Ole Miss Defeats Jackson State in Season Opener

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Ole Miss shined in its season opener as they defeated Jackson State 80-45 on Thursday night inside the Pavilion.

“It was fun for our staff to watch our guys get a chance to play,” said Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis. “They have waited a long time… We were well connected. We had some rough spots, but that is part of it. Like I have always said, I think the strength of our team is our depth.”

Ole Miss (1-0, 0-0 SEC) was led on the floor by senior guard Devontae Shuler with 23 points. He went 5-for-5 behind the arc. In the first half, Shuler scored 13 of his 23 points in the contest.

“[Devontae] has had a really good week of practice,” Davis said. “He was so anxious to play. Sometimes, as a senior, when you are anxious to get to the game … with the pause it just gets to be long. He was excited about playing. Shot it really well. He gave us a lot of confidence.”

The Rebels had two players score in double digits, with Khadim Sy adding 11 points to the stats column. 

The Rebels defense only allowed JSU to score 12 points in the first 20 minutes of action and forced a total of 16 turnovers.

“I was proud of what defensively we did,” Davis said. “The last four or five minutes was not very good. Give Jackson State a lot of credit. They kept playing.”

Jackson State (0-2) was led on the night by senior Tristan Jarrett with 13 points.

Ole Miss returns to action on Saturday as they welcome UNCW into Oxford. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.