OXFORD, Miss. - The Memphis basketball team fell short in their first road test of the season, losing at Ole Miss 83-77 Tuesday night at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford.
Memphis battled to the end, cutting the deficit to as little as four points with just over a minute to go, but they ultimately could not find the stops to complete the comeback.
“We have to be a very disruptive team for us to be successful," Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway said. "Tough game in a very tough environment.”
The Tigers started the game off strong, as Curtis Givens III stole the opening tip and drove to the basket to give the road team the first points. But, in what would become a trend in the first half, the Rebels responded with a nothing-but-net three-pointer.
Ole Miss guard Ilias Kamardine was in cruise control in the opening period, helping his team open up a nine point halftime lead by shooting 7-9 from the field for 16 first half points.
Coach Hardaway found offense from his son, Ashton, who scored 11 of the Tigers' 33 points in the first half, helping to keep Memphis in striking distance.
Rebounding and turnovers were fairly even in the first half, but Ole Miss shot an astounding 54% from the field, including a 5-8 clip from three-point territory, to separate in the closing minutes. The Rebels hit a pair of threes in the final 45 seconds of the half to turn a 36-33 game into a 42-33 halftime score.
The second half saw the two teams trade buckets for the first twelve minutes. Memphis found itself offensively, but they continued to struggle to find stops and scores in sequence.
Ole Miss did not commit a turnover for over 25 minutes of game time between the two halves, which prevented the Tigers from going on any quick runs.
“I think down the stretch we just fouled way too much, especially when they were in the bonus," Givens said postgame.
That changed in the final ten minutes, where Memphis forced a few Rebel turnovers and slowly chipped away at the Ole Miss lead.
In a moment that summed up the game for the Tigers, Ole Miss' star guard Ilias Kamardine missed a pair of free throws, and Aaron Bradshaw was fouled for Memphis. Bradshaw missed both free throws, and the Tigers promptly fouled on the rebound attempt.
The Tigers battled until the end, even fouling with 2.6 seconds to go, much to the dismay of the Ole Miss faithful. Ultimately, however, Ole Miss shot 52% from the field and 62% from three, which is hard for any team to overcome.
“We didn’t have any interest in getting into an 110-108 game with Memphis," Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said. “Hopefully this game will end up being a game that both teams can benefit from.”
Kamardine finished the game with 26 points on 11-14 shooting, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Fellow French guard Kezza Giffa added 15 points for the Rebels.
Curtis Givens III led the Tigers with 20 points, including 15 in the second half. Dug McDaniel added 15 points with 7 assists and 7 rebounds.
“I think he has a chance to be one of the best point guards in college basketball," Beard said.
The Tigers will return home on Sunday to face former Memphis coach Josh Pastner and his UNLV Runnin' Rebels at 4 p.m. at FedExForum.
I'm a senior journalism major with a sports media concentration. I have been at the Daily Helmsman for three years now, including two years as the sports editor.
