The Ole Miss Rebels nearly pulled off an upset on the road against Vanderbilt but fell short 71-68 at Memorial Gymnasium on Saturday.
AJ Storr's jumper shot in the final seconds to either tie the game or win the game rolled off the rim as the Commodores held on for the win. The game was originally supposed to be in Oxford but moved to Nashville due to the winter snowstorms affecting the Oxford area and the University of Mississippi campus.
"I thought our guys played well tonight," Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. "It's kind of one of those games that whoever made the last shot was going to win."
Ole Miss trailed 31-23 at halftime after a rough first half that included nine turnovers. Vanderbilt took advantage of the Rebels' offensive struggles and ran away with it in the first half to dominate early.
The second half was a different story.
The Rebels were a different team in the second half, committing only one or two turnovers and getting themselves back in the game with a chance to possibly win.
"The number one objective on offense was to take care of the ball, and we obviously got that done," Beard said.
Vanderbilt extended the lead on a free throw shot from forward AK Okereke, who had 17 points for the Commodores. Beard said that he was the deciding factor in the win.
"Give them [Vanderbilt] a lot of credit. Number 10 [Okereke] was the difference in the game and we knew their point guard's a really good player," he said. "I think he's the MVP of our league if Vandy wins this conference. Vanderbilt has one of the best shooters in the country. I thought we did a pretty good job for the most part on him with just awareness. But Number 10 was kind of the separator and he beat us on the free throw line."
Storr hit a late three-pointer to keep Ole Miss within striking distance but it wasn't enough to win the game. Despite that, Storr said he felt good about his final attempt.
"Yeah, it felt good," he said. "Just came off the rim a little strong. Yeah, just missed it."
The Rebels also dealt with challenges off the court. The winter snowstroms in Oxford caused power outages, road problems, forcing the team to make adjustments during their difficult time.
"It was difficult," Storr said. "But we got back to working on what we could. We got back together with the team, and act like it never happened."
Despite the loss, Beard said the effort showed growth from his team, which has played most of its SEC games on the road.
"Six of your first nine on the road is really challenging," Beard said. "I thought our guys played with a lot of courage tonight."
Ole Miss will continue their road swing against the Tennessee Vols on Tuesday. The game comes on at 6:00 p.m. CST.