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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, February 20
Oxford, Miss.
5 PM
Ole Miss
12-9,7-7SEC
56
vs
66
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Mississippi State
12-11,6-8SEC
1
2
F
Mississippi St.
31
35
66
Ole Miss
25
31
56
Rebels’ Winning Streak Comes to an End
2/20/2021 | Men's Basketball
Box Score<i class="icon-paper"></i> Box Score (PDF)<i class="icon-video"></i> Highlights<i class="icon-camera"></i> Photo Gallery<i class="icon-video"></i> Kermit Davis Press Conference
Men’s Hoops Falls to Bulldogs
OXFORD, Miss. – After having to wait a little longer to see the court, the Ole Miss men's basketball team could not get back to the form that led to the SEC's longest active winning streak. The Rebels (12-9, 7-7 SEC) saw their four-game winning streak come to an end as Iverson Molinar and DJ Stewart Jr. led the Mississippi State Bulldogs to a 66-56 win at The Pavilion Saturday evening.
Ole Miss shot 38 percent (21 of 55) from the floor with a large chunk of production coming off the bench (28 points). KJ Buffen lead the way off the bench with 13 points and six rebounds. Jarkel Joiner added eight points, while Luis Rodriguez and Austin Crowley each had seven points apiece. The Bulldogs (12-11, 6-8 SEC) cooled off a red hot Devontae Shuler, as the Rebels' leading scorer was held to just four points on 1 of 15 shooting.
On the other end of the floor, MSU scored 36 points in the paint while shooting 51 percent and never trailing from the opening tip. Molinar's game-high 17 points led the way with Stewart close behind (16 points).
The Bulldogs had their way in the paint early on as they took a quick 12-4 lead going into the first media timeout. After a three point basket from Crowley, the Rebels went on a two-minute scoring drought as they trailed by eight with 11:54 to go in the first half. MSU was shooting 64 percent from the floor with 12 of 15 points coming from the paint at that point of the contest.
The offensive woes continued for the Rebels over the next three minutes as the Bulldogs held a 24-12 lead with 7:41 left in the half. The Bulldogs missed six of their next seven shots as Ole Miss cut the lead to 26-18 with 2:51 left in the half. The Rebels later found themselves down by five with under 30 seconds left, but three consecutive free throws from Molinar and a last second layup from Joiner gave the Bulldogs a 31-25 lead going into the locker room.
The Rebels shot 39 percent in the opening 20 minutes, going 9 of 23 from the floor but making 3 of 5 beyond the arc. Rodriguez and Crowley each had five points and went a combined 4-4 from the field. MSU held a 18-8 edge in the paint and 17-12 advantage on the glass in the first half..
The Bulldogs created multiple turnovers to go back up nine just minutes into the second half. After a one handed jam from Romello White, Molinar responded with five consecutive points, including a banked three-point basket at the shot clock buzzer to make it a double-digit lead again. The Bulldogs made five straight field goals en route to a 53-40 lead with 6:39 left to play. A three-pointer from Matthew Murrell cut the lead to single digits again with less than five minutes left to play, but MSU stayed in front the rest of the way to leave The Pavilion with a win.
The Rebels will look to sweep the season series with Missouri by heading to Columbia (Feb. 23). Ole Miss took down the then-No. 10 Tigers 80-59 earlier this month in The Pavilion (Feb. 10). Tipoff is slated 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 shot 38 percent (21 of 55) from the floor with a large chunk of production coming off the bench (28 points). KJ Buffen lead the way off the bench with 13 points and six rebounds. Jarkel Joiner added eight points, while Luis Rodriguez and Austin Crowley each had seven points apiece. The Bulldogs (12-11, 6-8 SEC) cooled off a red hot Devontae Shuler, as the Rebels' leading scorer was held to just four points on 1 of 15 shooting.
On the other end of the floor, MSU scored 36 points in the paint while shooting 51 percent and never trailing from the opening tip. Molinar's game-high 17 points led the way with Stewart close behind (16 points).
The Bulldogs had their way in the paint early on as they took a quick 12-4 lead going into the first media timeout. After a three point basket from Crowley, the Rebels went on a two-minute scoring drought as they trailed by eight with 11:54 to go in the first half. MSU was shooting 64 percent from the floor with 12 of 15 points coming from the paint at that point of the contest.
The offensive woes continued for the Rebels over the next three minutes as the Bulldogs held a 24-12 lead with 7:41 left in the half. The Bulldogs missed six of their next seven shots as Ole Miss cut the lead to 26-18 with 2:51 left in the half. The Rebels later found themselves down by five with under 30 seconds left, but three consecutive free throws from Molinar and a last second layup from Joiner gave the Bulldogs a 31-25 lead going into the locker room.
The Rebels shot 39 percent in the opening 20 minutes, going 9 of 23 from the floor but making 3 of 5 beyond the arc. Rodriguez and Crowley each had five points and went a combined 4-4 from the field. MSU held a 18-8 edge in the paint and 17-12 advantage on the glass in the first half..
The Bulldogs created multiple turnovers to go back up nine just minutes into the second half. After a one handed jam from Romello White, Molinar responded with five consecutive points, including a banked three-point basket at the shot clock buzzer to make it a double-digit lead again. The Bulldogs made five straight field goals en route to a 53-40 lead with 6:39 left to play. A three-pointer from Matthew Murrell cut the lead to single digits again with less than five minutes left to play, but MSU stayed in front the rest of the way to leave The Pavilion with a win.
The Rebels will look to sweep the season series with Missouri by heading to Columbia (Feb. 23). Ole Miss took down the then-No. 10 Tigers 80-59 earlier this month in The Pavilion (Feb. 10). Tipoff is slated 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 lost to MSU for just the fifth time in the last 16 rivalry matchups.
- The Rebels fell to 4-2 all-time against the Bulldogs in The Pavilion.
- Ole Miss saw its four-game winning streak (longest active in the SEC) snapped.
- The Rebel bench scored half (28) of the team's points.
- For the second straight game, KJ Buffen reached double figures; the junior forward came off the bench and scored 13 points to go along with team highs in rebounds (6) and assists (3).
- Austin Crowley added seven points off the bench, his most in a game since scoring 10 vs. LSU (Jan. 9).
- After missing the past three games due to a knee injury, Khadim Sy returned to action and scored three points over seven minutes.
Team Stats
MSU
OM
FG%
.510
.382
3FG%
.222
.263
FT%
.778
.818
RB
32
30
TO
14
14
STL
8
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's BasketballGuard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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