Ole Miss basketball's win streak snapped in ugly 71-48 loss vs. Western Kentucky
Ole Miss basketball's winning streak didn't survive the team's trip to Atlanta.
The Rebels lost 71-48 against Western Kentucky on Saturday. Ole Miss (6-3) lost its three-game winning streak behind a 27.4% shooting performance where the Rebels were beaten handily in the half-court and struggled to push the ball ahead to take advantage of their strengths in transition.
"They just ran good offense and obviously the zone, we ran everything we could possibly run against the zone but couldn't make any plays against it," Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. "That affected our defense. But they beat us in-line, out-of-bounds. Every facet of basketball they beat us tonight."
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Western Kentucky center Jamarion Sharp used every bit of his 7-foot-5 frame to stymie Ole Miss' offense in the paint and score over the Rebels' defense. Sharp scored 16 points with nine rebounds and six blocks. His presence kept the Rebels out of the paint, where they were outscored 38-12. Without much success in the paint, Ole Miss had to head to the perimeter to little avail; the Rebels only shot 7-for-27 from 3-point range.
"He was an intimidating force around that goal," Davis said of Sharp. "He had six blocks and probably altered seven, eight or nine more around the paint with our guards in the paint looking for him. So yes, he was a big weapon underneath for sure."
Ole Miss came into Saturday's game having averaged 72 points over its three-game winning streak. Over that span, the Rebels shot 39% from the field and 30% from 3-point range but were outscored 80-70 inside the paint.
The first half went about as bad as possible for Ole Miss. The Hilltoppers led by as many as 18 points. Western Kentucky shot 46.7% from the floor and 4-for-11 from 3-point range while Ole Miss shot just 24.1% from the field and 1-for-10 from deep. Western Kentucky out-rebounded Ole Miss 20-17, scored seven points off seven Ole Miss turnovers and outscored the Rebels 16-6 from inside the paint.
Some of Ole Miss' most potent offensive weapons were ineffective. Guard Austin Crowley scored no points in 13 minutes and forward Jaemyn Brakefield scored no points in 19 minutes. Senior guard Jarkel Joiner led the Rebels with 13 points and senior center Nysier Brooks scored 10 points with six rebounds.
Ole Miss returns to action Wednesday against Middle Tennessee State (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).
"We're going to go back to square one on Monday," Davis said. "That's all we can do and that's all I know how. That's the only thing I know. We're not going to wipe it clean. We're going to watch every second of it."
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss basketball loses ugly vs. Western Kentucky
