Padilla helps No. 24 Mississippi beat South Alabama 64-54

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – Sean Padilla scored 19 of his 27 points in the first half and No. 24 Mississippi used a 9-0 surge in the final two minutes to beat South Alabama 64-54 Tuesday night.

Jaemyn Brakefield scored 14 points for Ole Miss (3-0), while Malik Dia added a game-high 13 rebounds. The Rebels led 38-26 at halftime.

Judah Brown led South Alabama (1-2) with 16 points, while Myles Corey added 14.

The Jaguars pulled within 55-52 in the final four minutes, but consecutive three-point shots from Jaylen Murray, Brakefield and Pedulla ended the game.

The Rebels played without Matthew Murrell, a three-year starter at shooting guard, because of lower back issues.

Takeaways

South Alabama: Richie Riley’s Jaguars have been .500 or better for six consecutive seasons, but the challenge to that streak will be combining eight transfers before Sun Belt Conference play.

Ole Miss: The game was billed as a “Throwback at the Tad ((Smith) Pad”) The former home field on campus – a fun, loud, 7,500-seat circular arena. Chris Beard’s team reminded fans why the Rebels owner were such a strong home field advantage in the nostalgic but outdated facility.

Key moment

Ole Miss tied the game at 24-24 with a 14-2 run in the final five minutes of the first half, building a 38-26 halftime lead. Padilla opened the surge with consecutive three-point shots and the Rebels never trailed again.

Key stat

The Rebels finished 13 of 38, 34 percent, from beyond the 3-point line, led by Pedulla on 7 of 16. The long-range shooting was decisive, as Ole Miss was just 21 of 64, 32 percent, from the field managed to achieve.

Next

South Alabama hosts Mercer on Saturday afternoon. Ole Miss moves to neutral Southaven against Colorado State on Saturday afternoon.

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