No. 15 South Carolina stays hot, edges Ole Miss

Field Level Media|published: Tue 6th February, 20:38 2024

Feb 6, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks guard Jacobi Wright (1) attempts to get around Mississippi Rebels guard Matthew Murrell (11) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. credits: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Collin Murray-Bowles scored 16 points to lead a balanced offense and No. 15 South Carolina held off Ole Miss 68-65 on Tuesday night in Columbia, S.C.

Myles Stute and Ta'lon Cooper added 12 points each for the Gamecocks (20-3, 8-2 SEC), who won their sixth straight game and first since entering the AP Top 25 poll Monday.

Allen Flanigan scored 26 points, Matthew Murrell had 17 and Jaylen Murray added 10 to lead the Rebels (18-5, 5-5).

South Carolina led for 38 minutes but couldn't secure the victory until the final buzzer.

Murray-Boyles make consecutive layups to start the second-half scoring and help the Gamecocks expand their lead to 53-36.

Murrell answered with a 3-pointer and another jumper and Flanigan added six straight Rebels points as they crept within 57-48.

Morris Ugusuk made a jumper for South Carolina, but Ole Miss scored the next six points to pull within 59-54.

Cooper made a layup, but the Rebels kept trimming the lead and got within 62-60 on Murrell's jumper.

South Carolina rebuilt the lead to six before Murrell cut the lead in half by making a 3-pointer. Murray-Bowles made a basket for the Gamecocks' final points with 3:47 remaining, while the Rebels went scoreless for five minutes.

Flanigan's jumper ended the drought and got Ole Miss within 68-65 with 38 seconds remaining.

The Gamecocks ran down the shot clock before missing a 3-pointer, leaving the Rebels with a chance to tie, but Murrell missed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

Meechie Johnson's 3-pointer broke a 4-4 tie and the Gamecocks would lead for the rest of the game.

The Rebels got within one point three times before Stute made two 3-pointers and Zachary Davis and Jacobi Wright made one each during a 14-2 run for a South Carolina 25-12 South Carolina lead.

The Gamecocks led by 13 twice more before Murray made two jumpers to help Ole Miss close within 30-23.

South Carolina scored the next seven points to create the biggest lead of the half at 14 before it held a 43-31 halftime lead.

—Field Level Media

Latest