Block Party: Ole Miss pounds Florida, 103-85; Rebels set new program record for blocked shots
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss (14-1, 1-1 SEC) bounced back in a big way from a loss to Tennessee this past weekend, defeating Florida 103-85 Wednesday night in The Pavilion.
“One day doesn’t define you… It’s just a matter of who are you. I did think we responded tonight, I really did because I know who these guys are. I was out there on the early Friday mornings in the summer at 6 a.m. I’ve been there in the two-a-days. Even though we won some games to start the season, we still had adversity. We don’t base us on the scoreboard only. We base our performance on where we’d like to be. I did have a really good feeling we’d respond tonight.“
Head coach Chris Beard on the bounce-back win over Florida
The last time Florida (10-5, 0-2 SEC) gave up at least 100 points in a SEC game was 2008, when Tennessee beat the Gators 104-82 at Knoxville. The last time Ole Miss scored 100 points in an SEC game was in 2001 against Alabama.
Forward Jaemyn Brakefield scored a season-high 28 points in the win, while guard Matthew Murrell added 23. Allen Flanigan added 17 points.
OH MY GOODNESS 😱@Jaemyn1 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/GnrFuieKMh
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) January 11, 2024
Ole Miss shot 59 percent for the game, including a blistering 75 percent in the second half.
Brakefield and Murrell went 19-of-31 from the floor and 5-for-10 from the three-point line, while Flanigan went 6-for-11.
The Rebels blocked a program-record 16 shots — with nine of those coming from 7-foot-5 Jamarion Sharp, the Rebels’ transfer from Western Kentucky.
7️⃣🚫@Jaammaarion | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/X9IpBA7OQN
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) January 11, 2024
Florida was led by Walter Clayton’s 23 points. Zyon Pullin scored 18 and freshman Alex Condon notched his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 15 rebounds. None of that was enough, however, as head coach Chris Beard’s team outplayed the Gators to win the Rebels’ 14th game of the season.
Florida opened up the game with an early lead at 17-12, but Ole Miss went on a 15-2 run to take control. At halftime, the Rebels held a four-point lead at 44-40.
But in the second half, it was all Ole Miss as the Rebs went on a 17-2 run early. Their lead rose to as high as 23.
Florida finished with 13 turnovers in the game; Ole Miss converted those into 24 points.
Next Up:
Ole Miss hosts the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday in the SJB Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
