Despite a late rally that saw Ole Miss cut its deficit to Kentucky down to two points with 2:48 to play, the Wildcats outscored the Rebels 10-3 over the game’s final 1 minute, 5 seconds in a 72-63 victory at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. It’s Ole Miss’ (11-9, 3-4 SEC) second loss in a row.
Kentucky (14-6, 5-2) star guard Otega Oweh scored 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. Ole Miss senior guard AJ Storr scored a team-high 20 points. Rebels freshman guard Patton Pinkins scored all nine of his points in the second half.
Shot-making was at a premium for both teams in the first half, as the Rebels and Wildcats made a combined 15 of 53 shots from the field. Ole Miss’ 23 first-half points were the fewest in a half this year. The Rebels made 6 of 11 shots from 3-point range in the second half after missing 9 of 10 from deep in the first.
The Rebels were held without a field goal for the first three-plus minutes of the game but found their footing once Storr came in off the bench, as the Kansas transfer scored five of Ole Miss’ next seven points after entering the game. A 3-pointer from redshirt freshman guard Zach Day gave the Rebels a three-point lead with 11:28 left in the first half. Eight-straight points from Kentucky’s Jasper Johnson helped propel the Wildcats to a 29-23 halftime lead.
Ole Miss cut what was an eight-point second-half lead down to one point five minutes into the period. Pinkins eventually tied the game at 39-39 with a 3-pointer, though the Wildcats responded with an 11-6 run and took a 50-45 lead. The Rebels got within a single possession on four occasions over the final 8:25, but a 3-pointer from Kentucky’s Collin Chandler all but sealed the game with just over 47 seconds to play. Ole Miss missed five of its last six shots to close out the game.
Senior forward Malik Dia scored 16 points for the Rebels.
The Rebels host Vanderbilt at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
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