Ole Miss Falls to South Carolina on Overtime Buzzer-Beater

The Rebels' long season got a little tougher on Tuesday night.

OXFORD, Miss. -- Ole Miss basketball fell to South Carolina on a half court, overtime buzzer-beater on Tuesday night 77-74.

Ole Miss (12-14, 3-10 SEC) led for the majority of the second half in the loss, but went through an overtime period where the Rebels had a shot clock violation with two seconds to play, and then South Carolina was able to hit the final shot.

"I thought we had the game in hand," Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis said following the loss. "The last play, we're putting safety in the back, and Matt went for a steal. Guy got behind him, and he still made the shot. Tough loss. Give South Carolina credit."

Jarkel Joiner was questionable entering the night due to a non-COVID-related illness, but he was tied for the team high in scoring with 18 points.

"He didn't practice today, and we didn't know if he'd play or not," Davis said. "He felt awful all day. He might take a day off tomorrow and get back at it on Thursday. He's got great heart. He showed a lot of toughness tonight."

The final Ole Miss possession of overtime was an effort for the Rebels to get the last shot as time expired. They failed to get a shot off in time, but Davis gave credit to the Gamecocks for defending the possession well.

"[We weren't] trying to get too tricky," Davis said. "Give South Carolina credit. They leveled the ball and forced a tough shot."

After the game, Davis stated what he went over in the locker room with his team.

"Not much of a message," Davis said. "There were some miscommunications down the stretch, and South Carolina made some good plays. It hurts."

The Rebels will return to the court on Saturday when they travel to Athens to take on Georgia. Tip-off is set for noon and will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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