Ole Miss men’s basketball falls on the road to Mississippi State, 83-71

STARKVILLE — The Ole Miss men’s basketball team struggled in the second half on the road Wednesday night, falling to their in-state rival the Mississippi State Bulldogs 83-71.

First half

The last time these two met, there was a record-setting crowd in the SJB Pavilion that witnessed a battle between the Rebels and the Bulldogs. A packed house in Starkville returned the favor Wednesday nnight as the Bulldogs got off to a hot start.

An aggressive slam from Moussa Cisse brought the Rebels within three early after falling behind; however, a trip to the charity stripe and a couple of buckets in the paint increased the Mississippi State lead to 13-4 a little over five minutes in. Jaylen “JuJu” Murray then ended their run, only for the Bulldogs to bury a triple to take a double-digit lead.

💪 @moussacisse224 pic.twitter.com/PYM8701iBz

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 22, 2024

The Bulldogs’ lead grew to as large as 12 points in the first half, as the Rebels struggled with taking care of the basketball with six early turnovers. However, Jaemyn Brakefield got a layup to fall, then followed it up with triple his next time down the court to give the Rebels some life.

Still trailing, Ole Miss began to heat up offensively, using the deep ball from Murray and Matthew Murrell. Coming out of a timeout down 10, the Rebels went on a 15-6 run that made it a one-point game in Starkville.

Matt’s heating up 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2TJMvbVWg6

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 22, 2024

Jamarion Sharp then gave the Rebels their first lead, and Ole Miss continued to stay red hot from deep as JuJu Murray buried a triple to make it 37-33 heading to a Bulldog timeout.

Jujuuuuuuuuu 👌 pic.twitter.com/URzIXMwEZ2

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 22, 2024

The Ole Miss offense was eventually slowed down, but the Rebels held the lead at the break, 44-40.

Murrell led the way at halftime for Ole Miss with 16 points, knocking down three shots from behind the arc. JuJu Murray added 9 more points for the Rebels as well.

Second Half

The Bulldogs took the lead back in the first minute of the second half by getting to the free-throw line. However, Murrell continued to score for Ole Miss, allowing Cisse to give the Rebels a 52-51 lead four minutes in.

3️⃣3️⃣‼️ pic.twitter.com/suIJX5AF6L

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) February 22, 2024

Mississippi State eventually found some momentum, going on a 14-2 run over nearly four minutes with Ole Miss again struggling to take care of the ball. The Rebels turned the ball over 17 times in the game and 10 times to the Bulldogs two in the second half.

After a quiet first half, Allen Flanigan began to drive to the basket and draw fouls to bring Ole Miss within four points via the charity stripe. Tensions began to rise mid-way through the second half with both teams upset with being in foul trouble, and both head coaches were given technical fouls.

With five minutes to go, the Bulldogs took advantage of the Ole Miss turnovers to close out the game on a 13-5 run. Flanigan and TJ Caldwell eventually fouled out for Ole Miss.

Murrell led the Rebels in scoring with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Flanigan and Murray both added 12 points each as well. Ole Miss falls to 19-7 (6-7 in the SEC) with five games remaining in the regular season.

Up Next 

The Rebels will return to the SJB Pavilion this Saturday, February 24th, to host the 20th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks. Tipoff is set for 2:30 pm CT on the SEC Network.