No. 23 Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Wins Overtime Thriller Against BYU

SAN DIEGO – (Release) Jaylen Murray had a career-high 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting as No. 23 Ole Miss defeated BYU 96-85 in an overtime thriller on Thanksgiving Day. The Rebels outscored the Cougars 19-8 in extra time going 13-of-13 at the line in OT.

The first half saw Ole Miss (6-0) shoot 50.0 percent from the floor with Jaylen Murray leading the Rebels with 10 points. BYU (5-1) knocked down seven first half triples and went 11-of-12 at the charity stripe. The Cougars were led by Richie Saunders (13) and Kanon Catchings (12) who each recorded double-figures as BYU took a 42-39 lead into the break.

Ole Miss’s defense was stifling at the start of the second half, taking a seven-point lead with 9:42 to play. The two teams traded buckets down the stretch as the game was tied three separate times over the final 3:24 of play.

Egor Demin put BYU up four with a huge three with 2:21 to play as the Cougars added four more threes in the second half.

The Rebels responded, tying the game at 75 with 1:08 to play after a pair of Matthew Murrell free throws and a huge second chance layup from Dre Davis. Murray tied the game for Ole Miss once more at 77 with 26 seconds to play and the Rebels hung tough defensively sending the game to overtime.

Murray took over in the extra period, scoring nine points while going a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line. Ole Miss finished the game with four players in double-figures with Murray leading the charge with 28.

The overtime win marks the first for Ole Miss since Feb. 6, 2021, in an 86-84 win at Auburn.

Next Up:

Ole Miss will take on No. 12/13 Purdue (6-1) Friday, Nov. 29 in the Rady Children’s Invitational Championship game. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT on FOX.

NOTABLES  

• Jaylen Murray set a new career-high 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting. 10 field goals are also a new career-high for Murray. The senior from The Bronx, N.Y. was a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe and remains perfect on the season from the free throw line. 
• Four Rebels scored in double-figures: Murray (28), Matthew Murrell (18), Dre Davis (18) and Sean Pedulla (13). 
• Ole Miss shot a season best 80.6 percent (29-for-36) from the charity stripe. The 29 makes and 36 attempts are both season-highs for the Rebels this year. 
• The Rebels forced 17 turnovers, the most by BYU in a game this season. Ole Miss only committed nine TO’s and improves to 24-10 under Chris Beard when committing 15 or fewer turnovers. 
• Murray tallied his fourth straight game with five or more assists. He led all passers with five helpers in the win. 
• Ole Miss held a 40-26 advantage in the trenches good for a +14 margin on points in the paint.