Ole Miss Mens Basketball Drops Sixth Straight with 74-93 Loss to Alabama

OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss Rebels dropped their sixth consecutive game as they fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 74-93, on Wednesday in the SJB Pavilion.

Ole Miss now stands at 11-13 on the season and 3-8 in SEC play.

The Rebels’ losing streak has now spanned nearly a month, with their last victory coming against Mississippi State in Starkville on January 17, marking the second-longest losing streak of the Beard era. The previous infamous record was three, which occurred in both his first and second seasons with the program.

Alabama was propelled by a second-half onslaught where they outscored Ole Miss 44-61, shooting significantly better from behind the three-point line and converting more field goals than the Rebels.

AJ Storr led the Rebels in scoring with 27; however, only one other Rebel scored in double digits, which ultimately contributed to the Rebels’ defeat.

First Half

Ole Miss opened the game in unconventional fashion, sending the tip-off out of bounds, giving Alabama the first possession, but the Rebels were the first to strike as Eduardo Klafke put through a pull-up jumper.

The first five minutes were evenly played, with Ole Miss holding a slight 7-6 advantage, thanks to strong defensive rebounding and intensity on both ends of the floor.

After the under-15 timeout, Ole Miss came out with some fire underneath them. Over the course of the next five and a half minutes, they pulled their lead to seven as things got chippy between Eduardo Klafke and an Alabama player, who got tangled up for a jump ball, which then included some after-the-whistle activity, ultimately ending with Klafke walking away, lifting the ball above his head to a thunderous applause from the crowd.

Both teams went quiet offensively afterward, with Ole Miss still holding a 20-15 lead with 5:15, until Ole Miss broke their nearly five-minute scoring drought with an alley-oop slam home by Corey Chest with 4:30 on the clock.

However, during the Rebels’ scoring drought, the Crimson Tide clawed back, heading into a media timeout with 3:26 left in the half, with Ole Miss still holding a tenuous 22-20 lead.

The final three minutes of the half were exciting for both sides, as both teams eclipsed the 30-point mark, but Ole Miss trailed 30-32 at the break.

AJ Storr led the way for the Rebels in the first half.

Second Half

The second half opened with Alabama in possession, but Ole Miss struck first to knot the game at 32, behind Klafke, who converted a late shot-clock fadeaway.

However, the Crimson Tide quickly found its stride, jumping out to a nine-point advantage as the clock ticked under 16 minutes, forcing Rebels head coach Chris Beard to burn his first timeout of the second half, trailing 36-45.

Once Alabama took the nine-point advantage, it held steady as the Tide headed into the under-12 media timeout, with the Rebels still trailing 42-51, as the Crimson Tide had worked the Rebels’ defense, finding open three-pointers to sustain their lead.

Out of the timeout, Alabama not only sustained its lead but extended it, going on an 8-0 run over fifty-six seconds of game time, leading Ole Miss to burn another timeout — which left them with just one remaining for the final ten minutes.

The Rebels fought hard, keeping the game close with some physical play over the course of the next three minutes; however, Alabama continued to maintain a double-digit advantage with Ole Miss trailing 52-62. For the final minutes of the game, the Tide took full control, leaving nothing in doubt as they cruised their way to a 74-93 victory over the Rebels.

A Look Ahead

Ole Miss returns to the floor this Saturday as they host in-state rival Mississippi State. The Rebels will be looking to snap that six-game drought.