Ole Miss rallies from down 21, stuns Penn State in Brooklyn

Published 6:09 pm Wednesday, November 27, 2019

These 2019 Rebels sure like drama.

Just a few days after nearly pulling off a 16 point comeback on the road at Memphis, losing by one, Ole Miss basketball was back on their comeback train Wednesday evening in Brooklyn. This time, they completed the comeback.

Trailing Penn State by as much as 21 points, the Rebels rallied back to stun Penn State 74-72 in the NIT Tip-Off.

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The first half was simply a struggle for the Rebels. Breein Tyree went scoreless in a half where the team shot just 40 percent (20 percent from three). Even more problematic in the first half is that Ole Miss committed 14 turnovers and the defense allowed Penn State to shoot 53 percent.

However, just like Saturday at the FedExForum, the Rebels weren’t done. Trailing by as many as 21, Ole Miss had a second half run in them. A three pointer with 9:19 remaining by Blake Hinson capped a 12 point Rebel run, cutting the Penn State lead to seven points. Bryce Williams, who hit a few key shots for Ole Miss on Wednesday, hit a three of his own with 4:08 to play to cut the Penn State lead to 66-61.

Going in transition off a missed Penn State bucket, Breein Tyree converted on an and-one play to tie the game with 1:06 to play. The play capped a 39-18 run by Ole Miss. Coming up with another clutch basket, it was Bryce Williams who hit the two critical free throws to go ahead 74-72. It was the Rebels’ first lead of the night, and it was also the final score.

The team finished the game on a 43-20 run.

In some troubling news moving forward, Blake Hinson got the start on Wednesday after Louis Rodriguez suffered a foot injury during practices between the Memphis and Penn State games.

Ole Miss will play the winner of Oklahoma State and Syracuse on Friday.