Jaemyn Brakefield and Matthew Murrell each scored 15 points to lift No. 24 Ole Miss to a 63-51 win over Georgia on Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.
Dre Davis added nine points for the Rebels (12-2, 1-0 SEC), which rebounded from their loss at Memphis on Dec. 28.
Asa Newell collected 13 points and 13 rebounds for Georgia (12-2, 0-1), which saw its seven-game winning streak come to a halt. The Bulldogs shot 29.3 percent (17-for-58) from the field and 11.1 percent from 3-point range.
Trailing 28-26 at halftime, Murrell made consecutive baskets to begin the second half.
After Tyrin Lawrence’s driving layup stopped the Rebels’ run, Brakefield’s triple jump started an 8-0 Rebels’ spurt, extending Ole Miss’ lead to 41-30 with 14:53 left.
Jaylen Murray’s shot clock-beating bank shot put the Rebels ahead 44-32 with 11:48 remaining, but the Bulldogs held Ole Miss without a field goal until the 5:59 mark. Devon Barnes’ layup ended an 11-1 Georgia run.
Brakefield then hit a deep 3-pointer, pushing Ole Miss’ lead to 50-43 with 5:10 remaining.
After De’Shayne Montgomery’s layup trimmed Georgia’s deficit to 52-47 at the 4:29 mark, Brakefield and Davis each knocked down a pair of free throws to extend Ole Miss’ lead. Brakefield and Murrell then each made baskets to push the Rebels’ advantage to 60-47 with 1:12 remaining.
Newell’s dunk with six seconds left accounted for Georgia’s first field goal since Montgomery’s with 4:29 left.
Ole Miss took a 10-4 lead on Sean Pedulla’s 3-pointer and mid-range jumper with 15:26 left. Trailing 15-10, Newell’s three-point play stamped a 5-0 Georgia run to knot the game at 15 at the 9:28 mark.
After Davis’ hook shot put Ole Miss up 19-17, Dakota Leffew’s triple began a 6-0 Georgia spurt.
Tied at 26, Silas Demary Jr.’s layup gave Georgia a 28-26 halftime advantage. Pedulla’s seven points paced the Rebels in the first half, while Newell led Georgia with seven.
–Field Level Media
