Second half offense anemic in Ole Miss loss at Texas A&M

Published 10:11 pm Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Ole Miss and Breein Tyree started hot offensively in their SEC opener on the road at Texas A&M. However, the second half told a much different story.

Leading by 10 at half, Ole Miss scored just 18 second half points, allowing the Aggies to come all the way back for a 57-47 come-from-behind win.

Breein Tyree, who’s struggled of late with his shot, came out red-hot in the SEC opener for Ole Miss (9-5, 0-1 SEC). The Rebels senior started the game 3-3, scoring eight of the first 10 points for Ole Miss. In the half, it was Tyree and the Rebels defense carrying the team.

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Ole Miss held Texas A&M (7-6, 1-0 SEC) to only 19 first half points, shooting 27 percent and forcing five turnovers in the process. Tyree actually outscored the entire Aggie team in the half, scoring 21 points on his own, shooting eight of 10 from the floor as Ole Miss took a 29-19 lead to half.

Then the Ole Miss offense simply fell apart.

Where the Rebels, carried in part by Tyree, shot 41 percent in the opening half, they shot 21 percent from the floor in the second half. Over the opening 15 minutes of play in the second half, the team scored only 10 points. Between the 17:57 mark and 11:14 mark in the second half, a 6:17 time span, Ole Miss didn’t score a single point, allowing a 15-0 Texas A&M run.

Despite the struggles early in the second half, Ole Miss was never totally out of it. Devontae Shuler hit a pair of critical shots down the stretch to keep Ole Miss in striking range before Tyree hit a three with 53 seconds to play to cut the Texas A&M lead to 51-47.

A few more missed shots by the Rebels and a handful of Aggie free throws over the final minute put the game away for Texas A&M, winning 57-47.

Tyree finished the night with 26 points.

With the disappointing loss, Ole Miss returns home for their next game. The Rebels will play their SEC home opener Saturday at the Pavilion against Arkansas.