Dillon CaderThe Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team took their fourth loss in a row, this time at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks after an extraordinary finish in Oxford on Tuesday, 77-74.
In a game that had seven ties and 11 lead changes, Ole Miss once again failed to pull through when the game was right there for the taking.
The first half saw very little offensive production as both teams shot less than 40% from the field and only 17% from the three. After taking a 29-28 lead heading into the break, Ole Miss appeared to look more comfortable on the offensive end and began to find their stroke midway through the second half.
The Gamecocks played at the pace of the Rebels, as both teams would heat up and cool down in unison. Ole Miss seemed to be close to pulling away, but South Carolina hit big shot after big shot to stay in the game.
Ole Miss clung to a one-point lead until South Carolina’s leading scorer Erik Stevenson hit a three with 23 seconds left in the game to give the Gamecocks a 68-66 lead. With the ball on the last possession, Jarkel Joiner drove his way into the lane and hit a layup with one second left. South Carolina would then miss their first attempt at a half-court shot, which sent the game into overtime.
Offensive production was once again limited for both teams in overtime and Ole Miss found itself with the ball in its hands for the last shot with the game tied at 74. Joiner worked the clock down under five seconds before pump-faking and leaning into a three-point attempt to try and draw a foul. He was not rewarded with the call and missed the shot.
Then, with two seconds left in the game and the ball under his own basket, South Carolina’s Jermaine Couisnard inbounded the ball all the way to half court where James Reese would catch and fire it at the buzzer, off the glass, securing the win. A miraculous half-court heave made for yet another heartbreaking loss for the Rebels and their record falls to 12-14 and 3-10 in SEC play.
It’s not every day when there is a half-court shot to end a game, but with the way this season has gone for the Rebels, it seems like the most logical outcome. The last two possessions of the game sum up the Rebels’ season pretty fairly in that they failed to take advantage of an opportunity to win the game and received a healthy dose of bad luck to pile on top of their shortcomings.
Nysier Brooks, Mathew Murrell and Jarkel Joiner all led the game in scoring with 18-point outings. With five games left in the season, the Rebels will need similar production from the three if they wish to end the campaign on a high note.
The Rebels next action will be against Georgia in Athens on Saturday, Feb 19. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. CST.
