Basketball
Ole Miss Moves Past UNCW 78-58
The Ole Miss Rebels defeated UNC Wilmington 78-58 on Saturday evening inside the Pavilion.

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
The Ole Miss Rebels defeated UNC Wilmington 78-58 on Saturday evening inside the Pavilion.
“I give a lot of credit to Wilmington — I knew they would not go away,” head coach Kermit Davis said. “We got up by 25 and lost our juice, then we got careless with the ball. I was proud of our win — rebounding the ball was much better.”
Ole Miss (2-0, 0-0 SEC) was led in by Romello White who had 20 points, six rebounds, two blocks, two assists and one steal.
“Romello was a lot better tonight on the boards,” Davis said. “He was 7-for-8. They did a lot of switching and took advantage of some mismatches.”
Senior Devontae Shuler and Louis Rodriguez each added 18 and 14 points respectively.
“Louis — his toughness — good things are going to happen to you when you start making more shots,” Davis said. “Thirteen rebounds today and the way he competed all game long.”
UNC Wilmington (3-3) had three players with double figures in the game, all led by Ty Gadsden with 16 points. His teammate Mike Okauru added 15 points to the scoreboard.
Ole Miss’s defense held UNCW until the offense started to find their stride. As the Rebels held them to 41.2 from the field and 42.9 from beyond the arc.
“Our guys created so much energy among ourselves,” Davis said. “They just kept going and going. What this team did early in the year — can they keep it going in SEC play when the offense stagnates? Keep backing up defensive positions. Those are great qualities. Finally, we kind of wore down and stretched it out in the first half. We are improving and have a chance to be an elite defense before the year is out.”
The Rebels contained UNCW’s Jaylen Sims to only 13 points in the contest.
“We did a great job on No. 30 Sims,” Davis said.
The Rebels return to the court Monday as they welcome in Central Arkansas. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network.
