Ole Miss basketball suffers home loss to lowly South Carolina
OXFORD — Ole Miss basketball could not have asked for a better opportunity to win a second consecutive game for the first time since November.
South Carolina, rated as one of the worst teams in power conference basketball by KenPom, came into the SJB Pavilion with one SEC win. It brought its best player, GG Jackson, off the bench. It gave the Rebels two free throws and the ball with a two-point lead late after a silly intentional foul.
Ole Miss rejected all of those gifts, falling 64-61 in what would be its worst loss of the season had it not dropped a home game to North Alabama already.
Jacobi Wright drilled a corner 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining, giving the Gamecocks their first lead since the 13:19 mark of the second half.
The Rebels got a 3-point look for Matthew Murrell on their ensuing possession, but he couldn’t deliver, and Ole Miss (10-15, 2-10 SEC) failed to pick up its first SEC home win of the season against the rebuilding Gamecocks (9-16, 2-10) in their first season under coach Lamont Paris.
Jackson limited, but Wright and Brown pose problems
Jackson, the one man on South Carolina's roster with a reputation for filling up the basket, came off the bench and played only 12 minutes. South Carolina coach Lamont Paris had previously criticized the five-star freshman's body language, and Jackson had been critical of Paris on Instagram live.
The Rebels could not take advantage of that, allowing two South Carolina role players to have fantastic games.
Wright, who came into the afternoon averaging fewer than six points per game, exploded for 17 on 6-of-9 shooting. Hayden Brown also exceeded his 10.9-point average with 18.
That duo ensured the Rebels never pulled away, and Wright delivered the decisive moment late.
Fagan and Allen provide key points
The Rebels won at Georgia on Tuesday thanks to the efforts of secondary scorers Myles Burns and Jaemyn Brakefield, and got a similar contribution from Tye Fagan.
Fagan entered with an average of only three points per game on the season, but delivered 17 key points for the Rebels, who got another 10 from Robert Allen.
Much of Fagan's production came at the free-throw line, which helped supplant an inefficient shooting afternoon for the Rebels. But his efforts weren't enough.
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The Rebels will hit the road on Wednesday to take on Florida.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss basketball suffers home loss to lowly South Carolina
