Texas basketball head coach Rodney Terry preaches his team’s need to stay under 10 turnovers or less in order to put themselves in a favorable position to win games.
In a game that saw the Longhorns hold the edge in shooting percentage, rebounding and points in the paint, it ended up being Ole Miss’ ability to force the Longhorns into 11 turnovers that paved the way for Chris Beard‘s club to hang on to a 72-69 win over Texas on Wednesday evening.
Texas 14-7 (3-5 SEC) entered the contest riding consecutive wins and for the first 20 minutes of play, appeared put themselves in position to extend the win streak to three.
The Longhorns raced out to an 11-2 lead over the first five minutes of the game and led by as many as 13, behind a solid shooting effort and dominating Ole Miss 16-5 (5-3) on the boards – leading to second chance scoring opportunities.
Forward Kadin Shedrick grabbed four first-half rebounds (two offensive), which helped pave the way for a balanced scoring effort for Terry’s club.
Guard Tre Johnson scored 11 first-half points, six of which came during a 14-2 run over 4:17 of gameplay that helped Texas go from an 18-17 lead, to a 32-19 advantage that was capped by a Devon Pryor dunk.
Johnson ended the night as the game’s leading scorer, pouring in 22 points on 6-of-16 shooting and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line, but was one of only two Longhorns to reach double digits in scoring.
Texas appeared to be on its way to cruising to a win, holding an 11-point lead with just under four minutes left in the first half, but Beard saw his club go on a 9-2 run to close the half.
The Rebels’ top two scorers in guard Sean Pedulla and forward Jaemyn Brakefield accounted for seven of the nine points, cutting Texas’ lead to four as the Horns took a 38-34 lead into the intermission.
Pedulla led his team with 19 points, while Brakefield had 18 points and five rebounds.
Ole Miss senior guard Dre Davis, who averages 9.5 points and four rebounds per game emerged in the second half as an additional scorer for the Rebels.
Davis hit a pair of buckets as Ole Miss scored 10 of the first 14 points to open the second half, giving the home team a two-point edge with 16 minutes remaining.
Davis finished the night with 17 points and a team-high seven boards.
Both teams would trade buckets over the next 10 minutes, but Texas’ inability to hit shots would pave the way for Ole Miss to take their largest lead of the game.
Longhorns’ guard Jordan Pope shot 1-of-6 in the second half as part of a cold shooting night, with Pope finishing the game 3-of-14 from the field and just eight points.
Forward Arthur Kaluma, who returned to the starting lineup after missing the Texas A&M game with a knee injury scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high seven boards. Kaluma’s jumper with 8:02 left gave Texas a 53-52 lead, but would represent the final Longhorn advantage of the contest.
Following a pair of free throws by Johnson that tied the game at 58, Brakefield hit a jumper and proceeded to steal the ball from Johnson on the ensuing possession that led to a Davis dunk to that gave Ole Miss their largest lead of the game at 63-58.
Johnson and guard Tramon Mark were able to get to the charity stripe, combining to five free throws followed by a Johnson three-pointer that tied the game at 66 with 2:21 left, but the Rebels scored six of the last nine points to seal the game away.
Breakfield and Pedulla hit jumpers to put Ole Miss ahead, while Kaluma missed the second of two free throws which kept the Rebels ahead 70-69. Following a pair of Davon Barnes free throws which extended the lead to three, Johnson had a final three-point shot to tie the game, but it was off the mark.
Ole Miss won the turnover battle 11-4, which led to a 13-4 edge in points off turnovers. Texas outrebounded the Rebels 42-33 and had the advantage in points in the paint 28-24, while shooting 41% from the field (26-of-64).
However, Ole Miss limited Texas to just 5-of-22 from three-point range, while shooting 40% from the field (23-of-58) and 7-of-21 from long distance (33%).
As Beard takes the first meeting against his old team after being dismissed in Jan. 2023, Terry and the Longhorns turn their attention to a matchup at LSU on Saturday looking to keep ground in the SEC standings.
In a thrilling matchup between Ole Miss and Texas, the Rebels came out on top with a 72-69 victory. The game marked a reunion between former Longhorns head coach Chris Beard, now at the helm of Ole Miss, and Rodney Terry’s Texas team.
Beard, who made the move from Texas to Ole Miss in the offseason, faced off against his former team in a highly anticipated matchup. The game was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading leads throughout the contest.
In the end, it was Ole Miss who emerged victorious, with Beard securing a hard-fought win over his former team. The Rebels’ resilience and determination were on full display, as they outlasted Texas in a thrilling finish.
The win was a statement victory for Beard and Ole Miss, proving that they are a force to be reckoned with in college basketball. As the season progresses, it will be exciting to see how Beard continues to lead his team to success.
Overall, Ole Miss’ win over Texas was a testament to their perseverance and skill, and a reminder of the impact that Beard has had on the program. It was a night to remember for Rebel fans, as they celebrated a hard-fought victory over a tough opponent.
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