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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, November 30
Oxford, Miss.
6:30 PM
Ole Miss
5-2,0-0SEC
75
vs
51
Rider
3-6,0-0MAAC
1
2
F
Rider
25
26
51
Ole Miss
31
44
75
Men’s Basketball Crashes Boards, Cruises Past Rider, 75-51
11/30/2021 | Men's Basketball
Box Score<i class="icon-paper"></i> Final Stats (PDF)<i class="icon-camera"></i> Photos<i class="icon-video"></i> Highlights<i class="icon-video"></i> Kermit Davis Postgame<i class="icon-video"></i> Nysier Brooks & Jarkel Joiner Postgame
Rebels Record 57 Team Rebounds, Most Since Nov. 27, 2007 vs. Troy (64)
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss used a tenacious effort on the glass and a second-half offensive spark to great effect in an energetic 75-51 victory over Rider at SJB Pavilion on Tuesday night.
The Rebels (5-2) were dominant on the boards from the jump, recording 57 team rebounds and a massive 21-rebound gulf over the Broncs (3-6) – the most rebounds by an Ole Miss team since Nov. 27, 2007 vs. Troy (64) and the widest rebounding margin by a Rebel team since Dec. 22, 2020 vs. UT Martin (+24). The defenses shined in the first half, with both squads shooting a combined 22-of-67 (.328). However, the Ole Miss offense kicked into high gear in the second half, using their advantage on the glass in tandem with six additional threes and a 45 percent overall effort in the back half toward victory.
"We talked about trying to be a dominant, physical team and play like an SEC team, and try to win possessions together," said Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis. "I thought we had some spots in the first half and we didn't end it the right way. I thought for about 10 or 12 minutes in the second half is as fast as we have played because we got stops and rebounded. I mean, 57 rebounds I think is the most rebounds since 2007. That allowed us to get in transition. I thought more guys played harder."
That impressive Ole Miss rebounding effort was led by a monster day from graduate transfer Nysier Brooks. The Philadelphia native notched 15 total rebounds on the night, tying his career high set as a senior at Miami last season and also registering as the most by a Rebel since Sebastian Saiz tallied 15 vs. Georgia Tech in the 2017 NIT (March 21, 2017). Over his last two games Brooks has nearly doubled his season rebounding total entering the Nov. 26 matchup vs. Mississippi Valley State, hauling in 25 rebounds as opposed to 29 total in his previous five outings. On the night, Brooks stuffed the stat sheet elsewhere with three points, three blocks and two assists. Of his 15 boards, five were on the offensive end, giving him 10 offensive rebounds in his last two games.
"We've definitely been focusing on rebounding," Brooks said. "Like I said my last time out, I've just really been trying to focus on things I'm great at and making sure I do those, even if the ball might not be going in the hole for me as frequently as I may like. I'm just trying to bring more of my defensive presence at protecting the rim, defending, rebounding."
Senior Tye Fagan had a career day rebounding the ball as well, tying his career-high with 10 boards to go along with nine points, four assists and a steal. Other Rebels contributing to the historic rebounding effort included Robert Allen (11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block) and Jaemyn Brakefield (eight points, eight rebounds).
On the offensive end, it was an energy-inducing turn from senior and Oxford native Jarkel Joiner that turned the second half into a rout for the Rebels. Joiner hit three straight from beyond the arc from 9:08 to 7:38 to spark the Ole Miss bench, helping produce an eventual 15-0 run in the closing minutes of the game to give the Rebels some distance. Joiner ended with 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting from deep to go along with three assists, two boards and a steal. For Joiner, this is his seventh straight double-digit game in as many tries to open the 2021-22 season, as well as his 11th in a row and 13th in his last 14 games dating back to last season.
Matthew Murrell had an excellent day of his own, racking up a career-high 14 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and a couple thunderous dunks on the fastbreak – including a crowd-pleasing windmill dunk off of a steal. Also scoring in double figures was Austin Crowley, who had 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal.
Up next for the Rebels comes a dramatic early season test at home, when No. 18 Memphis makes the short trip down I-55 for a marquee 11 a.m. tilt on ESPN2 this Saturday morning (Dec. 4).
