Ole Miss edges Aggies to stop losing streak
Published 9:53 pm Wednesday, February 6, 2019
- Ole Miss guard Blake Hinson (0) is fouled by Texas A&M's Savion Flagg (1) on Wednesday. Ole Miss won 75-71. (Bruce Newman/The Oxford Eagle)
OXFORD (AP) — There was no celebration for Ole Miss, but there was a sigh of relief.
Ole Miss snapped a four-game losing streak, wiping out a nine-point deficit in the second half Wednesday night to defeat Texas A&M 75-71.
The Rebels play three of the next four games on the road and have home dates remaining against No. 1 Tennessee and No. 5 Kentucky.
“It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way,” Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. “We showed some toughness and contested shots in the last 10 minutes. We were desperate. We really needed this win.”
Breein Tyree scored 22 points for the Rebels (15-7, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) while Terence Davis added 19 points, including six consecutive free throws in the final 30 seconds to preserve the win. Blake Hinson added 11 points, including a pair of go-ahead free throws for a 65-64 lead with 2:51 left.
Wendell Mitchell led Texas A&M (8-13, 1-8) with 23 points while Brandon Mahan had 20 points, including 6 of 7 from the 3-point line. Josh Nebo added 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Aggies, who led 57-48 on a Savion Flagg layup with 12:46 left.
Ole Miss finished 24-of-58 (41 percent) from the field, including Tyree’s 7-of-15. The Rebels were 9– 26 (34 percent) from the 3-point line and 18-of-19 (95 percent) from the free throw line.
Texas A&M was 28-of-62 (45 percent) from the field, but struggled with a 1-of-11 slump in the final five minutes. The Aggies hit 11 of 23 (47 percent) from 3-point range but only 2 of 10 during the decisive rally by the Rebels.
Mahan was outstanding from 3-point range, hitting 10 consecutive shots over a two-game span against Tennessee and Ole Miss. The streak ended with a miss from 25 feet with 1:45 left and the Aggies trailing 67-64.
“He was open, but it was deep,” Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said of the potential game-tying shot. “The timing could have been better. It’s unfortunate.”