USA TODAY Sports

Rebels Dominate California in Hall of Fame Series, Remain Undefeated on Season

Originally posted on Ole Miss Rebels on SI
By John Macon Gillespie | Last updated 12/16/23

The Ole Miss Rebels remained undefeated on the season with an 88-78 win over the California Golden Bears on Saturday night at the Hall of Fame Series in San Antonio.

The Rebels (10-0) led 46-35 at halftime over Cal, and they were led in scoring on the night by Jaemyn Brakefield with 27 points. Including Brakefield, five different Rebels finished with double-digit point totals on Saturday, although he was the only one to reach the 20-point mark.

Matthew Murrell (19), Jaylen Murray (14), Allen Flanigan (12) and TJ Caldwell (11) were the other Ole Miss players who eclipsed double digits, and Caldwell's points came off the bench in the win. The Rebels also recorded six blocks on the night and forced 11 turnovers. Four of those six blocks came from forward Jamarion Sharp alone.

Also of note from Saturday is that it marked the first action of the season for transfer guard Brandon Murray. He did not start in the contest, but he did register three points off the bench after sitting out nine games awaiting a transfer waiver from the NCAA.

As a team, the Rebels shot 52.5 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three on the night. Cal, by comparison, shot 41.7 and 33.3 percent in those categories, respectively.

With the win, Ole Miss continues its hot streak to start non-conference play, and it will return home on Tuesday night to host the Troy Trojans in an attempt to keep that momentum going through Christmas. The Rebels did not crack the rankings in the AP Top 25 last week, but they did come in at No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Now at 10-0, Ole Miss will hope to be listed in both polls come Monday afternoon.

Tip-off on Tuesday between Troy and Ole Miss at the SJB Pavilion is set for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.

This article first appeared on Ole Miss Rebels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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