by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm
BILOXI (GG) — Coming off a four game losing streak, the Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (6-4) beat the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (6-5) 71-67 for the third consecutive year at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi Saturday, December 13. Breaking USM’s lead with 10:19 left in the game, Ole Miss never looked back and went on a 13-2 run for the next 6 minutes while forcing the Golden Eagles into foul trouble.
The Rebels shot nearly 50% from the floor (24-49) and only gave up 8 turnovers, but most of the game was back and forth with fans for both teams getting a solid matchup.
Scoring Summary
After beginning on a 6-2 run with 16:08 left in the first half, the Rebels allowed Southern Miss to crawl back to 11-11 with baskets from Tylik Weeks and Isaac Taveras. Ole Miss followed with a 14-4 run led by Patton Pinkins and Travis Perry before Southern Miss Head Coach Jay Ladner called a timeout down 25-15.
Following the timeout, the Golden Eagles slowly put it back together before the buzzer, going on a 14-6 run to close with a 31-29 deficit at halftime. Hattiesburg Native Dylan Brumfield had 5 points and 2 assists during that run to cut the Ole Miss lead.
Coming out of the gates, Southern Miss punched the Rebels in the face going on a 14-7 run before Ole Miss Head Coach Chris Beard called a timeout to organize a new strategy on the floor. A strong defense has been a staple for Ole Miss under Beard, and this year’s team has used their length and athleticism to average 5.8 blocks per game, the 12th-best mark in the nation.
The Rebels came out hot for the next 9 minutes going on a 22-8 run when Ladner called a timeout to recoil the Golden Eagles despite. 60-51 deficit. The foul trouble for Weeks, Taveras, and Brumfield created matchup problems for the rest of the game. Even though Southern Miss outscored the Rebels in the last three and a half minutes, the game was too much to rally a comeback from and the final score was 71-67.
What the Coach Said
With the Ole Miss Rebels finally breaking their four game losing streak, Head Coach Chris Beard seemed more relieved rather than thankful.
“The approach this week in practice was good and even though a lot of people not in our program wouldn’t understand, this was a must win game for us,” said Beard, whose recent losses were to power 4 teams (Iowa, Utah, Miami, St. John’s). “These guys understand, if we want to have the season we want to have, we need a win today. We knew this Southern Miss team was strong. Jay Ladner is a great coach and wherever he’s been, he’s won. They had our full respect and we know that we beat a really good basketball team.”
Before their Monday win over Grambling, Southern Miss came off a five day-road trip with Southern Miss winning 4 of the 5 games. Ladner spoke about the tough schedule for Southern Miss prior to the upcoming Sun Belt game next week.
“We. play a very difficult; by design, non-conference schedule, as some coaches decide they would like to go after wins while we want to prepare for league play,” expressed Ladner at his alma mater for 7 years. “Our President Dr. Joe Paul always talks about how Southern Miss punches above its weight in everything, not only basketball, and no one is ever giving things to us. We have been so close, but a few factors were the reason.”
In another note, Ladner’s father, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame basketball coach Larry Ladner, passed away Friday night at his home in Kiln, Mississippi. Not only was Ladner known for his Mississippi basketball roots, he was inducted into the Louisiana College Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
The Numbers Never Lie
Ole Miss now leads 21-6 in the all-time series over the Golden Eagles. The Rebels were led by AJ Storr with 21 points, shooting 8-12 from the floor. Other guards Kezza Giffa and Patton Pinkins combined for 25 points while the forward Malik Dia had 11 points and led the Rebels in rebounds with 6.
Southern Miss’ Isaac Taveras scored 20 points to reach double figures for the 10th time this season and for the second-straight game. It was the 14th time of his career to score in the double digits. With 18 points, Tylin Weeks reached double figures for the ninth time after scoring 18 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, topping his previous high of eight against Grambling in Nov. 13, 2025.
Next Up
Ole Miss hosts Alabama A&M Wednesday, December 17 at Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo. The game is scheduled for 7pm. Southern Miss hosts Louisiana at Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30pm.
(Photos by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via Associated Press)
