Rebels Send Off Saiz, Brooks With A Big Win Against South Carolina On Senior Night

OXFORD, Miss. (WCBI / AP) – Sebastian Saiz scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Mississippi past South Carolina, 75-70, on Saturday night.

Breein Tyree added 19 points for Ole Miss (19-12, 10-8 in the Southeastern Conference), Justas Furmanavicius had 12 and Cullen Neal finished 11.

Ole Miss led by as many as 20 points early in the second half before South Carolina charged back. The Gamecocks got within four points before Neal knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Rebels some breathing room.

South Carolina closed to within four points twice more in the final minutes as the Rebels missed four of their final six free throws but the Gamecocks couldn’t close the gap.

SEC player of the year candidate Sindarius Thornwell led South Carolina (22-9, 12-6) with 25 points, P.J. Dozier had 13, and Hassani Gravett and Duane Notice had 10 apiece.

Ole Miss locks in the sixth seed and receives a first round bye in the SEC tournament in Nashville, and will face the winner of Missouri and Auburn on Thursday.