Ole Miss Extends Win Streak To Six Games After Victory Middle Tennessee

NASHVILLE, TN. / Ole Miss Sports — In his first meeting against his former team, head coach Kermit Davis led Ole Miss to a 74-56 victory over Middle Tennessee Friday night at Bridgestone Arena. Behind Breein Tyree’s big night, as well as double figure performances from post players Dominik Olejniczak and Bruce Stevens, the Rebels (9-2) won their sixth straight game.

Breein Tyree finished with a game-high 24 points on 10-13 shooting, including a career-high tying four made three-pointers. Dominik Olejniczak scored a season-high 10 points after getting the start, while Bruce Stevens added 12 points of his own with a pair of threes.

The Ole Miss defense held Middle Tennessee to just 33.9% shooting as the Rebel offense stayed hot as of late, shooting over 50% for the sixth straight game.

Antonio Green led the way for Middle Tennessee with 22 points. Reggie Scurry and Jayce Johnson scored 13 and 12 points respectively for the Blue Raiders.

Middle Tennessee made the first bucket of the game before the Rebels scored the next seven points to claim an early advantage. Ole Miss maintained a lead throughout the first half with the help of its defense, holding the Blue Raiders without a field goal for more than six minutes.

With Ole Miss ahead 24-16, Middle Tennessee scored five quick points that prompted head coach Kermit Davis to call timeout. He got his message across as the Rebels went on a 10-0 run in a 1:36 span to make it a 15-point game. Tyree (11 points) and Stevens (10 points) reached double figures in the opening half, helping Ole Miss take a 38-26 lead at the break.

The Rebels grew their lead in the second half. Tyree’s fourth three-pointer of the game followed by a Terence Davis three-point play pushed the difference to 16. Three minutes later, Olejniczak sparked an 11-0 run. The seven-footer started with an offensive putback on a missed free throw. Tyree hit a tough jumper before Shuler found Luis Rodriguez for a backdoor alley-oop. Getting into the 1-3-1 zone, KJ Buffen got a steal at the top of it. Olejniczak took the ball and threw down an emphatic slam that brought the Ole Miss bench it its feet.

Ole Miss had its largest lead at 29 before the Blue Raiders closed it to 18 points for the game’s final tally.

Following the holiday break, the Rebels close out the 2018 calendar year by hosting Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 29). The Saturday afternoon non-conference matchup will begin at 1 p.m. CT.  from The Pavilion. The game will also be available on the airwaves of the Ole Miss IMG Sports Network.

For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men’s Basketball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men’s Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.

TIP-INS

• Ole Miss won its sixth straight game, the longest winning streak since the end of the 2015 calendar year.
• The Rebels shot 50 percent of better for the sixth consecutive game.
• Breein Tyree scored a game-high 24 points, reaching the 20-point plateau for the sixth time in the last eight games.
• Tyree tied his career high with four made three-pointers
• KJ Buffen pulled down a career-high nine rebounds.
• Head coach Kermit Davis was victorious in his first meeting against his former team.