Rebels Fall at SJB Pavilion to No. 20 South Carolina

February woes continue for the Ole Miss Rebels, as they lost their fifth game of the month on Saturday to the No. 20 South Carolina Gamecocks.

OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team lost its eighth game of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling 72-59 to the No. 20 South Carolina Gamecocks in the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.

The Rebels have hit a wall in February, as they have now lost five of their last six contests. After starting the season 13-0, a return to the NCAA Tournament feels completely out of reach for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss opened the game with a 4-0 lead over the Gamecocks, but that advantage quickly diminished, and the Rebels were trailing 36-22 entering the locker room at halftime. Senior guard Allen Flanigan led the Rebels in scoring with eight points in the first half, but was ejected early in the second period of play following a personal foul. Ole Miss struggled offensively in the first half, shooting 0-5 from beyond the arc and 8-30 from the field.

Carleigh Holt @The Grove Report

The lone bright spot for the Rebels in the first period was senier Jaemyn Brakefield, who scored the 1,000th point of his collegiate career.

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Ole Miss was led in scoring by Moussa Cisse with 13 points (a season-high), and he was joined in double digits by Flanigan (11), Brakefield (12), and Matthew Murrell (10). As a team, the Rebels shot 33 percent from the field and 19 from three compared to percentages of 44 and 47 from the Gamecocks, respectively. Ole Miss' reserves struggled once again, finishing the game with 10 points compared to 15 from South Carolina's bench unit. 

Ole Miss now must prepare to host another ranked Southeastern Conference opponent on Wednesday, the No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama (19-7, 11-2 SEC) is undefeated in the month of February, and currently sits at No. 1 in the SEC. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. CT in the SJB Pavilion and the game will be televised on ESPN2.