Rebels earned a 67-61 win over South Carolina

Story from Ole Miss Athletics:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 13 seed Ole Miss men’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the 2023 SEC Tournament with a 67-61 victory over the 12 seed South Carolina on Wednesday night in Bridgestone Arena.

“So excited for our team,” said acting head coach Win Case. “We always talk about happy locker rooms. It’s been a tough season for us, but I’d just like to take my hat off to my team. I’m very proud of (them), let’s keep moving forward.”

The Rebels (12-20, 3-15 SEC) equaled the score at four early on a pair of dunks by Matthew Murrell and James White, each following a steal by Myles Burns. Five lead changes and three ties scripted a tight first half, before Burns drained a three to put Ole Miss up 21-19 with just over eight minutes before the half. Ole Miss would head to the locker room with a one-point lead on the Gamecocks (11-21, 4-14 SEC), up 30-29.

“We knew that South Carolina was going to be ready to play, and they were,” said Case. “I’d like to give them a lot of credit, very talented team that plays very, very hard.”

Following a dunk by South Carolina to claim a quick lead, the Rebels responded with a 9-0 run to step back in front, 39-31 with 16:19 left to play. The battle continued throughout the half, before a barrage of threes from Amaree Abram helped Ole Miss go up 59-50.

While South Carolina got within three late, a clutch jumper from James Whitehelped seal the victory for Ole Miss and punch their ticket to the next round of the SEC Tournament.

“We came in here with a clean slate and knew it was going to be a new season,” said Jaemyn Brakefield. “We’re just trying to come here 0-0 and take each game at its own. We’re going to focus on tomorrow starting now.”

Coming off the bench and playing 21 minutes, Abram led the Rebels in scoring with 20 points, connecting on a career-best five three pointers. White recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Brakefield added 18 points, seven rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal.

Recording six steals, Burns moved into second on the school’s top-10 list for most in a season, now with 77. He trails only Gerald Glass who had 89 during the 1988-89 season. His six swipes on defense also ties him for the seventh-most in a single game in SEC Tournament history, and were the most in a game since 2011.

South Carolina was led by Gregory “GG” Jackson with 24 points, while Meechie Johnson added 13.

Ole Miss now readies themselves for a second-round matchup with the tournament’s five seed, No. 17 Tennessee on Thursday, March 9 at 2 p.m. on the SEC Network. The Rebels are 7-5 all-time when facing the Volunteers in the SEC Tournament.