Ole Miss Tops South Carolina in Opening Round of SEC Tournament

Ole Miss got its postseason started with a 67-61 victory over South Carolina.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Ole Miss Rebels beat the South Carolina Gamecocks in a tight 67-61 victory in the opening round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday night.

After finishing the regular season on a two-game losing streak, Ole Miss started its 2023 postseason with a hard-fought victory in a win-or-go-home scenario on the road. The Rebels entered the locker room at halftime with a 30-29 lead over the Gamecocks, but they nearly lost the lead in the final 30 seconds. Fortunately for Ole Miss, sophomore guard James White put the game away with a clutch jumper as time expired.

Ole Miss was able to pull away thanks to a big second half from freshman guard Amaree Abram. Abram led the Rebels in scoring with 20 points off the bench, shooting seven for 11 from the field, while junior forward Jaemyn Brakefield finished second on the team in scoring with 16 points.

In their first postseason matchup of the year, Ole Miss shot 42.4 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from beyond the arc as a unit. In comparison, the Gamecocks shot 41.7 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from behind the three-point line.

Ole Miss is now set to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday. The match will start 25 minutes after the first game of the day starts at noon CT. 

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