Men’s Hoops Stymies Vanderbilt Offense in 56-46 Victory

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss men's basketball team made sure seniors Devontae Shuler and Romello White ended their careers in The Pavilion on a victorious note Saturday night. Using the 1-3-1 defense to stop Scotty Pippen Jr. and the Vanderbilt Commodores, the Rebels (15-10, 10-8 SEC) led by as much as 25 and cruised to a 56-46 victory.

Jarkel Joiner scored a team-high 15 points to pace Ole Miss on the offensive end of the floor. White also reached double figures with 11 points, adding four rebounds as well as two blocks. Freshman Matthew Murrell tallied eight points, tying his most in an SEC game, to go along with four rebounds and two steals. Luis Rodriguez stuffed the box score with seven points, eight rebounds (team high) and three steals (team high).

Issac McBride led the Commodores (8-15, 3-13 SEC) with 16 points off the bench. Ole Miss limited Pippen, who scored a career-high 36 points at Cincinnati two nights ago, to just seven points. The No. 2 scorer in the SEC (21.4 ppg) recorded all of his points in the first 10 minutes of the game, and the Rebels held him scoreless the rest of the way.

Shuler got the Rebels started with a three, passing Ole Miss greats Marshall Henderson and Stefan Moody on the all-time scoring list with the shot. However, Vanderbilt countered and built an early 10-3 lead that included Shuler picking up his second foul just three minutes into the game. Despite the senior having to head to the bench, Ole Miss battled back. An old-fashioned three-point play by Rodriguez put the Rebels back in front. Capping a 9-0 run, Ole Miss increased its lead to four, 16-12.

Vanderbilt scored four straight to tie the game before the Rebels went on a 7-0 run while holding the Commodores scoreless for nearly four minutes. Kermit Davis' patented 1-3-1 zone defense did the trick, forcing Vanderbilt into shot clock violations and contested jumpers as the clock ticked down each possession. With one minute to go in the half, Joiner knocked down a mid-range jumper. Ole Miss got a stop on the other end, and Joiner drilled a step-back three at the buzzer to send the Rebels into the locker room up 34-22.

Eight different Rebels scored over the opening 20 minutes with Joiner's eight points leading the way. Ole Miss shot 50 percent (13 of 26) in the first half, while limiting the Commodores to their lowest first half output in an SEC game this season.

Starting the second half, Ole Miss came out with energy and intensity on both ends of the floor. Vanderbilt got a quick bucket to begin the half before the Rebels held the visitors scoreless for the next 9:32. During the Commodores' scoreless drought, Ole Miss went on a 15-0 run to take a 25-point lead, 49-24.

Vanderbilt fought back, but it was too little too late. The Rebels held on to another double-digit win, sending Shuler and White out with one final victory on Craddock Court.

Up next, Ole Miss heads to Nashville for the SEC Tournament. The Rebels will play a second round game on Thursday, March 11, but their seeding and opponent has yet to be determined. Ole Miss will find out those details out following the Tennessee-Florida game on Sunday (March 7).

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 finishes conference play with a 10-8 record and will be either the fifth or sixth seed for the SEC Tournament, depending on the result of tomorrow's Florida-Tennessee game.
The Rebels beat Vanderbilt for the ninth time in the past 12 meetings.
Ole Miss held the Commodores to 46 points, their lowest output in the series since Jan. 21, 1981 (Ole Miss won 46-44 in Oxford).
The Rebels improved to 11-0 this season when keeping opponents under 40 percent from the floor.
Ole Miss held an opponent to 50 points or less for the sixth time this season.
Prior to the game, Ole Miss honored seniors Devontae Shuler and Romello White.
Knocking down a three to start the game, Shuler tied Terence Davis for eighth in school history with 176 career threes; he also passed Marshall Henderson and Stefan Moody on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list with that bucket.
NBA Rebel Terence Davis was in attendance with the Toronto Raptors off due to the All-Star Break; the crowd of 2,017 gave Davis a standing ovation when he was welcomed back on the videoboard.

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Team Stats

Jarkel Joiner

Romello White

Matthew Murrell

Luis Rodriguez

Players Mentioned

Jarkel Joiner

Matthew Murrell

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Romello White

Players Mentioned

Jarkel Joiner

Matthew Murrell

Luis Rodriguez

Devontae Shuler

Romello White

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