Ole Miss whips Southern Miss in Biloxi, keeps second-longest-ever winning streak alive

No. 25 Ole Miss basketball set new season-best marks in points (89) and three-point field-goal percentage (57.9) in an 89-72 win over Southern Miss in Biloxi on Saturday.

The Rebels have now shot 50 percent or better from three in five games this season, tying a school record set in 2014-15. They entered play No. 15 in college basketball in three-point shooting (39.2 percent). 

Star senior guard Matthew Murrell, who is arguably playing the best basketball of his career, had a team and personal season-high 26 points. Saint Peter’s transfer point guard Jaylen Murray added 21, while senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield, formerly of Duke, had 15 points and seven rebounds.

Ole Miss made at least 10 threes for the third consecutive game and third time this season. Murray made a career-high five threes. Auburn transfer guard/wing Allen Flanigan led the Rebels (11) in rebounds for the 10th time this season and also recorded his third double-double on the year (10 points). He also chipped in four assists and three steals. It was the fifth double-double of his career.

Ole Miss — which is off to the second-best start (12-0) in school history — took a quick lead 11 seconds in the Rebels would never surrender.

They led by double-digits when Murray connected on a three to make the score 18-6 with 13:47 in the first. 

Southern Miss (6-6) sunk a pair of free throws with five minutes remaining before halftime to cut the deficit to nine. However, Ole Miss responded with a 10-0 run, capped by a three from Murrell. The Rebels led by 17 at the break.

“The first half was one of our better 20-minute segments at Ole Miss, and I think the main reason is we had so much respect for Southern Miss,” first-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard said. 

Three of Beard’s last four teams that started 10-0 reached the NCAA Tournament. His 2019 Texas Tech Red Raiders made the national championship game.

Beard continued, “We knew they were going to compete. They were a team that had the guys full attention.”

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The Golden Eagles chipped away in the second half. 

A pair of free throws got USM to within 10 with just under eight minutes remaining. Murrell and Brakefield, however, helped put the Rebels up by 20 with 2:25 to play.

The Rebels had just seven turnovers to 17 assists. They came into the day with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.48 — the 43rd-best mark in the country. 

Ole Miss is riding the second-longest winning streak in its history. The Rebels, with a win over Bryant December 31, would tie the school record (13-0) set in 2007-08.

Cobie Montgomery had 15 points off the bench to lead USM. Victor Iwuakor, Victor Hart, and Andre Curbelo each scored 13.

Former Ole Miss Rebel Austin Crowley was held scoreless in 15 minutes. He was USM’s leading scorer.

Bryant is the final non-conference game for the Rebels this season.

Tipoff in Oxford is set for 3 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. Ole Miss-USM was not televised. The Rebels open SEC play at No. 8 Tennessee January 6. Ole Miss is ranked for the first time since 2019.

“It just seemed like time after time after time we’d get back and have a chance to really cut into the lead and they would make a play,” USM coach Jay Ladner said. Beard, in his postgame comments, also lauded Ladner’s Golden Eagles as a potential postseason team. 

“Of course, you have to give credit to them. That’s what good teams do. I think this was a really, really good game for us to help prepare us for league play.”