Rebels Can’t Cool Down Red Hot Crimson Tide

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss men's basketball team ran into a hot shooting Alabama team Saturday night in The Pavilion. Kira Lewis Jr., John Petty Jr., and Jaden Shackelford combined for 56 points, including 10 of 16 shooting from three, to lead the visitors past the Rebels (13-14, 4-10 SEC) 103-78 and move the Crimson Tide (15-12, 7-7 SEC) to .500 in conference play on the season.

Breein Tyree, the SEC's leading scorer in conference play, continued his reign with 28 points before fouling out at the 8:50 mark. Tyree shot 66.7 percent (8 of 12) from the field and was 12 of 12 from the charity stripe. He was followed by Devontae Shuler, who tallied up 21 points and shot 50 percent (3 of 6) from three. Blake Hinson added 11, while Khadim Sy pulled down a career-high eight rebounds to go along with seven points. As a team, the Rebels played well offensively with a 54.2 field goal percentage (26 of 48).

Overall, Alabama shot 56.1 percent (37 of 66) throughout the contest. The Rebels fell victim to the long ball as the Crimson Tide made 13 of 29 (44.8 percent) from behind the arc. Alabama made 16 of 28 (57.1 percent) from the line, while pulling down 13 offensive rebounds that led to 10 points.

The Rebels jumped out to a 9-2 lead by making their first three shots, but Alabama responded with a 12-0 run. The Crimson Tide grew the margin to as big as 15 thanks to six three-pointers, and Ole Miss went into the locker room down 45-31.

Both teams shot the ball well in the opening half. Alabama was 18 of 33 (54.5 percent) from the floor, which included a 40.0 percent (6 of 15) clip from long range. Meanwhile, Ole Miss made half of it shots (12 of 24), but only hit 1 of 8 from beyond the arc. Tyree's 14 first half points led all scorers.

Alabama increased the lead in the second half as fouls piled up quickly for both teams. Whistles led to technical fouls by Tyree and head coach Kermit Davis. The technical on Davis was his second of the game to lead to just the third ejection of his 792-game career. The whistles continued, and Tyree picked up his fifth foul of the game with 8:50 to go, ending the senior's night with 28 points. The Crimson Tide continues to find the bottom of the net from long range and in the paint, leaving with its first victory in Oxford since 2008.

After the home contest, the Rebels return to the road for the third time in four games. Ole Miss continues its stretch of battling teams from the state of Alabama, heading to Auburn to face the Tigers for the second time this season (Feb. 25). Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Auburn escaped with an 83-82 double overtime win in Oxford last month (Jan. 28).

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 suffered its first loss over the past seven games against Alabama in Oxford.
With 28 points, Breein Tyree recorded his 15th 20-point game of the season and 37th of his career; Tyree led all scorers and fouled out with 8:50 to go.
Devontae Shuler scored 21 points for his sixth career 20-point game, the fifth this season.
Khadim Sy pulled down a career-high eight rebounds.
A total of 49 fouls were called between the two teams, the most in an SEC game that Ole Miss has played in this season.

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Team Stats

Breein Tyree

Devontae Shuler

Blake Hinson

Khadim Sy

Players Mentioned

Blake Hinson

Devontae Shuler

Khadim Sy

Breein Tyree

Players Mentioned

Blake Hinson

Devontae Shuler

Khadim Sy

Breein Tyree

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