Sean Pedulla drilled seven 3-pointers and finished with 27 points as No. 25 Ole Miss defeated visiting South Alabama 64-54 in a nonconference game Tuesday night in Oxford, Miss.
Jaemyn Brakefield made both of his 3-point tries and finished with 14 points for Ole Miss (3-0), which hit 13 triples after making just six in Friday’s 66-64 win over Grambling. Malik Dia bundled five points with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Three of the Rebels’ triples on Tuesday came in the game’s final four minutes, giving the hosts breathing room after the Jaguars closed to within three points.
Judah Brown scored 16 points and Myles Corey added 14 to lead South Alabama (1-2), which made seven 3-pointers and conceded 18 points off of its 14 turnovers.
The Jaguars trailed 55-52 before Jaylen Murray drilled his second triple of the game to double Ole Miss’ lead with 3:34 left. Brakefield added another trey to stretch the margin to nine with 1:57 to go, and Pedulla answered Corey’s layup with his final 3-pointer to close the scoring with 33 seconds left.
South Alabama’s John Broom made a layup for the first points of the game, but the Rebels hit four early 3-pointers to spring ahead 14-5 with 14:26 left in the first half.
Then Ole Miss went cold. Meanwhile, 3-pointers by Brown and Randy Brady were part of a 12-2 run that gave South Alabama a 17-16 lead.
Dre Davis’ layup ended the Rebels’ four-minute scoring drought, and 3-pointers by Brakefield and Pedulla gave Ole Miss a 24-20 lead.
The Jaguars tied the score at 24, but they didn’t make a field goal during the final 6 1/2 minutes of the half. Pedulla made two 3-pointers and scored eight points and Brakefield scored the other six points in a 14-0 run by the Rebels.
JJ Wheat made two free throws for South Alabama, ending a nearly six-minute scoring drought and leaving Ole Miss with a 38-26 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
