11/25/2022 basketball Edit

Ole Miss downs Siena, advances to finals of ESPN Events Invitational

Ole Miss Rebels forward Myles Burns (3) drivers to the basket as Siena Saints guard Jared Billups (1) defends during the first half at ESPN Wide World of Sports. Mandatory Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

Neal McCready • RebelGrove

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Ole Miss continued its winning ways Friday, beating Siena, 74-62, to advance to the finals of the ESPN Events Invitational.

The Rebels will face Seton Hall or Oklahoma at 12:30 p.m. CST Sunday. That game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Ole Miss (6-0) got a balanced scoring attack Friday, paced by freshman guard Amaree Abram, who scored 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-3 shooting from behind the 3-point line.

"We guarded well," Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. "We talked about playing with better pace, no-dribble passes, the ball moved more, we were better in transition in the second half."

Forward Jaemyn Brakefield continued to impress, scoring 17 points to go with seven rebounds and two assists. Matthew Murrell added 14 points and defensive whiz Myles Burns had six points, six rebounds and three assists.

"We tried to come out aggressive and stick to our gameplay," Brakefield said.

Brakefield said he spent the offseason working hard, changing his diet and getting in better shape, getting stronger and lowering body fat. Davis said it definitely has shown.

"He cares so much," Davis said. "I'm so excited for Jaemyn. You can't imagine how many hours he's put in the gym since last year. His conditioning is elite. I don't think I took him out in the second half. He can play all day. His body fat is down. You can tell he's more athletic. He's rebounding the ball better. He's a culmination of how hard he's worked. He's a good teammate. You hear his voice in the huddle all the time. I'm just really proud of Jaemyn."

Siena (3-3) was led by Javian McCollum's 24 points. Jackson Stormo added 13.

Ole Miss dominated in almost every facet of the game, out-rebounding the Saints, 36-27, and dominating in the paint, 40-30. Ole Miss had 13 steals and shot 50 percent from the floor and 33 percent from the 3-point line.

Siena led, 27-26, at halftime, but Ole Miss dominated the second half, using an 8-0 run to pull away early. The Rebels led by as many as 12 points.