Robert Allen, Matthew Murrell Reflect On Ole Miss' Season-Opening Win Over Alcorn State

The Rebels started their season with a win on Monday night, and two of their players shared their thoughts in postgame.

OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels began their men's basketball season in the win column on Monday night, knocking off the Alcorn State Braves 73-58 at the SJB Pavilion.

Following the game, Rebel players Matthew Murrell and Robert Allen were made available to the media, and Allen discussed his comeback from a season-ending injury a year ago and the pride he has taken in the process to get back onto the court.

"I'm proud of myself," Allen said. "I don't take the moment to say that to myself, so saying it in front of you guys means even more. Going through something like this is big for me, so I thank God that I got the chance to play basketball again."

Shortly after Allen's surgery, his basketball future was uncertain, but he pushed himself to heal and get back into game shape.

"There was never a moment where I doubted myself," Allen said. "Initially, after my surgery, there was a possibility that I wasn't going to be able to play again. So I thank God that my body was able to heal properly."

Murrell led the Rebels in scoring on Monday night with 20 points, sinking five threes in the win. Ole Miss only led by one point at the half, but the offense began to come for Murrell after the intermission.

"I feel like we got together as a team," Murrell said. "Get together and get stops, and we made an emphasis on getting more ball movement, and shots started to fall.

"My teammates told me to keep shooting, and eventually, shots are going to start to fall."

Ole Miss will play its next game on Friday against the Florida Atlantic Owls at the SJB Pavilion. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. 

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