Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Advances to SEC Tournament Quarterfinals with Win over Georgia

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ole Miss men’s basketball secured a 76-72 victory over Georgia on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena, advancing to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The Rebels are set to face No. 15 Alabama on Friday evening.

With five seconds remaining, Georgia’s late dunk cut Ole Miss’s lead to two points. The Bulldogs then fouled Kezza Giffa, who made a free throw to push the lead to three. Georgia responded by fouling again, allowing the Bulldogs to make one free throw and miss the second. Travis Perry secured a defensive rebound to seal the win for Ole Miss, which finished the game with a 14-19 record and a 4-14 mark in SEC play.

Ole Miss jumped out to an early 9-5 lead and led 34-20 at halftime, thanks in part to a fastbreak dunk by AJ Storr. In the second half, the Rebels extended their lead to 53-32 early but saw Georgia rally to cut the deficit to five points with under nine minutes remaining. Perry responded with a three-pointer to restore a six-point cushion, and Ole Miss maintained its lead until the final seconds.

Ole Miss’s defensive effort limited Georgia, which entered the night as the third-highest scoring offense nationally, to its lowest first-half total and field goal percentage this season. Malik Dia scored 17 points and averaged nearly 20 over the last nine games. James Scott grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds and recorded three blocks, while Ilias Kamardine added four steals, a career high.

The Rebels will now face Alabama on Friday at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network. This marks Ole Miss’s second straight appearance in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals and their first two wins at the event since 2013.

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