Chris Beard received no explanation for Moussa Cisse flagrant foul
Ole Miss watched a lead slip away against league leader Alabama on Wednesday night, compounded by a flagrant foul call against Moussa Cisse that led to a six-point play with about five minutes left to play in the contest.
The Rebels trailed 79-74 when the Crimson Tide got the basketball and quickly stormed down the floor.
The ball found Davin Cosby Jr. in the corner for a wide open 3-pointer, and he drained it. As he did so, Cisse was in the paint trying to prevent penetration. He threw up his hands toward the head of Alabama’s Nick Pringle, striking him and drawing a foul call.
Officials went to the monitor and ruled it a flagrant one foul, giving Pringle two free throws.
Pringle made the first and missed the second, but Alabama grabbed the offensive board and quickly got fouled, going to the free-throw line for two more shots (both were made). That resulted in a full six-point swing on the sequence involving the flagrant foul.
Ole Miss coach Chris Beard, though, never got an explanation of the flagrant foul call from the officials.
“No, I didn’t and that’s frustrating sometimes from a coaching standpoint,” Beard said. “We just keep doing the best we can, but I tried to get an explanation, couldn’t get one on that one.”
The call looked straightforward enough on replay, as there were definitely extended arms toward the head. And officials didn’t rule it a flagrant two, which would have carried with it an ejection.
Still, that will come as little consolation to Ole Miss, which led by as many as 14 in the first half only to fall 103-88 down the stretch. Alabama scored 64 points in the second half, knocking down a whopping 15 3-pointers in the contest.
The Crimson Tide had six double-figure scorers in the contest: Mark Sears (26), Aaron Estrada (18), Cosby (15), Rylan Griffen (14), Pringle (10) and Grant Nelson (10).
Alabama will return to action Saturday with a game against No. 4 Tennessee, while Ole Miss will take on Missouri on the road.