OXFORD, Miss. — In an impressive display, Jaylen Murray netted 18 points and shot 6 for 7 from beyond the arc, leading No. 17 Mississippi to a 74-61 victory over Southern University on Tuesday night.
This win marks the Rebels’ fourth consecutive victory, improving their record to 10-1. Alongside Murray’s performance, Jaemyn Brakefield contributed 15 points, while Dre Davis added 14 for Ole Miss.
Southern University, now 5-5, saw 11 different players get on the scoreboard, with Derrick Tezeno and Michael Jacobs each scoring 11 points to lead the team.
In terms of shooting performance, Southern showcased its skills by leading the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 47% shooting average. They maintained a close shooting percentage for much of the evening, ultimately finishing at 38% for the game.
For Ole Miss, the Rebels took advantage of turnovers early on, scoring 10 points off mistakes before ending with a total of 16 points off turnovers. However, the Rebels became a bit careless with the ball as the game progressed, which allowed the Jaguars to score 16 points off 17 turnovers committed by Ole Miss.
A pivotal moment came early in the second half when Southern, trailing by nine at the break, went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to just one point. Ole Miss countered effectively, scoring seven points in a row, including two three-pointers from Murray, allowing them to extend their lead to 19 points with under five minutes left in the contest.
An interesting statistic from the game was that Ole Miss recorded 10 blocked shots, demonstrating their defensive prowess. Despite this, Southern held its ground in the paint, out-rebounding the Rebels 37-36 and scoring more points in the paint, 26-22. Ole Miss guard Sean Pedulla stood out with seven assists, complementing the team’s overall performance, which included 18 assists on 22 made baskets.
Looking ahead, Ole Miss will play at home against Queens on Saturday, marking their final game before the Christmas break. Southern University will travel to Loyola Marymount for their next matchup on Friday.