Brakefield propels Ole Miss to 78-76 win over No. 4 Tennessee
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Jaemyn Brakefield scored all 19 of his points in the final 11 minutes, including a tiebreaking basket with 7 seconds remaining that lifted Mississippi over No. 4 Tennessee 78-76 on Wednesday night.
Brakefield rebounded a missed 3-pointer from Sean Pedulla and fought through traffic inside to convert the decisive layup. Malik Dia and Dre Davis had 13 points apiece for Ole Miss (21-9, 10-7 Southeastern Conference), and Matthew Murrell added 12.
The Rebels are 5-0 in games decided by four points or fewer since late January.
Tennessee (24-6, 11-6) had an opportunity in the last few seconds, but a short running jumper by Igor Milicic Jr. bounced off the rim. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak.
Jordan Gainey scored 17 points, Chaz Lanier had 15 and Felix Okpara added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Volunteers. Tennessee led 41-36 at halftime and 56-49 with 10:38 left before Ole Miss rallied.
Takeaways
Tennessee: One more win ensures a double bye in the SEC Tournament. But this loss could hurt Tennessee’s chances at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Mississippi: In his second season, coach Chris Beard’s team has built an impressive resume. The Rebels have five wins over AP Top 25 teams from three power conferences (SEC, ACC and Big 12). They have locked up a single bye in the SEC Tournament.
Key moment
After trailing by two with five minutes left, Ole Miss went on an 8-2 run that included six points from Davis to take a 74-70 lead with 2:35 to go. The Rebels never trailed again.
Key stats
There were 12 lead changes and the game was tied 13 times. … Tennessee made 25 field goals off 23 assists, highlighted by 15 from Zakai Ziegler. … Ole Miss outscored the Vols 46-20 in the paint.
Up next
Both teams conclude the regular season Saturday. Tennessee hosts South Carolina, and Ole Miss visits No. 5 Florida.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
By CHRIS BURROWS
Associated Press
