Ole Miss remains undefeated, holds off feisty Mount St. Mary's
Ole Miss moved to 8-0 with a workmanlike win over visiting Mount St. Mary’s Tuesday. The Rebels were paced by the backcourt, once again. Jaylen Murray, Matthew Murrell and Allen Flanigan all finished in double figures, pacing the 77-68 win. It’s the best start since the 2007-2008 season.
Despite just a five-point lead at the break, Ole Miss shot 54 percent in the first half and the success from the field continued as the rout was on at SJB Pavilion in Oxford, Miss. Head coach Chris Beard seemed pleased with his team’s dominance in the paint and scoring off defensive pressure.
The Rebels had 18 points off turnovers and finished with 34 in the paint.
Matthew Murrell finished with 20+ points for the second game in a row.
The senior from Memphis, Tenn., was a force from three-point range last weekend. He finished 6-for-7 from deep and cashed in 20 points. Tuesday was more of the same against the MAAC opponent. Murrell shot 7-for-11 from the field and had 24 points.
Chris Beard will most likely not be happy with the play of the defense in the second half.
“It’s always better to learn lessons after wins, but I just think we’re kind of robbing banks right now,” Beard said. “We’re not getting caught, but we’re robbing the bank. Eventually, we’re going to get caught.”
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It was a letdown spot after the emotional victory over Memphis Saturday, but he will not be happy with the stat sheet. Mount St. Mary’s finished with 36 points in the paint and 33 points off the bench. Furthermore, The Mount grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and had 16 second chance points against Ole Miss Tuesday.
As Southeastern Conference play approaches, the Rebels will obviously need to get this in check if Beard’s bunch wants to make some noise in league play.
The one positive for Beard and Ole Miss: the play of Jaylen Murray. Most assumed he would be a pass-first, floor general due to his experience in March. But he has been a pleasant surprise this season through eight games. He finished with a team-high 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting. He also dished out six assists.
Jaemyn Brakefield was a workhorse on the glass, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds for Ole Miss.
