Matthew Murrell Propels Ole Miss to 15th Win in Thrilling Game vs. Vanderbilt

The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team picked up its 15th win of the season on Saturday versus the Vanderbilt Commodores thanks to a prolific showing from senior Matthew Murrell.

OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team picked up its 15th win of the 2023-24 season on Saturday with a 69-56 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores in The Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Chris Beard's Rebels have started conference play 2-1 following Saturday's win, and are the only team in the SEC with just one loss. 

Through 16 games, the Rebels have protected the Pavilion, as Ole Miss is currently undefeated at home this season.

The Rebels (15-1, 2-1 SEC) took an early lead over the Commodores (5-11, 0-3 SEC) thanks to an insane first half from guard Matthew Murrell, who entered the locker room at halftime leading the team with 18 points. Guard Allen Flanigan also had a productive first 20 minutes on the hardwood, as the former transfer registered 13 points going into the half.

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The Rebels pulled away with less than four minutes remaining in the second half, as Ole Miss had obtained a 67-55 lead over Vandy by the final media timeout. 

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Ole Miss was led in scoring by Murrell with 24 points, and he was joined in double digits by Flanigan (16) and guard Jaylen Murray (12). As a team, the Rebels shot 41 percent from the field and 40 from three compared to percentages of 38 and 22 from Vanderbilt, respectively.

The Rebels are set to take on the LSU Tigers on the road on Wednesday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU owns a 10-5 overall record entering its home game versus Ole Miss. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network.