Behind a 21-point performance by junior guard Jamal Jones, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team defeated the Ole Miss Rebels (17-12, 8-8 SEC) 71-60 Saturday in front of a crowd of 6,811 at Reed Arena.
Head Coach Billy Kennedy said that he is proud of the way his team performed and believes that this win shows his team’s true character.
“We still have a couple of games left,” said Kennedy. “We would love to have jumped to 12 wins in conference play, but out program isn’t ready for that. We’re making progress in a lot of areas and I’m really proud of our guys sticking together and earning the win.”
The Aggies (17-12, 8-8 SEC) started off slow, allowing Ole Miss to go on a 9-2 run – all off three-point shots.
At the 10:01 mark in the first half, Jones finished a contact layup, giving A&M their first lead of the game at 24-23.
With 4:26 left in the first, Jones hit a three-pointer off the feed from sophomore Alex Caruso, forcing an Ole Miss timeout and giving A&M its largest lead of the first.
In the final seconds of the first half, Jones got an open look at a three-pointer but missed the mark. The team headed into the intermission tied at 33.
Ole Miss’ Marshall Henderson scored nine points in the first five minutes of the game, but was held scoreless for the rest of the first.
Junior Jordan Green and Jones led the Aggies in first-half scoring with eight and 12 points, respectively. Jarvis Summers was big in the first for the Rebels, scoring 10 of their 33 points.
Texas A&M came out of halftime strong, going on 8-0 run with junior forward Kourtney Roberson scoring four points on the first two possessions.
Ole Miss wouldn’t go away as Jarvis Summers hit a three-pointer with 2:03 left in the game, but it wouldn’t be enough. A&M finished off Ole Miss, making all six of their foul shots in the last minute of the game while holding the Rebels to 28 percent shooting in the second half.
Caruso had a behind-the-back crossover and finished with a dunk over Henderson, extending the Aggies lead to 39-33 with 16:48 left in the second half. Caruso entered elite company on Saturday, hitting the 250-career assists mark, joining 15 other Aggies.
“[This win] kind of epitomizes our team, showing heart, toughness, and doing whatever it takes to win,” Caruso said. ” I didn’t have it planned out that I was going to in-and-out around my back and then dunk on Marshall [Henderson]. I started to get ready, and he tried to come steal [the ball], so I went the other way. I saw the basket and I was open. I had missed like four layups in the first half, I was telling myself, the next time I get a chance I’m going to put it in.”
Jones attended Ole Miss, but was released after his freshman season. Jones said that this was a game he was looking forward too.
“This game meant a lot to me,” Jones said. “I wanted to win, my teammates knew I wanted to win, so we came together and got it done.”
Ole Miss guards Jarvis Summers and Marshall Henderson led the Rebels in scoring, putting in 18- and 16-point performances, respectively. Texas A&M now owns the all-time series with Ole Miss 3-1.
The next time the Aggies hit the hardwood, they’ll be matching up against the Missouri Tigers Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Columbia, Mo.