Ole Miss men’s basketball drops to 3-9 in SEC play with 90-78 loss at home to Mississippi State

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men’s basketball fell to Mississippi State, 78-90, at home Saturday night, despite the efforts of Malik Dia and AJ Storr. The Rebels were unable to overcome Josh Hubbard and the Bulldogs, and head coach Chris Beard and his team now sit at 11-14 on the year.

(Click here for Box Score.)

Dia showed up tonight. A missing piece in the Rebels’ offense over the last three games, he showcased his scoring ability by dropping 32 points and seven rebounds on the night. Storr continues to be an anchor for Ole Miss on both sides of the ball with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The rest of the team outside of Dia and Storr only scored a total of 25 points. State, frankly, just looked hungrier and more competitive than the Rebels.

Let’s get into tonight’s action.

First Half

The game opened with a defensive back-and-forth, but Mississippi State struck first when Achor Achor sank a three-pointer. Ole Miss answered moments later as Illias Kamardine delivered a beautiful pass to Edward Klafke, who knocked down a smooth three of his own.

With 16 minutes remaining in the half, however, the Bulldogs had jumped out to an 11–3 lead, fueled by a strong advantage on the boards. Shortly after, Klafke went down with an apparent leg injury, but he was able to return to the court.

It was far from an ideal start for the Rebels. Mississippi State looked like the more aggressive team early, and with 13:00 left in the half, Ole Miss had scored just six points while shooting 2-of-12 from the field.

The Rebels began to settle in behind the efforts of Dia and Storr, cutting the deficit to 18–11 with 11:20 remaining. Ole Miss was starting to show signs of life, but each time they threatened, the Bulldogs had an answer coming out of the media timeout.

Momentum briefly swung toward the Ole Miss when they connected on three straight possessions. Storr hit a second-chance jumper, Travis Perry drilled a deep three, and Storr followed with a layup to trim the margin to three with 7:43 left before halftime.

But after another media timeout, Mississippi State responded with a 7–0 run to push the lead back to double digits.

Storr continued to carry the offense, reaching 12 points following a layup, while Dia added a mid-range jumper. Ole Miss tightened up defensively and began creating opportunities, but the Bulldogs remained in control, leading 36–26 with 2:55 left before halftime.

The Rebels struggled to capitalize on the chances their defense created, passing up open looks they would normally take. Mississippi State took full advantage, closing the half on a dominant 16–2 run.

The surge sent Ole Miss into the locker room facing a 47–28 deficit at the break.

Second Half

Ole Miss opened the second half by allowing a quick score from Mississippi State, but the Rebels responded with a 6–0 run led by Dia. The forward continued his strong night, pushing his total to 12 points — already more than he had scored in the previous three games combined.

Still, the Rebels struggled to slow the Bulldogs’ momentum, as Mississippi State maintained an 18-point advantage with 16 minutes remaining.

With 13:30 left, Illias Kamardine knocked down a three-pointer to give himself five points on the night. It was a quieter performance for Kamardine, who passed up several open looks and appeared hesitant offensively — something Ole Miss could not afford while facing a large deficit.

At the 11-minute mark, Ole Miss trailed 65–47. The rebounding margin was relatively close at 26–21, but the difference showed up elsewhere. Mississippi State had connected on three more shots from beyond the arc and was shooting an efficient 25-of-41 from the field, compared to 17-of-45 for the Rebels. Statistically, the gap wasn’t overwhelming, but the Bulldogs played with a level of urgency and efficiency that separated the two teams.

Despite the team’s struggles, Dia continued to shine offensively, reaching 19 points with 7:00 remaining.

Ole Miss was unable to string together enough stops or scoring runs to seriously threaten the lead, as Mississippi State held a comfortable 75–58 advantage with six minutes left.

The Rebels trimmed the margin to 15 with 3:30 remaining, but Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard proved to be the difference-maker. He had already piled up 27 points and six assists at that point.

Even with strong performances from Storr and Dia, who combined for 53 points, Ole Miss was unable to complete the comeback. The loss dropped the Rebels to 11–14 overall and 3-9 in league play on the season.

What’s Next?

The Ole Miss Rebels’ will face Texas A&M in College Station on Wednesday, February 18th. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT.