Ole Miss lost to No. 11 Florida on Saturday afternoon at the SJB Pavilion, despite a strong start that saw Malik Dia score two early mid-range jumpers, helping the Rebels to an initial 6-3 lead. AJ Storr added another jumper to put Ole Miss ahead 12-10 with under 15 minutes left in the first half.
Florida responded by taking control of the game, building a lead as large as 14 points before halftime and entering the break up 43-32. Early in the second half, Ilias Kamardine narrowed the gap to seven points with a floater, but Florida answered with a quick run to extend their advantage back to double digits. The Gators maintained their lead for the rest of the game.
Malik Dia led Ole Miss offensively with 24 points, marking his seventh game this season scoring at least 20 and his third consecutive such performance. Kamardine contributed 14 points and Pinkins added 10 for the Rebels.
Defensively, Ole Miss forced Florida into 19 turnovers, tying for their highest mark of the season and setting a new high in SEC play. The team also recorded at least 10 steals for the fifth time this year. Corey Chest had two blocks, making it his seventh multi-block game of the season.
Ole Miss will next face LSU at home on Wednesday, February 25 at 8 p.m., with coverage on SEC Network.
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“Malik Dia has scored 20 points or more in three consecutive games; tying his career high with 32 against Mississippi State, 20 at Texas A&M, and 24 today.”
“This was the fifth game this season Ole Miss collected 10 or more steals.”
“Corey Chest registered two blocks on the defensive end, his seventh game this season with multiple swats.”
Florida’s record improves to 21-6 overall and 11-3 in SEC play after defeating Ole Miss (now 11-16 overall and 3-11 in conference).
