Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball were back in action Wednesday night at Auburn where the Rebels were looking for a season sweep.
Coach Kermit Davis and Ole Miss basketball (17-7, 7-4) were looking for their third consecutive win on the road at Auburn (16-8, 5-6) Wednesday night. The Rebels were also looking for the season sweep over the Tigers. Davis and the Rebels picked up the 82-67 win in the first meeting between the two teams in Oxford earlier this season.
Ole Miss basketball entered the Wednesday night matchup coming off a 80-64 win at Georgia while the Tigers were coming off a 83-78 loss at LSU this past weekend. The SEC road is a tough place to play and even a tougher place to win so the Rebels had their work cut out for them Wednesday night.
While the scoring Wednesday evening started slow for both teams it was obvious the Rebels were in the groove once they began making their shots. The Rebels took the 30-26 lead into the locker room at the half. Despite several Rebels seeing foul trouble and being outscored 31-30 in the second half the Rebels picked up the 60-55 win over the Tigers for the season sweep.
By The Numbers
Ole Miss Rebels
As a team the Rebels shot just .373 from the field while still out-shooting the Tigers at .327. From beyond the arc the Rebels shot .394 while the Tigers shot just .250 from 3-point distance.
From the charity stripe the Rebels shot just .692 Auburn shot .723 from the free throw line. Both teams pulled down 34 boards with Ole Miss forcing 14 turnovers while only committing 13 of their own. The Rebels had 8 steals while the Tigers had just 6 takeaways.
Individual Rebels Numbers
In the win there were two Rebels who scored in double-digits against the Tigers. Leading all Rebels was junior Breein Tyree who had 20 points. Tyree also had 4 boards, 2 assists and three steals in the game. Sophomore Devontae Shuler added 17 points while also pulling down 3 boards to go with his 4 assists and 2 steals.
Senior Terence Davis who saw limited action in the first half due to foul trouble added 8 points while senior Bruce Stevens and junior Zach Naylor each added 5 points in the game. Davis pulled down 4 boards and had 1 assist in the game while Stevens had 5 boards and 1 blocked shot. Naylor had 4 rebounds and 1 assist.
Observations
Any win is a great win and when you get a SEC road win and season sweep over Auburn in a very close game it makes even sweeter. When you consider the Rebels were without freshman Blake Hinson then you truly have to appreciate this SEC road win. The Rebels bench was forced to play early and they responded with some surprises on the court.
It was a hot night for Tyree and Shuler who combined for 37 points in the game. At the 3-point line the Rebels were deadly for the Tigers and the defense may have been the best we have seen all season although Auburn’s poor shooting from the field helped the Rebels. Still for the Rebels to get their 3rd consecutive win and the sweep while on the road was huge and will help the Rebels as they wind down the regular season.
This Saturday Coach Kermit Davis and the Rebels will be back in action as they host the Missouri Tigers in Oxford. Please be sure to be ready for the OHT preview of Ole Miss/Mizzou coming soon. You can always check back here or you can visit and like the OHT Facebook page or follow us on Twitter for the latest news and updates. Hotty Toddy!