By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
Ole Miss men’s basketball had a four-game winning streak snapped by in-state rival Mississippi State 66-56 Saturday at the Pavilion.
“I give Ben and his team a lot of credit — they beat us in every area,” head coach Kermit Davis said. “(Mississippi State) played with toughness and desperation. We could not match it.”
Ole Miss (12-9, 7-7 SEC) was lead in scoring by KJ Buffen who had 13 points, Jarkel Joiner added eight and Luis Rodriquez and Austin Crowley each had seven points.
The Bulldogs held senior Devontae Shuler to only four points.
“I thought Devontae had great looks,” Davis said. “In the first half, he had point-blank shots. One-for-15 doesn’t disappoint me. What disappoints me is defending let it affect the other end.”
Mississippi State was led by Iverson Molinar and DJ Stewart Jr with 17 and 16 points respectively.
The Rebels shot 38 percent from the floor and 26 percent from beyond the arc. Mississippi State shot 51 percent from the field.
Ole Miss was only out-rebounded by two in the contest 27-25. The second-chance points favored the Rebels 11-9.
The Rebels return to action on Tuesday night as they travel to Columbia, Missouri to tangle with the Tigers. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on the SEC Network.
