After losing 10 straight games, Ole Miss has finally tasted victory. On Saturday, the battle-tested Rebels walked away with an 85-79 win at Auburn.
Ole Miss (12-17, 4-12 SEC) shot 53% from the floor in the conference showdown, with standout performances by freshman Patton Pinkins and AJ Storr catalyzing the team’s first win since Jan. 17. Pinkins was 8-10 from the field and 4-5 from 3-point range, scoring a career-high 26 points, while Storr also logged 26 points.
The Tigers (15-14, 6-10 SEC), who have now lost seven of their last eight matchups, were led in scoring by Tahaad Pettiford’s 24 points and Keyshawn Hall’s 21 points.
Auburn jumped off to a quick 9-3 lead, with a Malik Dia triple getting the Rebels on the scoreboard. Then the Pinkins show began, with the freshman landing a trio of 3-point shots to put Ole Miss up 21-15 at the 12:49 mark.
The Tigers promptly rebutted, going on a 16-4 run over the next eight minutes to reclaim the lead. With 4:46 on the first half clock, Auburn was up 31-25. Ole Miss scored eight unanswered points in the last two minutes of the frame to take a 38-37 advantage into the intermission.
Steven Pearl’s Tigers opened the second half just like it had to begin the game — red hot. Deep shots by Elyjah Freeman and Kevin Overton ignited an 11-2 Auburn run in the first three minutes after halftime.
Ole Miss guard Ilias Kamardine landed a jumper, and Eduardo Klafke connected on a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding. At the 15-minute mark, the momentum pendulum swung in the Rebels’ favor, with a Pinkins jumper fueling an 8-0 run to claim a 53-51 lead.
Keeping the gas on the pedal, Ole Miss built its advantage to 12 points, courtesy of a pair of 3-pointers by Storr and six post points from James Scott. At the 7:32 mark, the Rebels were up 67-55. Four minutes later, the visitors’ lead was reduced to two points, as Auburn looked to defend home court.
A crucial deep shot by Kamardine with 2:57 on the clock gave Ole Miss a two-score buffer. From there, the Rebels would be tested at the free-throw line. Storr and Pinkins were the only players to be sent to the stripe down the stretch, and were an efficient 9-11 to secure the win.
Ole Miss won the turnover battle on Saturday, coughing up the ball five fewer times than its foe and scoring six more points off of giveaways. The Rebels, mostly due to Storr’s performance, were dominant in bench points, with their reserves outscoring the Tigers’ 28-4.
While the Rebels finally got back in the win column, March Madness prospects are virtually nonexistent barring a successful SEC title run. Next up for Ole Miss is a Tuesday night matchup versus No. 25 Vanderbilt at 8 p.m. CT. SEC Network+ and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations will handle the broadcast.