STARKVILLE, Miss. — Once is a moment. Twice in the same week becomes a habit, and Ole Miss is starting to look very comfortable living on the edge.
The Rebels didn’t need a long discussion about where the ball should go when Saturday night tightened in Starkville. Not after what happened earlier in the week.
Not after Patton Pinkins had already shown he’s willing to take responsibility when everything else fades out.
With 19 seconds left at Humphrey Coliseum, Pinkins rose and calmly knocked down the jumper that turned out to be the game-winner, lifting Ole Miss to a 68–67 win over Mississippi State.
It marked the second straight road game where Pinkins authored the final line, coming just days after he buried Georgia with a late shot away from home.
That’s not an accident. That’s trust turning into expectation.
Ole Miss didn’t overwhelm Mississippi State. The Rebels navigated a tight game possession by possession, knowing the margin would eventually shrink to something uncomfortable.
When it did, Ole Miss leaned into what had already worked this week — patience, spacing and one player willing to take the shot.
Pinkins didn’t rush the look. He didn’t force contact. He took what the defense allowed and made it count. The jumper didn’t need to be perfect. It just needed to fall.
Behind the late heroics, Ole Miss stayed afloat all night with steady production from its core.
Ilias Kamardine led the Rebels with 17 points, providing reliable offense when the game threatened to slip into long droughts. Malik Dia controlled the glass, finishing with a team-high 11 rebounds and anchoring possessions that mattered more as the clock drained.
Mississippi State countered with physical play and balance. Jayden Epps scored 14 points, while Sergej Macura matched Dia on the boards with 11 rebounds. The Bulldogs didn’t fade. They simply ran out of time.
When Pinkins’ jumper dropped, Ole Miss didn’t celebrate. There was too much left unfinished.
Mississippi State went where it always goes in those moments. Josh Hubbard had the ball, the confidence and the chance to flip the ending. First came the free throw. With 12 seconds left and Ole Miss clinging to a one-point lead, Hubbard stepped to the line.
It missed.
Ole Miss stayed composed. One miss doesn’t end anything in the SEC, especially not in Starkville, where momentum swings often come fast and loud.
The Bulldogs earned one more look. Hubbard attacked the rim as the buzzer approached, slipping through traffic for a layup that looked clean for a heartbeat.
Ole Miss defenders stayed vertical, stayed attached and stayed disciplined, forcing the finish to come through bodies rather than space.
The ball bounced on the rim. Then again. It rolled. It teased.
Everything but down.
The horn finally sounded, and the Rebels walked off with a win that looked eerily familiar — late shot, late defense, quiet exit. Just like Georgia earlier in the week, Ole Miss didn’t win with flash. It won by being steadier than the moment demanded.
Pinkins’ jumper will be remembered, and it should be. Two straight road game-winners in the SEC don’t happen by accident.
But this win lived just as much in the seconds that followed it. There was the missed free throw. Then a contested layup.
More importantly was a refusal to foul or scramble when the building leaned forward. That’s where Beard’s importance to defense paid off.
Ole Miss didn’t need a steal or a block. It needed to make the final two shots uncomfortable.
That’s exactly what happened.
Two road wins in one week don’t usually come with polish. They come with pressure-packed possessions, missed chances and shots that hang on the rim long enough to test nerves.
Ole Miss passed those tests by trusting the guy who is becoming a closer and trusting the defense to finish the job.
Starkville doesn’t let visitors leave relieved very often. Saturday night, the Rebels did — quietly, efficiently and without apology.
