Brakefield propels Ole Miss to 78-76 win over No. 4 Tennessee

By Canadian Press on March 5, 2025.

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Jaemyn Brakefield scored all 19 of his points in the final 11 minutes, including a tiebreaking basket with 7 seconds remaining that lifted Mississippi over No. 4 Tennessee 78-76 on Wednesday night.

Brakefield rebounded a missed 3-pointer from Sean Pedulla and fought through traffic inside to convert the decisive layup. Malik Dia and Dre Davis had 13 points apiece for Ole Miss (21-9, 10-7 Southeastern Conference), and Matthew Murrell added 12.

The Rebels are 5-0 in games decided by four points or fewer since late January.

Tennessee (24-6, 11-6) had an opportunity in the last few seconds, but a short running jumper by Igor Milicic Jr. bounced off the rim. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak.

Jordan Gainey scored 17 points, Chaz Lanier had 15 and Felix Okpara added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Volunteers. Tennessee led 41-36 at halftime and 56-49 with 10:38 left before Ole Miss rallied.

Chris Burrows, The Associated Press