Rebels turn weakness into defining victory
OXFORD — In a span of two weeks, Ole Miss basketball turned a potentially ruinous weakness into a critical strength.
The Rebels (6-2) defeated No. 19 Memphis 67-63 on Saturday for their fourth-straight win over a ranked opponent. The win was a clinic in recovery and response. Ole Miss led at halftime, surrendered its lead early in the second half, fought back to lead by 11 points with two minutes to go, had its lead cut to two points in the final minute but held on to win behind clutch free-throw shooting from center Nysier Brooks.
Consider it a 180-degree turnaround from two weeks ago in the Charleston Classic. In losses against Marquette and Boise State, the Rebels led 36-31 and 2721 at halftime but were outscored 86-59 in those second halves and shot 6-for-15 on free throws to ultimately lose two close games.
“We fought a lot,” Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. “If you think about it (Austin Crowley) had four (fouls), Jaemyn (Brakefield) had four, Robert Allen was out. We went small. We went four guards. We were just kind of hanging on ... We just kind of found some different ways to get it done.”
It’s the kind of turnaround that can define the course of the rest of the season. Senior guard Jarkel Joiner, who led the Rebels with 20 points against the reeling Tigers (5-3), explained this was a conscious effort. It came down to leaders being more vocal in huddle so Davis didn’t have to motivate the team entirely himself. It came down to bench players cheering on their teammates and starters fighting through fatigue when the Rebels only had six players in their rotation in the final few minutes.
It came down to a belief and confidence the Rebels seemed to master in the final minutes to hold on for a signature non-conference win.
“We just knew we couldn’t let this slip away from us,” Joiner said. “We know basketball is a game of runs. We knew they were going to make a run. They’re a good team. But we knew we were going to slow it down and prevent it. That’s what we did.”
Memphis only led for 2:01 in the second half. The Rebels were 19-for-25 on second-half free throws, including 5for-6 in the final minute. Joiner scored seven points in the second half and Memphis native Matthew Murrell scored 16.
Murrell was crucial to the Rebels in the second half. Starting guard Austin Crowley only played six minutes because of foul trouble. Senior guard Tye Fagan only played two minutes. Forward Robert Allen went down with an injury in the first minute of the second half and Jaemyn Brakefield played just eight second-half minutes before fouling out.
With depth at a premium, Ole Miss needed players to step up. Brooks played the entire second half. Joiner and Murrell played 19 minutes each. Davis said he saw his players slow down toward the end but they kept fighting.
For Murrell, it was an extra special win. He grew up in Memphis playing against teams coached by Memphis coach Penny Hardaway. Now he beat his hometown team on a career-high scoring performance.
For Davis, it was a statement win and proof of concept for an Ole Miss team working to overcome an issue that needed correcting.
“We can analyze a lot of different things, but it comes down to real simple things sometimes,” Davis said. “It’s going to the line and making free throws under pressure. I’m sure proud of our guys.”
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.