Ole Miss Takes Down Georgia 85-68 in Saturday Hoops

The Ole Miss Rebels beat the Georgia Bulldogs on the road despite missing players with the flu.

ATHENS, Ga. -- The Ole Miss men's basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday, beating the Georgia Bulldogs 85-68.

The Rebels got it done on the road despite missing their two leading scorers due to the flu, guards Jarkel Joiner and Matthew Murrell. Guard Tye Fagan, forward Jaemyn Brakefield and guard Austin Crowley stepped up big for Ole Miss in their absence, however.

Crowley had a career day, leading the shorthanded Rebels in points at halftime with 12 and finished the game with 18. Brakefield finished the game second on the Rebels in scoring with 19 while shooting seven for eight from the field.

Carleigh Holt-The Grove Report

Ole Miss guard Tye Fagan also had a double-digit scoring day in his return to UGA, recording 20 points and leading the Rebels in scoring. Fagan transferred to Ole Miss last spring after spending the last three seasons at Georgia. 

"It was a special moment," Fagan said. "Early on in the game, I had a lot of adrenaline rushing, a lot of thoughts going through my head. Eventually, in the second half, I was able to get it going."

Despite missing leaders at guard, Ole Miss played smarter than the Bulldogs and won the turnover battle, only giving up the ball seven times compared to Georgia's 13. 

Head coach Kermit Davis mentioned the players who were responsible for this accomplishment after the game.

"I thought Austin Crowley did a fantastic job," Davis said. "I thought he ran our team, he was mature with the ball, and he played through fatigue. Then Tye Fagan really helped [Crowley], five assists and one turnover. Luis [Rodriguez] even handled the ball up court, but I give a lot of credit to Austin, he really ran our team well today."

Davis also gave reporters an update on the roster going into Wednesday's matchup against the Auburn Tigers.

"I sure hope [the flu] has run its course," Davis said. "Jarkel [Joiner] has had it now for five or six days, so hopefully he'll snap out of it and be ready Monday. Matt [Murrell] started feeling better too, so hopefully with the day off on Sunday, guys can get rested for Wednesday."

Ole Miss will look to get everyone healthy in time to take on No. 2 Auburn on the road Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on SEC Network.

Carleigh Holt-The Grove Report

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