OXFORD — D.J. Jeffries’ 3-pointer from near the left corner of the SJB Pavilion court wasn’t quite in line with the basket.
Then again, the Mississippi State senior forward didn’t need it to be.
Jeffries’ shot glanced off the glass and cut through the hoop, giving the Bulldogs a crucial five-point cushion early in overtime Saturday against Ole Miss.
The triple was emblematic of how MSU played all afternoon: far from perfect, but ultimately enough.
“It’s a rivalry game on the road,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said. “That trumps everything.”
The Bulldogs (18-9, 6-8 Southeastern Conference) finished with five strong minutes after 40 shaky ones, holding off the Rebels (10-17, 2-12 SEC) by a 69-61 score in overtime in Oxford.
Mississippi State swept Ole Miss in the season series for the first time since the 2010-11 season and did so in its first season under Jans.
The former New Mexico State coach admitted rivalries like the MSU-Ole Miss tiff matter and said the Bulldogs didn’t shy away from the importance of either game with the Rebels.
On Saturday, it took a little longer than expected, but MSU — and a sizable fan section in Oxford — reaped the reward.
“To get our fanbase to enjoy that, that makes us feel so good,” Jans said.
MSU scored the first five points of the extra period on a runner by Dashawn Davis and Jeffries’ 3-ball, and it was enough to hang on for a crucial road win late in the regular season.
MSU held Ole Miss to just five points on 1-of-7 shooting in overtime. The Rebels shot just 32.3 percent from the field and 13.6 percent from 3 in the game.
Nineteen turnovers nearly cost the Bulldogs the win, but their strong defense and Ole Miss’ poor shooting sent coach Kermit Davis’ team to its 14th loss in 16 games.
“How many times do you get 13 steals and lose the game?” Davis said. “But we were 20 for 62. That’s Mississippi State.”
The Bulldogs were just 3 of 18 (16.7 percent) from 3, but they finished the game 46.2 percent from the floor. Tolu Smith and Cameron Matthews led the way with 17 points apiece, while Davis had 12 and Jeffries added 10.
Mississippi State recovered from trailing for much of the second half to send the game to OT in the first place. A pair of one-and-one free throws from Shakeel Moore with 50.5 seconds left tied the game at 54-all. Myles Burns put Ole Miss ahead with a layup, but MSU’s Tolu Smith responded with a bucket at the other end.
Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell had a potential winning shot blocked by the Bulldogs’ Eric Reed Jr., and Murrell’s second-chance attempt was well offline as the buzzer sounded.
“It was like we survived it, to be honest, in regulation,” Jans said. “… I thought Eric Reed’s defensive play at the end of regulation was huge against a really good player. He really stepped up.”
The sequence gave the Bulldogs energy to start overtime, and they channeled it into their play on the court.
Ole Miss managed just a layup and three free throws as MSU scored 13 points in overtime.
The lopsided extra period marred a remarkably close 40 minutes between the two schools.
Neither team led by more than three points at any point in the second half, and there were 10 lead changes in the game.
“It was a hard-fought rivalry game, as we’ve seen over the years between these two teams,” Davis said. “We had all the chances in the world to finish it out and couldn’t get stops.”
Ole Miss responded after Mississippi State jumped out to a double-digit lead early, going up 14-4 within the game’s first five minutes.
The Rebels scored the next seven points and eventually surged ahead in the half’s final minute on a pair of free throws by Murrell, taking a one-point lead into the break.
Jaemyn Brakefield led Ole Miss with 20 points. Murrell finished with 15, and Myles Burns had 10.
The Rebels came close but saw their losing streak in home SEC games, which dates back to January 2022, continue.
“Tough loss for us,” Davis said. “Our guys are hurting. I hate it for our players.”
Mississippi State will head to Missouri at 6 p.m. Tuesday, while Ole Miss will play Wednesday at Auburn.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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