LOOK: No. 24 Ole Miss gets back on track, opens SEC play with win over Georgia
Memphis and Georgia opened a stretch of seven Quad 1 opportunities for Ole Miss basketball in its next eight games.
The No. 24-ranked Rebels were blown out by a fellow NCAA Tournament hopeful in Bluff City. However, they bounced back in their SEC opener a week later.
Ole Miss improved to 12-2 (1-0 SEC) with a 63-51 win over the Bulldogs in Oxford on Saturday. The SEC has 10 teams in the Associated Press Top 25. Georgia (12-2, 0-1) was receiving votes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rebels trailed by two at halftime before opening the second period with an 11-2 run to seize control.
Georgia pulled to within two, 45-43, with 7:13 remaining. Senior Jaemyn Brakefield, though, helped keep the Bulldogs at bay, scoring seven points in a 15-4 winning stretch to close it out.
Brakefield and fifth-year guard Matthew Murrell poured in 15 points apiece to lead the Rebels. Brakefield was 5 for 7 from the floor and made half (3-3) of Ole Miss’ 16 three-point attempts.
Top 10
- 1New
AP Poll
Hoops Top 25 shakeup
- 2
Agiye Hall commits
Former 5-star surprise commitment
- 3Trending
Urban Meyer
Declaring SEC dominance over
- 4
Squirrel White
Former Vols WR ACC bound
- 5
Zachariah, Zion Branch
USC playmakers SEC bound
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
No other Rebel made more than one. Brakefield’s in his fourth season. He started all 32 games last season but has mostly come off the bench in 2024-25. He managed just two points and four rebounds in his 12 minutes at Memphis.
Malik Dia was one of three Rebels to score seven points. He had a team-high seven rebounds, while Davon Barnes and Murrell each had six. Dre Davis chipped in nine rebounds, four rebounds and five blocks.
ANOTHER DEFENSIVE GEM
Ole Miss shot 41 percent (21 for 41) from the floor, compared to 29 percent (17-58) for Georgia. The Rebels won despite being -2 in turnovers.
Ole Miss entered play third nationally with a turnover margin of +7.4. The Rebels have now held opponents to 60 points or less in five games. Ole Miss is 14-1 in two years under head coach Chris Beard when its opponents make 40 percent or less of their shots.
The included highlights and photos were provided by Ole Miss Athletics.
