Offensive Struggles Hinder Rebels in 64-55 loss to Arkansas
OXFORD, Miss. — Although they were coming off a powerful win over the Florida Gators, the Ole Miss men’s basketball team faced Arkansas at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion tonight and could not get into a groove, ultimately falling to the Razorbacks, 64-55.
In addition to points scored, Arkansas also surpassed Ole Miss in rebounds and assists tonight. The Razorbacks were paced by JD Notae, who led all scorers with 25 points and notched five assists. The Rebels just couldn’t make any shots against a very physical Arkansas team.
At halftime, Ole Miss (10-10, 2-6 SEC) trailed the Razorbacks, 30-23.
Sophomore Matthew Murrell led the Rebels with 14 points, and the team finished perfect from the free throw line tonight, making all 13 free-throw attempts.
After shooting 73.9 percent from the field against the Gators on Monday, the Rebels were unable to keep their momentum as they shot 34.5 percent in tonight’s game. Although Ole Miss executed well, shot-making became the main issue in tonight’s game.
“They’re a physical team, they guard, and they held us to 35 percent. I thought it was a real physical game on both ends. I just thought their players just made plays tonight…they just went out and made some shots and made some plays when they had to.“
Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis
Despite tonight’s game being their third game in five days, Rebel players managed to compete in a challenging, physical game. Forward Luis Rodriguez tallied eight rebounds for the Rebels.
Daeshun Ruffin, Nysier Brooks, and Tye Fagan each added 10 points.
“I thought there were a lot of wide-open shots. Daeshun Ruffin was open all night, they did a good job on Matt [Murrell], and Nys [Nysier Brooks] had some good looks,” said Davis.
“It’s not like Arkansas didn’t play hard…they guarded, they’re physical. I thought we sure had good enough looks to be right there at the end.“
Coach Kermit Davis
Next Up:
Ole Miss will host Kansas State (10-9) this Saturday at the SJB Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPNU
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
Isabella Shelton
Isabella Shelton is a senior broadcast journalism student at Ole Miss. Isabella is from Chicago, Illinois, and has been a diehard Chicago sports fan her entire life. She grew up playing competitive tennis and became obsessed with all things Ole Miss during her college search. Isabella enjoys traveling, working out, and spending time with friends and family. After graduation, Isabella plans to pursue a career in sports broadcasting.
