Ole Miss has taken some tough losses during this 10‑game slide, but this 106-99 loss to LSU sits in a different category.
Losing in double overtime, at home, in a game you led for most of regulation and again in the first OT? That’s the kind of loss that hangs around a little longer than the rest.
The Rebels have been searching for something to feel good about for weeks, and for a while Wednesday night felt like it might finally be that break. They came out with energy, traded punches early, and even when LSU pushed back, Ole Miss kept answering.
By halftime, after AJ Storr slipped in a layup to make it 42-41, it felt like the Rebels had settled into a rhythm they could ride.
And for most of the second half, they did.
Eduardo Klafke’s step‑back three put Ole Miss up 50-43, and the Rebels held that lead for more than 16 minutes. They weren’t perfect, but they were composed, getting stops, getting downhill, and getting enough from the guys who’ve carried them lately. When Corey Chest hammered home an alley‑oop with 1:13 left to go up 82-80, the building finally had some life again.
But that’s where the night turned. LSU hit the free throws it needed, Ole Miss didn’t get the last look it wanted, and suddenly a game the Rebels controlled for most of the night was headed to overtime.
Even then, Ole Miss had another chance to close it out.
Storr’s alley‑oop in transition put the Rebels up 86-82 in the first OT, and for a moment it looked like they might finally catch a break. Instead, LSU clawed back again, tied it late, and pushed the game into a second overtime the Rebels never really recovered from.
LSU led most of the final four minutes, and Ole Miss simply ran out of answers.
And that’s why this one stings more than the others. It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a no‑show. It wasn’t one of those nights where the opponent gets hot and you tip your cap.
Ole Miss had multiple chances to win this game. They led for long stretches, made big plays, and got huge nights from Ilias Kamardine (26 points, 10 assists, zero turnovers), Malik Dia (20), Storr (19), and Klafke (16). They scored 99 points and still walked off with their 10th straight loss.
When you’re in a season like this, you look for the small steps forward. But losing a double‑overtime game you controlled for most of the night doesn’t feel like progress.
It feels like another reminder of how thin the margin has become, and how hard it’s been for this team to finish the job.
Ole Miss heads to Auburn next, still searching for something to break the streak. But Wednesday night felt like the one that got away more than any other. And that’s a tough thing to shake this late in the season.
