds, while Hero recorded 20 points with three steals. PJ Washington, the Wildcats' leading scorer, was held scoreless in the first half after picking up foul trouble. He finished with a big second half, netting 13 points.

On Senior Night, Terence Davis brought the energy right from the tip. The senior guard made his first three buckets off the ballgame, including a pair of threes to allow Ole Miss to double the Wildcats early, 12-6. Davis scored 11 of the Rebels' first 21 points to keep his team up four midway through the first half.

A four-point lead turned into a four-point deficit as Kentucky went on an 8-0 run. The Wildcats increased the margin to eight, 33-25, forcing head coach Kermit Davis to call timeout. Coming out of the break, the Rebels responded with a Stevens bucket from the block. UK went down the floor, but Tyree stole the ball and raced back the other way for a high-flying slam. A Shuler three tied the game at 34-34 before Terence Davis took the ball coast-to-coast for a lay-in. The 11-2 run put Ole Miss up two with three minutes left in the opening half.

Shuler hit another three before the half ended, and the Rebels held a 39-38 lead at the break. Terence Davis tallied 15 first half points and pulled down six boards on 4 of 5 shooting, including a perfect 5 of 5 from the line. Ole Miss shot 50 percent (12 of 24), while Kentucky went 17 of 31 (54.8 percent) behind 27 combined points from Johnson (14) and Herro (13).

Both teams came out on fire to start the second half. Ole Miss made five in a row at one point, while Kentucky sank five of six shots. When the smoke cleared from the hot shooting, the Rebels maintained a three-point advantage, 53-50.

The Wildcats took the lead for good with 11:22 to go following a Washington jumper. The margin grew to as much as seven, but Ole Miss remained in the game behind the dynamic duo of Tyree and Terence Davis. The Rebels got within three with 22 seconds left, and after a pair of Herro free throws, Davis hit another three to make it a two-point game. However, Immanuel Quickley stepped to the stripe and connected on both foul shots to put the game out of reach.

Before heading to Nashville for the SEC Tournament, the Rebels will hit the road for a matchup with Missouri (March 9). Ole Miss won the first meeting of the season 75-65 in Oxford (Feb. 16). Tipoff from Columbia is set for 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network. The contest will have major seeding implications for the Rebels in the Music City.

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

The highest scoring duo in the SEC, Terence Davis and Breein Tyree, combined for 46 of the Rebels' 76 points; it was the fifth time both Rebels scored 20 points in the same game.
As the SEC's best free throw shooting team, Ole Miss made 20 of 22 (90.9 percent from the line); it was the fifth time the Rebels shot over 90 percent from the line this season.
With 25 points and 12 rebounds, Terence Davis recorded his fourth double-double of the season and 10th of his career; he has four of the Rebels' five double-doubles this season.
Breein Tyree recorded his 16th 20-point game of the season with 21 points.
Terence Davis produced his ninth 20-point game of the season, while passing Murphy Holloway (1,476 points) for 13th on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list; Davis has 1,485 points for his career.
Bruce Stevens scored in double figures for the third straight game (11 points).
Tonight's game was the fifth sellout of the season, the most for a single season in The Pavilion's history.
The Rebels set a new attendance record for average attendance in the history of The Pavilion (7,816).
Prior to tipoff, Ole Miss honored its three seniors: D.C. Davis, Terence Davis and Bruce Stevens; all three senior Rebels started the game.

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Team Stats

Terence Davis

Breein Tyree

Bruce Stevens

Devontae Shuler

Players Mentioned

D.C. Davis

Terence Davis

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

Players Mentioned

D.C. Davis

Terence Davis

Devontae Shuler

Bruce Stevens

Breein Tyree

The University of Mississippi Athletics