Senior Jarkel Joiner collected 24 points and a career-high seven assists as Ole Miss took control early in a 93-68 victory over Charleston Southern on Friday night in Oxford, Miss.
Joiner shot 9 of 14 from the floor and hit four 3-pointers. He was particularly dominating in the second half, when he scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Joiner helped Ole Miss (2-0) put the game away in the opening minutes of the second half. The Rebels saw their lead trimmed to 46-36 with 16:10 remaining, but Joiner converted a dunk and a 3-pointer as the lead grew to 57-38 nearly three minutes later.
He finished his big night with a layup at the 7:44 mark for a 24-point edge.
The Rebels’ Luis Rodriguez added 12, including a 3-pointer that pushed the lead over 20 points for the first time at 76-55 with about nine minutes left. Austin Crowley contributed 11 points and nine of the Rebels’ 23 assists and Matthew Murrell chipped in 11 points.
Jaemyn Brakefield added 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Ole Miss shot 50.7 percent after hitting 53.1 percent in its season opener against visiting New Orleans on Tuesday. The Rebels also shot 37.9 percent from 3-point range.
Deontaye Buskey scored 17 points for Charleston Southern (1-1), which briefly led twice in the game’s opening minutes. Buskey also grabbed seven rebounds but shot 6-of-18. Charleston Southern hit 36.9 percent after cruising to a 47-point win over Johnson & Wales in its season opener on Tuesday.
Kalib Clinton added 12 points for the Buccaneers, who missed 24 of 32 3-point tries. Tahlik Chavez and Sean Price each scored 10 points.
The Rebels started quickly, scoring 11 consecutive points in a span of 1:55 to take an 18-7 lead on a 3-pointer by Crowley. Ole Miss pushed the lead to 15 twice in the final two minutes for the half and held a 37-24 edge at the break.
–Field Level Media
