Big plays down the stretch lead No. 15 State past No. 21 Ole Miss, 84-81, in overtime

On Saturday No. 15 Mississippi State and No. 21 Ole Miss met for the first time ever with both teams being ranked. So it wasn’t too much of a shock that it took more than 40 minutes to determine a winner.

Riley Kugel had a season-high 21 points, including two free throws with 11 seconds remaining in overtime, and No. 15 Mississippi State knocked off No. 21 Ole Miss, 84-81, in overtime at Humphrey Coliseum. Ole Miss’ Jaemyn Brakefield missed a potential game-tying 3 pointer at the buzzer.

“Just happy we won, happy for our guys,” said State head coach Chris Jans. “I was happy for our program, certainly the fans that were here and elsewhere supporting us. We talked to our guys about what this game means to people in Starkville and Bulldogs everywhere, not just here.

“There was a lot going on, a lot of big plays, lot of big shots, lot of big turnovers. You got to give (Ole Miss) credit for what they do. They are good at what they do but some (of the turnovers) were just silly plays. But their pressure had a lot to do with it, as well.”

Ole Miss (15-3, 4-1 in the SEC) battled back from a 73-69 deficit in the final 42 seconds of regulation and tied the game at 74-74 on a Matthew Murrell 3 pointer with nine seconds remaining in the second half. Kugel missed a 3 pointer at the buzzer moments later to send the game into an extra session.

On the night, Kugel was 6 of 11 from the floor and 4 of 8 beyond the arc. He was also a perfect 5 of 5 at the free throw line and had two steals.

“I was just anxious to get back out there,” said Kugel, who missed State’s game on Tuesday at Auburn due to an ankle injury. “I missed the last game so I was just happy to get back out there with the guys and it was fun to play. We just had to connect, talk a lot more than we were and we were going to come out with a W.”

Ole Miss briefly took a 77-76 lead in overtime for the Rebels’ first lead of the night. But Kugel 3 pointer put State back on top 79-77 with 1:35 left in overtime and the Bulldogs never trailed again. Moments before Kugel’s 3 pointer, Melendez had a blocked shot of Murrell that set the table for State to regain the lead.

“I saw where we were in transition and we had to get a bucket,” Kugel recalled. “Mook and I could have both scored but he had that trust in me to kick it out. I just had to step up and make the shot.”

Afterwards, Jans was also quick to point out the importance of Melendez’ defensive play and hustle.

“Looking back, that was the play of the game,” said Jans of Melendez’ blocked shot.

KeShawn Murphy added 18 points and 11 rebounds for Mississippi State (15-3, 3-2) while RJ Melendez had 12 points and seven rebounds. Josh Hubbard has 10 points for the Bulldogs and Cameron Matthews added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Brakefield had 20 points to lead Ole Miss and Sean Pedulla had 18. Murrell had 15 points, all in the second half, for the Rebels and Jaylen Murray had 10.

“Give MSU the credit, they were the more aggressive team,” said Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard. “They played well at home. That was a great college basketball game. Great college basketball crowd. We don’t have soft players, but I didn’t think we came out with the physicality to take their first punch.”

Both teams shot 45% from the floor for the game and Ole Miss made 13 of 35 from 3 point territory. The Rebels were 8 of 14 at the foul line and had 10 turnovers. State made 9 of 27 beyond the 3 point arc and made 17 of 28 at the charity stripe. The Bulldogs had 15 turnovers and dominated the boards, 51-29, including 19 rebounds.

“Jans told us it was going to be a tough matchup,” noted Murphy, who had four offensive boards. “Going into this game I knew I had to step up and be an offensive rebounder and check out on both sides. We emphasized that a lot and got it done.”

Mississippi State stormed out of the gates and took a 14-2 lead following a Kugel 3 pointer with 15:02 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs led by as many as 14 points in the first half and led 37-29 at halftime.

Ole Miss shot 44% in the opening half and made 4 of 14 beyond the 3 point arc. The Rebels had six turnovers in the half and made 1 of 1 at the line. Mississippi State shot 43% in the first half and also made 4 of 14 from 3 point range. The Bulldogs had nine turnovers and out-rebounded Ole Miss 25-10, including 11 offensive rebounds.

Up next

Mississippi State at No. 6 Tennessee on Tuesday with 6 p.m. tipoff on ESPN2 – The Bulldogs will be on the road next week with trips to Tennessee and South Carolina.