OXFORD, Miss. — Sean Padulla delivered an impressive performance, scoring 18 of his total 25 points during the second half, as No. 17 Mississippi asserted their dominance over Queens University of Charlotte with an 80-62 victory on Saturday.

With this win, Ole Miss improved their season record to 11-1, maintaining an undefeated streak of 7-0 at home. A critical moment occurred in the match when the Rebels launched a 16-6 scoring burst, culminating in Padulla’s acrobatic layup, which helped extend their lead to 61-48 with just over eight minutes remaining. Following this surge, Queens struggled to draw closer, never falling behind by fewer than nine points again.

Matthew Murrell, a guard for Ole Miss known for his preseason All-SEC accolades, made his return after being sidelined for three games due to a lower body injury. He contributed significantly in his 23 minutes on the court, putting up 10 points along with six rebounds. Other notable contributors for the Rebels included Dre Davis with 11 points and Jaylen Murray, who also scored 10 points.

For Queens (7-6), Maban Jabriel was a standout performer, accumulating 15 points and seven boards. His teammates Chris Ashby and Leo Colimerio followed, chipping in with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Despite trailing by a narrow margin of just 38-33 at halftime, Queens’ four-game winning streak came to an end with this defeat.

Takeaways from the game revealed that Grant Leonard’s Royals, who were predicted to finish ninth in the Atlantic Sun Conference, managed to maintain a winning record against non-conference adversaries. Meanwhile, Ole Miss faces a more challenging schedule ahead with a road game against No. 21 Memphis on December 28, even as they sit at No. 17 in the AP Top 25 rankings, trailing behind seven other SEC teams.

The key moment of the game came during Ole Miss’s critical second-half run, which spanned just three minutes and was characterized by two key layups and a three-pointer by Padulla. Murrell contributed with a steal, an assist, and a couple of rebounds during this stretch, solidifying the Rebels’ momentum.

A significant statistic that stood out was Ole Miss’s ability to capitalize on turnovers, outscoring the Royals 24-6 in this category, which included a perfect 12-0 tally in the first half. The Rebels also showcased their efficiency by committing just eight turnovers throughout the match, ranking them second nationally for the fewest turnovers per game with an average of 8.9.

Looking ahead, Queens will host Stetson for their Atlantic Sun Conference opener on January 2, while No. 17 Ole Miss heads on the road to face No. 21 Memphis on December 28.