Rebels drop final home game of the season to Texas A&M, 69-61
OXFORD – The Ole Miss men’s basketball team lost its final home game of the season Tuesday night to the No. 24 Texas A&M Aggies at the SJB Pavilion in Oxford.
The 69-61 loss was the 14th SEC loss for the Rebels, and they now sit with an overall record of 11-19. They finish the 2022-23 home campaign with a 7-10 record.
Ole Miss started off the game very strong. Within the first seven minutes of the game, the Rebels took a 12-point lead thanks to an early first-half three-point barrage from the Rebels and star guard Matthew Murrell.
However, the cold stretches that have plagued the Rebels all year haunted them once again. The Aggies answered the hot start with a 21-6 run of their own. Ole Miss was able to regain the lead late in the first half, but, ultimately, the Aggies grabbed a 34-28 lead heading into the halftime break.
Unfortunately for the Rebels, they would not see a lead in the second half. Guard Matthew Murrell single-handedly kept Ole Miss in the game with five second-half three-pointers. The Rebels played with deficits of two points early in the second half and four points with 47 seconds to play, but Aggie free-throws shut the door on the upset bid.
Murrell was the only Rebel to score in double-figures with 26 points, which was a season-high. He also went 8-11 from three-point range. The next closest scorer for Ole Miss was guard James White with nine points.
Overall, the Rebels shot 37% from the field to Texas A&M’s 38%, but the turnover battle proved the costliest. Eighteen turnovers by Ole Miss led to 18 points by the Aggies; whereas, only five Aggies turnovers led to nine points for the Rebels.
Ole Miss interim coach Win Case said that costly mistakes like those turnovers down the stretch and offensive rebounding (16-16) is what lost the game for his team.
“Those are things that I think we can shore up,” Case said postgame.
Case mentioned that his star forward Jaemyn Brakefield did not have his best game, which was vital in the loss. Brakefield was held to five points in 31 minutes while also tacking-on five rebounds and six assists.
“I thought he played hard, but those shots that he shot normally go in,” Case said. “Last ballgame we played, he played lights out. For whatever reason, they just didn’t fall tonight for him. That was a big key.”
Even in the loss, Case was quite happy with his team’s performance.
“The thing that I told my guys after the game is that I am just very proud of them. They continue to fight. The thing we want to try to do is get better with each ballgame and get ready to go into that [SEC] tournament with some momentum. I am really happy with my team.”
Ole Miss interim head coach Win Case
Murrell’s performance, which was by far his best shooting performance of the season, was also something Case was very happy about.
“Matt is an unbelievable young man. All year long, he has been kind of unselfish. We want him to be a little more selfish. He can really shoot the basketball, and he got going tonight.”
Coach Case on Matthew Murrell
With one game left in the regular season, Case reiterated to his team that anything can happen in the SEC Tournament because in his belief that this team can play with anyone in the conference.
“Once you get into that tournament, anything can happen, and next thing you know, you look up, and you are in the NCAA Tournament,” Case said. “I don’t care who it is. We are going to continue to fight, and we are going to have a chance once we get to the tournament to win it.”
Up Next
The Rebels will have one more tune-up game before the SEC Tournament this Saturday, March 4, on the road against Missouri. Tipoff from Mizzou Arena in Columbia is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
Trevor Terminie
Trevor is a senior at Ole Miss pursuing a degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Sports Communication and Promotion. He has previous experience covering sports for another site, including a variety of Ole Miss sports. Growing up in New Orleans, La., he has the Pelicans and Saints running through his blood. He also grew up in an LSU family, but his love for Ole Miss continues to grow. Trevor hopes to cover sports back in his hometown after college. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
