Ole Miss basketball upsets No. 18 Memphis, 67-63, to remain unbeaten at home

Ole Miss basketball logged a top-25 victory to remain perfect at home as the Rebels beat No. 18 Memphis, 67-63.

Seven foot center Nysier Brooks nailed two extremely clutch free throws with ten seconds remaining to close out the victory for Ole Miss (6-2). The Rebels are now 5-0 at home for the season. Memphis (5-3) is now on a three game losing streak.

Ole Miss held a 30-26 lead at halftime, and the second half saw that lead swell to as many as 11 points. A furious last ditch effort from Memphis, of course, expectedly tightened the game, but the Tigers ultimately were undone by an inability to convert free throws, going 23 of 37 from the charity stripe.

Memphis native Matthew Murrell had his biggest game as a Rebel, scoring 19 points and shooting 4 of 9 from three point range. Rebel senior Jarkel Joiner led the team in scoring with 20 points - 13 of those coming in the first half.

The Tigers also struggled shooting from the perimeter (2 of 11 from 3PT) as Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis switched between 2-3 and 1-3-1 zone defenses. The Rebel defense also produced 20 turnovers with a +4 margin.

Ole Miss’ next game is in Atlanta at State Farm Arena against Western Kentucky in the Holiday Hoopsgiving. The Hilltoppers are coached by former Mississippi St. coach Rick Stansbury.