AT THE BUZZER: Ole Miss Men’s basketball defeats Georgia 97-95 in Overtime Thriller

ATHENS, Ga. – Freshman Patton Pinkins secured a 97-95 Ole Miss victory over Georgia with a basket at the buzzer against the No. 21 Bulldogs in an SEC overtime thriller. AJ Storr finished another strong night off the bench for the Rebels, tallying 27 points in the victory at Stegeman Coliseum. 

Rebels win on Pinkins’ buzzer-beater!! pic.twitter.com/GU1aJNbTAf

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) January 15, 2026

(Click here for box score.)

Georgia is one of the highest-scoring teams in the country, and Ole Miss knew this would be a gritty game. Let’s take a look at the all the action.

First Half

This game started off as a back-and-forth affair, tied 7-7 going into the first media timeout at 15:56. The Rebels would go on a 13-3 run early to take an early advantage and push their lead to 20-10 with a little over ten minutes left in the half. Ole Miss maintained control early as Georgia struggled with shooting early in the matchup.

The Rebels went up 22-15 with 7:51 remaining; however, Georgia went on a 7-0 run after Ole Miss fumbled some scoring opportunities. Ilias Kamardine would strike back with a two-point fade away jumper that took the Rebels’ lead back up to four. After a tough back-and-forth during most of the half, Georgia would have all the momentum late after two big three point shots that gave the Bulldogs a 40-35 lead going into the half.

Second Half

Ole Miss came out fighting en route to a 52-point second half before later scoring 10 in overtime. Pinkins gave the Rebels a spark with his play, as he started off the second half with a three. Travis Perry gave the Rebels a much-needed lift in the second half off the bench, finishing the game 4-for-7 from deep.

The Bulldogs were tenacious throughout the game. Jeremiah Wilkinson tallied 17 points by himself in the second half. The Bulldogs were able to take advantage of their free-throw opportunities, going 18-22 in the half. Georgia was dominating with offensive rebounding, finishing with a 21-12 lead over the Rebs. They controlled the tempo much of the second half, but that did not stop the Rebels’ from fighting and showing toughness on the road.

Kamardine nailed a three to cut Georgia’s lead to one point with one minute left to play in regulation. Storr tied the game with a layup with 17 seconds left, and the teams would head to overtime.

Overtime

Georgia took the lead with a layup to open the overtime period, but Ole Miss answered with two made free throws by Corey Chest. The two teams traded free throws, but the Bulldogs’ still led the game, 94-93, with 57 seconds remaining.

Storr, with 25 points on the night, would miss a three-pointer with 18 seconds left. Ole Miss retained possession, though, after the ball went out of bounds on Georgia. Ole Miss inbounded straight to Storr for a layup and score that put the Rebels’ up by one, 95-94. Marcus Millender made one free throw at the line, tying the game at 95 with ten seconds left.

On the final series, the Rebels would come down the other end with the ball in Storr’s hand as he dribbled from the top of the key to the left into a spinning jump shot just below the first dash on the free throw line. The shot fell short as it hit the front of the rim before Pinkins would secure the ball, putting it right back in the air for the game-winning tap-in layup that secured the 97-95 win. 

Notables

• This marked the first ranked win of the season for Ole Miss, with their last such victory coming over No. 14 Iowa State in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and last road ranked win coming at No. 4 Alabama a season ago.
• AJ Storr finished with a season-best 27 points, setting his previous best mark in Ole Miss’ last game as he scored 26 to take down Missouri.
• The NCAA’s leader in blocks per game, Georgia was held to just a single swatted shot tonight.
• Going 7-9 from the field tonight including the game-winner, Patton Pinkins is now shooting 60.5 percent from the floor (23-38) over the last five games.

Next Up

Ole Miss will hit the road again this weekend and face Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.