The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
16-11,10-8SEC
LSU
17-8,11-6SEC
Big Night for Joiner Not Enough for Ole Miss against LSU
3/12/2021 | Men's Basketball
Rebels’ SEC Tournament Run Ends in Quarterfinals
NASHVILLE -- Despite Jarkel Joiner's torrid second-half shooting, Ole Miss could not get past LSU in a 76-73 loss in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday at Bridgestone Arena.
Despite the loss, the Rebels (16-11) have won eight of their last 11 games and are squarely in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth. Ole Miss will learn its fate on Sunday night's selection show.
With LSU (17-8) holding an 11-point lead, its largest of the game, early in the second half, Joiner caught fire and ignited a 22-6 Rebel run to give Ole Miss a 51-46 advantage with 11:17 left. Joiner was responsible for 16 of the Rebels' 22 points over that stretch, drilling four 3-pointers.
LSU responded with a 17-5 run to take a 65-58 edge at the 4:30 mark. A Devontae Shuler 3-pointer pulled Ole Miss within one point with 1:17 remaining, but Darius Days answered with a trey on the next Tiger possession to seal the win for LSU. It snaps a three-game winning streak for the Rebels.
Joiner poured in 21 points in the second half and finished with 26 for the game, his most as a Rebel. He is averaging 19.7 points over his last three outings.
It was also another big night for Romello White, who posted his fourth double-double in the Red and Blue with 20 points and 13 rebounds. He is scoring at a 15.2 clip over his last five outings.
Luis Rodriguez was the only other Rebel in double figures with 10 points along with six rebounds.
LSU took control early in the night, jumping out to a 20-13 edge at the 9:21 mark of the first half with eight points coming from Days. A quick 6-0 Ole Miss run narrowed the gap to one, and the Tigers led just 29-27 at the break.
Trendon Watford led four double-digit scorers for the third-seeded Tigers with 24 points. Days registered a double-double with 20 points and 12 boards, while Cameron Thomas added 18.
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TIP-INS
- The Rebels await their postseason fate with a 16-11 (10-8 SEC) record.
- Ole Miss suffered just its third loss in the past 11 games.
- Jarkel Joiner scored a season-high 26 points, his fourth 20-point game of the season.
- Entering the game with 16 three-pointers on the season, Joiner made five three-pointers, matching his career high and making that many for the first time since Dec. 20, 2017 (vs. Delaware while at CSU Bakersfield).
- Romello White had 20 points and 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season and 20th of his career.
- White had three blocks for the second straight game.
- With his first bucket of the game, Devontae Shuler passed Cob Jarvis (1,313 points) to move into the top 20 of the Ole Miss scoring list; Shuler now has 1,319 for his career.
- Shuler recorded three steals, his fifth game with at least three steals this season.
