Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson dunks during the South Carolina game Saturday. Photo: Ignacio Murillo, The Daily Mississippian.
Ole Miss was getting pummeled. South Carolina, one of the worst teams in the SEC, was taking it to the Rebels on offense and defense.
“We deserved to be down 15 with 10 to play,” head coach Andy Kennedy said.
But the last 10 minutes was all Ole Miss. The Rebels closed the game on a 29-10 run over the last 10:53. South Carolina was 2 of 9 from the field and committed seven turnovers down the stretch. And it was all due to a defensive change.
“Finally, we found something that was working in the end,” Kennedy said. “We got in that half court trap, and I thought it really disrupted them.”
Ole Miss changed up its defense, but the Gamecocks were destroying whatever Ole Miss threw at them until Kennedy went to the 2-2-1 press.
“We never crossed half court for about three minutes. We just got passive,” South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said. “We had opportunities to attack it, and we didn’t. Then we turned it over, and we stopped guarding because you turn it over so it gives them life.”
Ole Miss cashed in 18 total South Carolina turnovers for 23 points, including a steal from junior guard LaDarius White in the 2-2-1 that he took to the basket and pulled Ole Miss within two.
But Ole Miss needed more than just defense; the Rebels needed someone to step up offensively. Senior guard Marshall Henderson was rolling as usual and finished the night with 21 points, but junior guard Jarvis Summers, who has been consistent all season, was struggling.
He had just five points when Ole Miss trailed by 15. But he scored 10 points in the final 11 minutes and finished with 15 points and eight assists.
“They were switching a lot of ball screens and being very physical with him, and we couldn’t get the corner turned,” Kennedy said of Summers. “Second half, sense of urgency, a little more pop in his step, and he got the corner turned.”
Summers hit two of the biggest shots of the game, as he gave Ole Miss the lead with a three, then extended that lead to three with a driving layup.
Ole Miss needs Summers and Henderson to play at their peak every night. For 30 minutes, Summers was nowhere to be found, but his aggression helped Ole Miss reach the pinnacle against South Carolina to make the final score 75-71.
“I don’t know if I ever been more excited about what I just witnessed for about the last seven minutes,” Kennedy said. “That was big-time basketball.”
If there is anything evident from Ole Miss basketball in the last year and a half, it’s that this team can’t be counted out.
Last year’s team lost late games to South Carolina and Mississippi State; they were written off. But that team came back to win the SEC Tournament and an NCAA Tournament game.
This year’s team has played in close game after close game. And even when they look terrible and trail South Carolina by 15 late, they can’t be counted out, not with the big shot making and momentum swingers of Summers and Henderson on the floor.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s basketball, follow @Tyler_RSR and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Tyler Bischoff
tfbischo@go.olemiss.edu
