Patton Pinkins played a key role in Ole Miss’s narrow 68-67 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night at Humphrey Coliseum. Pinkins scored the decisive basket with a floater in the final minute, following his previous game-winning tip-in against Georgia earlier in the week.
Ole Miss improved its record to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in Southeastern Conference play, marking its third straight conference win. Ilias Kamardine and AJ Storr led the team offensively, each contributing 17 points for a combined total of 32.
Mississippi State started strong with an early 6-0 lead, but Ole Miss responded with scores from Kamardine and Travis Perry to close the gap. The Bulldogs extended their advantage to ten points before Ole Miss narrowed it to three by halftime after Augusto Cassia’s putback dunk.
In the second half, James Scott gave Ole Miss its first lead with a slam dunk. The game saw multiple lead changes—13 in total—with both teams trading baskets throughout. Malik Dia tied the score at 53 with just under seven minutes left by making a contested baseline shot as the shot clock expired.
With less than three minutes remaining, Storr hit a three-pointer to give Ole Miss a slight edge. Kamardine followed up with a layup to extend their lead to five points. Mississippi State rallied back and took a one-point lead after Josh Hubbard made two free throws with 34 seconds left.
Pinkins then secured the win for Ole Miss by driving from the right baseline corner and making a floater with 19 seconds remaining.
The Rebels will next play Auburn at home on Tuesday, January 20 at SJB Pavilion. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Following the game, several notable statistics were highlighted:
• Ole Miss committed only five turnovers during the game and limited Mississippi State to just two points off those turnovers.
• AJ Storr has increased his scoring average significantly over the past three games compared to his season average through the first fifteen games.
• Malik Dia matched his season high with eleven rebounds, marking his fifth double-digit rebounding performance this year.
• Ilias Kamardine recorded seventeen points and five assists for his third game this season achieving at least fifteen points and five assists.
For more updates on Ole Miss Men’s Basketball, fans can follow @OleMissMBB on X (formerly Twitter), visit their Facebook page or check Instagram at olemissmbb.
