Men’s Hoops Rallies, Falls Short to Georgia

OXFORD, Miss. – Valiant efforts from Devontae Shuler and Jarkel Joiner couldn't quite get the Ole Miss men's basketball team out of a 15-point second half hole as they fell short against Georgia 78-74 at The Pavilion Saturday. Trailing by 12 with four minutes remaining, the Rebels (6-6, 1-4 SEC) got it within one possession before the Bulldogs (8-5, 1-4 SEC) made their free throws to precent the complete comeback.

Shuler led all scorers with a season-high 24 points on 9 of 19 shooting and 4 of 8 from beyond the arc, adding eight assists as well. Joiner had his first 20-point game as a Rebel with 22 points on 9 of 17 shooting. KJ Buffen and Romello White each added eight points, while Buffen had a team-high six rebounds. As a team, Ole Miss shot 51 percent (31 of 61) from the floor. Starting out 1 of 15 from three, the Rebels made six in a row to help spark a rally.

Despite a dominant 33-24 edge on the glass, the Bulldogs shot 59 percent for the game, including a 75 percent mark (18 of 24) in the second half. Four Bulldogs had double figures with Tye Fagan leading the way scoring 19 points and going perfect on 9 of 9 shooting. After a first half defensive slugfest, the Bulldogs exploded for a 49-point second half and only missing six shots over the final 20 minutes.

The Rebels began the game with a dominant defensive effort, not allowing a Georgia basket until 15:28 in the first half, a three pointer. Thanks to a 6-0 run to start, Ole Miss had the early advantage. The Bulldogs got back into the game as they forced a four-minute scoring drought and made it a one-possession game nearing the midway point of the first half.

Ole Miss proceeded to go on multiple 6-0 runs to try and create separation, but Georgia fought their way back each time. A pair of free throws from P.J. Horne gave Georgia a 29-28 lead going into the locker room.

The Rebels shot 43 percent from the floor in the opening half and had a 21-14 edge on the Glass, including 10 offensive rebounds. Joiner led all scorers with eight points while shooting 4 of 7 from the floor. Georgia shot 39 percent in the first half with Wheeler and Camara leading the change with seven points apiece.

Coming out of the locker room, the Bulldogs exploded with a 7-0 run that was later snuffed by Shuler. With four and a half minutes into the second half, the Bulldogs opened up a 43-34 lead with a handful of transition baskets while on another 7-0 run going into the media timeout. Georgia continued to remain on fire, building their lead to as much as 15.

With 7:05 left, both teams got hot, connecting on nine consecutive baskets. Ole Miss cut the lead to six, but two consecutive three-pointers from Georgia made it a 12-point again with 4:25 left to play. The Rebels continued to fight, and Shuler's three-pointer sliced the deficit to three with 2:01 left. However, fouls called on the other end of the floor put Georgia at the line, and the Bulldogs made their free throws to secure an SEC road win.

Up next, the Rebels head to Starkville for a rivalry game against Mississippi State (Jan. 19). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on SEC 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 got a pair of 20-point games from Devontae Shuler (24) and Jarkel Joiner (22).
Shuler's 24 points were a season high and his fourth 20-point game of the season.
It was also Shuler's 10th career 20-point game.
Joiner produced his first 20-point game as a Rebel, besting his previous season high of 16 points (Dec. 22 vs. UT Martin).
Shuler (1,076) moved to 36th on the all-time scoring list, passing Jason Harrison (1,066) and Coolidge Ball (1,072).
Ole Miss forced at least 15 turnovers for the 11th time this season.
Georgia shot 75.0 percent in the second half (18 of 24).
After starting 1 of 15 from beyond the arc, Ole Miss made six three-pointers in a row during the second half.
The Rebels went with their most common starting lineup of the season (sixth time); however, it was first time using this starting lineup in SEC play. Ole Miss has had four different starting lineups over five conference games.

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Team Stats

Devontae Shuler

Jarkel Joiner

Romello White

KJ Buffen

Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Jarkel Joiner

Devontae Shuler

Romello White

Players Mentioned

KJ Buffen

Jarkel Joiner

Devontae Shuler

Romello White

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