Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Falls to South Carolina on Senior Day, 64-61

OXFORD, Miss. —The Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team lost to South Carolina on Senior Night by a final score of 64-61.

A last-second shot from the Gamecocks secured their win, ending Ole Miss’ regular season with a loss, bringing their record to 12-19.

Malik Dia finished with 22 points and four rebounds, leading the way for the Rebels. AJ Storr tallied 13 points, two rebounds, and two assists, making key plays throughout the game. It was a rough day from the field, as the team shot seven percent from three-point rage. They attempted 14 threes, making one.

Rebounding once again hurt Ole Miss, as South Carolina was able to get a lot of second-chance shots. A returning Kezza Giffa gave some life to the Rebels, but not enough to get them to the finish line.

First half highlights

The Gamecocks struck first, with a layup, and Ole Miss struggled heavily out of the gate. At the first timeout, South Carolina held a 12-3 lead. The Ole Miss defense started to pick up, but the offense struggled early, leading to their deficit. For much of the first half, Ole Miss was down by double figures.

Things started to slightly turn for Ole Miss with South Carolina going very cold from the field. Momentum started to build towards the end of the half, with the Rebels down just four with 6:33 to go in the half. This reduction of the lead was in part because of an 8-0 Ole Miss run. The Gamecocks finally scored again, however, holding on to their lead.

Ole Miss went into the half down 34-28. The story of the first two quarters was great defense from the Rebels, but the ineffective offense kept them behind South Carolina. Dia and Storr had 10 and nine points, respectively. Ole Miss needed to collect itself on the offensive side of the ball.

Second half highlights

The lead stayed consistent for South Carolina, as the Rebels kept answering with buckets of their own. With 15:00 to play, Ole Miss took their first lead of the game, which the Gamecocks would quickly snatch back. As the South Carolina lead grew, Ole Miss just couldn’t seem to close it out.

The Rebel defense that had been good up to that point started to struggle, and South Carolina got whatever they wanted on the offensive side — but so did Ole Miss. Rebounding continued to be tough going, with the Gamecocks getting a lot of second-chance baskets. The Rebels, however, had no quit in them on Senior Day and continued to fight.  They were able to tie the game near the end.

The final two possessions were critical, as it would either end on a game-winning shot, or the game would go to overtime. The Rebels turned the ball over with five seconds left to play in the game, giving South Carolina one last shot. A gut-wrenchingly deep three from Meechie Johnson gave the Gamecocks the win with a final score of 64-61.

Whats next?

The team now heads to the SEC Tournament. When the schedule is set, we’ll post more on the tourney.