Jaemyn Brakefield’s 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short Saturday night, preserving No. 15 Mississippi State’s 84-81 win over No. 21 Ole Miss in overtime at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Rebels (15-3 overall, 4-1 in the Southeastern Conference) led by two points early in overtime, but the Bulldogs (15-3, 3-2) made just enough plays to avoid what would have been a devastating home loss.
The Rebels missed a couple of critical free throws in the extra period — and made just 8-for-14 from the free throw line all game — and relinquished the lead for good with 1:32 on Riley Kugel’s 3-pointer. An RJ Melendez layup with 36.2 seconds left extended Mississippi State’s lead to 81-77.
A dunk from Brakefield cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 81-79. Ke’Shawn Murphy’s free throw pushed the lead back to three points, setting up a wild finish.
Sean Pedulla committed a turnover in front of the Ole Miss bench with 20.9 seconds leff. The Bulldogs answered with a turnover of their own but Pedulla missed a deep 3-point attempt, setting up two Kugel free throws with 11.7 seconds left.
Down five points, Brakefield was fouled on a drive to the basket. Officials called it a Flagrant-1, giving Brakefield two free throws and awarding the ball to Ole Miss. Brakefield made both free throws, but couldn’t make the game’s final shot.
“They were the more physical team,” Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “That was a great basketball game today. …We had too many critical mistakes in big moments. …We missed a couple of block-outs and our shot selection wasn’t what we needed it to be late.”
Kugel led Mississippi State with 21 points. Murphy added 18 and Melendez added 12. Cam Matthews and Josh Hubbard had 10 each for the Bulldogs.
Brakefield led Ole Miss with 20 points and seven rebounds. Pedulla added 18. Matthew Murrell had 15 and Jaylen Murray 10 for Ole Miss.
Ole Miss trailed by seven points late in regulation before storming back to tie it on Murrell’s deep 3-pointer with 8 seconds remaining. Kugel’s potential game-winner at the buzzer rimmed out, sending the game to overtime.
Ole Miss overcame a horrendous start to get back into the game. Mississippi State scored the game’s first 11 points and led by as many as 14 points before the Rebels scrapped and clawed their way back into the contest. Mississippi State led by eight at halftime.
'You can’t start out the game like we did,” Beard said, referring to the start as “unacceptable.”
“We understood what we were walking into today,” Beard said. “We just didn’t get it done early.”
Ole Miss returns to action Wednesday at home versus Texas A&M. Tipoff at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion is set for 8 p.m.
Notes:
State dominates glass: Mississippi State won the battle on the boards, 51-29. The Bulldogs had 19 offensive rebounds, leading to 19 second-chance points. The Bulldogs also won points in the paint, 40-29.
Even match: Otherwise, most stats were even Saturday. Both teams shot 45 percent from the floor. Ole Miss was 13-for-35 from the 3-point line while Mississippi State was 9-for-27. Ole Miss forced 15 turnovers while committing just 10. Mississippi State got to the free throw consistently but couldn’t take advantage, making 17 of 28 shots from the stripe. Mississippi State led 40:08. Ole Miss led just 1:05. There were two lead changes and the game was tied four times.
Beard said he had no “major complaints” about the officiating, though he noted the free throw differential was “big,” though he said Mississippi State was far more aggressive early.
MSU focused on Dia: Malik Dia, so dominant in Ole Miss’ win at Alabama Tuesday, had just eight points and two rebounds Saturday. Mississippi State doubled him when he got the ball in the first half and the Belmont transfer never really found an offensive rhythm.
Brown-Jones returns: After missing the last three games, Mikeal Brown-Jones returned to action Saturday. Brown-Jones had four rebounds and an assist in nine minutes.