"(Memphis is) a really hard-playing, well-coached team, obviously some pros on it for sure," Davis said. "We've got to get the Pavilion right on Saturday with Club Red and get this place jumping, and I think it will. I think it's almost sold out, it will be a great environment in here."
"The cliché is it's another game, but this game is not another game," Joiner said. "It's a big game for us."
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.
The Rebels (5-2) were dominant on the boards from the jump, recording 57 team rebounds and a massive 21-rebound gulf over the Broncs (3-6) – the most rebounds by an Ole Miss team since Nov. 27, 2007 vs. Troy (64) and the widest rebounding margin by a Rebel team since Dec. 22, 2020 vs. UT Martin (+24). The defenses shined in the first half, with both squads shooting a combined 22-of-67 (.328). However, the Ole Miss offense kicked into high gear in the second half, using their advantage on the glass in tandem with six additional threes and a 45 percent overall effort in the back half toward victory.
"We talked about trying to be a dominant, physical team and play like an SEC team, and try to win possessions together," said Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis. "I thought we had some spots in the first half and we didn't end it the right way. I thought for about 10 or 12 minutes in the second half is as fast as we have played because we got stops and rebounded. I mean, 57 rebounds I think is the most rebounds since 2007. That allowed us to get in transition. I thought more guys played harder."
That impressive Ole Miss rebounding effort was led by a monster day from graduate transfer Nysier Brooks. The Philadelphia native notched 15 total rebounds on the night, tying his career high set as a senior at Miami last season and also registering as the most by a Rebel since Sebastian Saiz tallied 15 vs. Georgia Tech in the 2017 NIT (March 21, 2017). Over his last two games Brooks has nearly doubled his season rebounding total entering the Nov. 26 matchup vs. Mississippi Valley State, hauling in 25 rebounds as opposed to 29 total in his previous five outings. On the night, Brooks stuffed the stat sheet elsewhere with three points, three blocks and two assists. Of his 15 boards, five were on the offensive end, giving him 10 offensive rebounds in his last two games.
"We've definitely been focusing on rebounding," Brooks said. "Like I said my last time out, I've just really been trying to focus on things I'm great at and making sure I do those, even if the ball might not be going in the hole for me as frequently as I may like. I'm just trying to bring more of my defensive presence at protecting the rim, defending, rebounding."
Senior Tye Fagan had a career day rebounding the ball as well, tying his career-high with 10 boards to go along with nine points, four assists and a steal. Other Rebels contributing to the historic rebounding effort included Robert Allen (11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block) and Jaemyn Brakefield (eight points, eight rebounds).
On the offensive end, it was an energy-inducing turn from senior and Oxford native Jarkel Joiner that turned the second half into a rout for the Rebels. Joiner hit three straight from beyond the arc from 9:08 to 7:38 to spark the Ole Miss bench, helping produce an eventual 15-0 run in the closing minutes of the game to give the Rebels some distance. Joiner ended with 18 points on 4-of-9 shooting from deep to go along with three assists, two boards and a steal. For Joiner, this is his seventh straight double-digit game in as many tries to open the 2021-22 season, as well as his 11th in a row and 13th in his last 14 games dating back to last season.
Matthew Murrell had an excellent day of his own, racking up a career-high 14 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc and a couple thunderous dunks on the fastbreak – including a crowd-pleasing windmill dunk off of a steal. Also scoring in double figures was Austin Crowley, who had 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and one steal.
Up next for the Rebels comes a dramatic early season test at home, when No. 18 Memphis makes the short trip down I-55 for a marquee 11 a.m. tilt on ESPN2 this Saturday morning (Dec. 4).
"(Memphis is) a really hard-playing, well-coached team, obviously some pros on it for sure," Davis said. "We've got to get the Pavilion right on Saturday with Club Red and get this place jumping, and I think it will. I think it's almost sold out, it will be a great environment in here."
"The cliché is it's another game, but this game is not another game," Joiner said. "It's a big game for us."
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.
Team Stats
Rider
OM
FG%
.302
.394
3FG%
.154
.290
FT%
.688
.609
RB
36
57
TO
11
13
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
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