Southern Miss
6-6,0-0Sun Belt
Ole Miss
12-0,0-0SEC
Ole Miss Gets Hot From Deep in Win Over Golden Eagles in Biloxi
12/23/2023 4:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BILOXI, Miss. –- Ole Miss, ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll, shot 58 percent from three-point land as the Rebels (12-0, 0-0 SEC) knocked off Southern Miss (6-6, 0-0 Sun Belt), 89-72, at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
Cobie Montgomery and Andre Curbelo came off the Golden Eagle bench and combined for 28 points on the day. Montgomery made an immediate impact for Southern Miss as the junior guard nailed back-to-back three-pointers to help cut a 15-point Ole Miss advantage to six.
Montgomery's flurry of points made it a 25-19 game with 10 minutes left in the opening half, but Matthew Murrell and Jaylen Murray nailed back-to-back triples to quiet the Southern Miss faithful. Ole Miss' three-point game was the story of the half as it opened the game by hitting five of its first six triples.
The Rebels were able to hold off another Southern Miss run after a pair of Curbelo free throws, and ultimately took a 17-point lead into the half. The Rebels shot 61.5 percent from three in the half and 54.8 percent from the floor.
Ole Miss' three-point success carried over into the second half as it shot 50 percent beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles tried to throw everything they had at the Rebels despite their timely shooting. With about eight minutes left to play, Victor Iwuakor capped a 6-0 run from Southern Miss that made it a 10-point game.
That's as close as the Golden Eagles would get as Ole Miss pulled away to a 17-point win. The Rebels were paced by Murrell's 26 points and Murray's five three-pointers. Montgomery led all Golden Eagles with 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Victor Hart, Iwuakor and Curbelo all had 13 points.
The Golden Eagles shot 48 percent from the floor and 47 percent from deep. Hart grabbed 11 rebounds en route to a double-double.
Southern Miss returns to action after the holiday break as it travels to Georgia Southern on Dec. 30. Tip-off in Statesboro, Ga. Is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
