OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Jaylen Murray scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Mississippi held off Mississippi State 86-82 on Tuesday night to end a three-game losing streak in the series.
Dashawn Davis’ layup pulled Mississippi State to 84-82 with 40 seconds remaining. Murray missed a 3 on the ensuing possession with 16 seconds to go, but the Bulldogs’ Cameron Matthews missed a pair of free throws with four seconds left. TJ Caldwell then made two free from the line to seal it for Ole Miss.
Matthew Murrell added 20 points and Caldwell finished with 18 for Ole Miss (18-3, 5-3 SEC), which has won three straight games and is 13-0 at home. Murray, Murrell and Caldwell were a combined 20-of-40 shooting from the field and made all 12 of the Rebels’ 3-pointers. Jaemyn Brakefield chipped in with 10 points and six assists.
Josh Hubbard scored 21 points and had seven assists to lead Mississippi State (14-7, 3-5). Matthews added 16 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Davis scored 15 points and Shakeel Moore had 14.
Mississippi State, which was coming off a upset win over then-No. 8 Auburn, trailed the entire second half and by as many as 11 points against Ole Miss. The Bulldogs pulled within one point twice inside the final 5:15.
Murray’s 3-pointer tied the game 39-all with three seconds left in the first half. Ole Miss opened the second on a 17-6 run for a 56-45 advantage with 14 minutes to play. It was the Rebels largest lead of the game.
Ole Miss is 89-47 against Mississippi State at home.
Each teams plays on Saturday. Mississippi State is on the road against No. 24 Alabama while Ole Miss hosts No. 16 Auburn.
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Jan 30, 2024 11:19 PM – 344 words
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