Advertisement
basketball Edit

Late drought proves costly as Ole Miss falls at Vanderbilt

Ole Miss Rebels forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) and Vanderbilt Commodores forward Liam Robbins (21) work for a loose ball during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Ole Miss Rebels forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) and Vanderbilt Commodores forward Liam Robbins (21) work for a loose ball during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Vanderbilt used a 10-0 run late in the second half Saturday, turning a one-point game into a double-digit lead for the Commodores.

Ole Miss failed to score for 3:43 during the Commodores’ 10-0 run, a drought snapped by Robert Allen’s 3-pointer with 48.3 seconds left. The Rebels tried to foul and free throw their way back into the game in the final minute, but there simply wasn’t enough time, as Vanderbilt prevailed, 74-71.

Vanderbilt improved to 11-12 overall and 4-6 in the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss, meanwhile, fell to 9-14 overall and 1-9 in the SEC. Including an SEC Tournament loss to Missouri last March, Ole Miss has now lost 24 of its last 29 games against SEC opponents.

Amaree Abram’s 3-pointer pulled Ole Miss to within 72-67 and had a chance to close it further, but Abram missed a 3-pointer on the Rebels’ next possession.

Liam Robbins made a pair of free throws with 21 seconds left to extend Vanderbilt’s lead to 74-67. Myles Burns made a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left to pull Ole Miss to within five points. Jaemyn Brakefield scored on a bucket at the buzzer that likely meant something to bettors — the Commodores were 4.5-point favorites — but didn’t impact the final outcome.

Robbins led Vanderbilt with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks. He was a force on both ends of the floor. Tyrin Lawrence added 18 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Quentin Millora-Brown added 10 points and five rebounds off the bench for Vanderbilt.

“We struggled at the five-spot (center) today,” Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. “Liam Robbins, when he’s healthy, he may be the best center in our league. …I thought we got the ball right around the goal at times. There were a couple of calls that didn’t happen, but we just have these two-minute lapses and we had them tonight. I thought we got great shots throughout the game — great, great shots. I thought Vanderbilt capitalized on some shots they had. We didn’t and we lost another close game.”

Ole Miss got 15 points and 12 rebounds from Brakefield, 12 points and eight rebounds from Burns and 10 points, two rebounds and three assists from Matthew Murrell, playing for the first time since suffering a knee injury two weeks ago in a loss at Arkansas.

Vanderbilt shot 44 percent from the floor while Ole Miss made just 36 percent of its shots. The Rebels were 10-for-26 from behind the 3-point line while Vanderbilt made just seven of its 22 shots from behind the arc. The game was even on the glass, as Vanderbilt had 41 rebounds, just one more than Ole Miss’ 40. Ole Miss won second-chance points, bench points and fast-break points by a total of seven points. Vanderbilt won points in the paint, 38-30.

It just came down to that late scoring drought for Ole Miss.

“Theo (Akwuba) had the ball at four or five feet and shot an airball,” Davis said. “I don’t think the shot was blocked. Matt had one at 15 feet and shot it a foot and a half left. I didn’t think it was blocked. I just thought we had some breakdowns defensively, couldn’t defensive rebound the ball. It was just a minute and a half stretch. Give Vanderbilt credit. They made some plays and some shots. …Those things we’ve seen on tape in those minute and a half stretches kind of came to light again.”

Ole Miss travels to Georgia Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

Some observations and notes:

— Both Ole Miss and Vanderbilt were struggling coming into Saturday’s game, but it was an entertaining, well-played game. There were 20 lead changes and the game was tied for 6:41. Both teams played hard and executed their respective game plans. Again, credit to two teams that could’ve just gone through the motions. Instead, they played a fun game.

— Millora-Brown gave Vanderbilt some huge minutes midway through the second half. Robbins took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Ole Miss’ Jayveous McKinnis. While Robbins was on the bench, trying to get his faculties together again, Millora-Brown made several big plays on both ends, allowing the Commodores to build a 47-44 lead with 11:59 left.

— Ole Miss once again struggled to get to the free throw line. The Rebels made all seven of their free throw attempts. Vanderbilt missed seven free throws, but the Commodores took 20 free throws.

— Davis said Buffalo transfer portal forward Josh Mballa is “hurt again,” adding Mballa was the Rebels’ most celebrated recruit. Davis said the plan was for Mballa to play 30 minutes a game this year, but he’s had knee, hamstring and now a toe injury that have hampered him.

“I hope he’ll get healthier and healthier and if he does, we’re sure going to give him a chance down the stretch,” Davis said.

Advertisement