Jaylen Murray powers Ole Miss men’s basketball to big win over Memphis, 80-77
OXFORD, Miss. – A long-time rivalry and the first ‘sold-out’ game of the Beard era in the SJB-Pavilion saw a battle to the final buzzer, ending in an Ole Miss victory over the Memphis Tigers, 80-77.
𝟳-𝟬.#HottyToddy | #BuildTheCulture pic.twitter.com/NdzQndtHUS
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
1st Period
The biggest game of the Chris Beard era up to this point had the Pavilion rocking more than usual early in this one. The Rebels jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead behind Al Flanigan and Matthew Murrell, only for Memphis to come battling back shortly after.
After the Tigers went on a 10-0 run, Oklahoma State transfer Moussa Cisse checked in for the first time since becoming eligible earlier this week. Right away, the 7-footer clearly made a huge difference on the defensive end.
Immediate Defensive Impact 😤@moussacisse224 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/xb8NfdAw9S
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
Flanigan then finally ended the 3-minute scoring drought for Ole Miss, only for Memphis to answer back with another run, this one being a 9-0 run over the next 3 minutes.
The 3-point shot proved to be what kept the Rebels in this game in the first half with 6 of their 10 makes from the field coming from behind the arc. All six of those drained 3-pointers came from Murrell and JuJu Murray, both of them going 3 for 3 in the first half.
Doski with the INT
Juju with the trey
Here come the Rebs@TjCaldwell9 x @JSMurray10 pic.twitter.com/8dhiw2di5N— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
Rebounding continued to be a problem for the Rebels, as it had all year, despite having another 7-footer in to rotate in the lineup with the debut of Cisse.
Ole Miss also had no answer for Memphis forward David Jones in the first half as the senior had 16 at the break. Despite that, the Rebels only trailed 37-30 after one half of play. Flanigan led the way for the Rebels with 10 points and 4 boards, while Murrell and Murray were not far behind as the backcourt pair both had 9.
Coach Beard commented on the halftime adjustments defensively in the postgame.
“I’m not too happy about giving up 70 something points, but our 3-point defense was elite tonight, and it was a big weapon for Memphis…We rotated, and we had the right guys shooting some of them from different possessions from our perspective. But not a lot of things are popping up in my head about our defense tonight until I watch the film, but I do think we had an emphasis on guarding the 3-point line tonight. I thought that was necessary to beat Memphis.”
~ Beard on the team’s defensive showing
2nd Period
Coming out of the half, it was clear from the whistle that this one was going to be a dog fight until the end. After battling back, down 7 to begin the second half, the Rebels eventually tied the game back up courtesy of Murray’s defending and Murrell taking it back the other way.
TIE BALL GAME pic.twitter.com/toQYR0jr8B
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
Jamarion Sharp then got involved on the offensive end, throwing down some hard jams that really got the crowd into the game. The 7-footer finished with 8 points on a perfect 4 for 4 from the field.
THROW IT 🆙@Jaammaarion | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/EjuclUpT5g
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
HOW WE FEELIN’ 😤@Jaammaarion | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/lZynD6PMdz
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
With less than 4 minutes remaining, Ole Miss trailed Memphis by 4. That was until Rebel forward Jaemyn Brakefield dove on a loose ball, then kicked it out to Murrell for the second chance 3-pointer that put the Rebels down just 1.
Friendly roll 😅@matt_murre11 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/lg4fTl35vr
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
The Tigers answered by going up 3, draining a pair of free throws on the opposite end. However, Al Flanigan immediately responded with 4 quick points to give Ole Miss the lead back with less than 3 minutes to go.
FOR THE LEAD!@JSMurray10 ➡️ @Allen_Flanigan2 pic.twitter.com/3Fzs7hpWUU
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
After going back-and-forth for the last 3 minutes of play, Jaylen “JuJu” Murray did what he had done all game, he delivered.
Murray was asked after the game if he expected this from himself.
“I wouldn’t say I was expecting it. I was just trying to be the better guard on the floor, help my team at whatever that is, points, defense, assist. I just had the mindset that we had to win this game.”
Jaylen Murray
The Rebel guard scored 7 of the last 8 points for the Rebels, ultimately hitting the two shots that would close out the 80-77 victory for Ole Miss. Murray finished with a team high 22 points along with 9 assists.
JUJUUUUUUUUUUU 👌@JSMurray10 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/qt8MHjsceS
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
THE KING OF NEW YORK 👑@JSMurray10 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/414ptJGEj2
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) December 2, 2023
Chris Beard stopped a question for JuJu Murray in the postgame to acknowledge the game he had outside of scoring.
“See, here’s the problem, JuJu. It’s like rat poisoning. They’re gonna ask you about your points, but one of these guys is gonna ask you about your 9 assists and one turnover.”
~ Beard on Murray’s guard play
Murrell also had a great game from the field, shooting 6 for 7 from the 3-point line and adding 20 points, 5 assists, 6 boards and 3 steals for the Rebels. Flanigan also finished with 18 points and 5 boards.
Up Next
Following the huge home win to stay undefeated, Ole Miss will be back at home again for the next matchup on Tuesday, December 5th. The 1-5, Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers will travel to Oxford for a 7 pm CT tipoff on ESPN+ and SECN+.
Kameron Wicker
Kam is an undergraduate at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he’s from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn’t stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He’s a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
