Ole Miss rides Abram past S. Carolina in SEC opener
- Mar. 08, 2023 09:44 PM EST
Mississippi guard Matthew Murrell (11) and forward Robert Allen (21) celebrate drawing a foul as South Carolina forward Gregory Jackson II (23) reaccts in the bacckground during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Mississiippi won 67-61. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Mississippi guard Matthew Murrell (11) and forward Robert Allen (21) celebrate drawing a foul as South Carolina forward Gregory Jackson II (23) reaccts in the bacckground during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Mississiippi won 67-61. (AP Photo/John Amis)
South Carolina guard Eli Sparkman (14) passes to guard Jacobi Wright (1) as Mississippi guard Matthew Murrell (11) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Mississippi forward Myles Burns reacts as they further their lead against South Carolina during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Mississiippi won 67-61. (AP Photo/John Amis)
South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Mississippi coach Win Case reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson (5) passes to forward Gregory Jackson II (23) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game as Mississippi guard TJ Caldwell (2) defends in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Mississippi guard James White (5) turns upcourt as South Carolina forward Hayden Brown (10) pursues during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)
South Carolina forward Gregory Jackson II (23) reaccts as forward Hayden Brown (10) consoles as an NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi, in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, comes to an end, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Mississiippi won 67-61. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Mississippi guard James White, and forward Jaemyn Brakefield (4) celebrate as the game ends against South Carolina during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Mississiippi won 67-61. (AP Photo/John Amis)
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Freshman backup Amaree Abram scored 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting, Jaemyn Brakefield scored 16 points and Mississippi beat South Carolina 67-61 on Wednesday night in an opening round game of the SEC Tournament.

James White added 10 points and gathered 10 rebounds for Ole Miss which had a 41-31 rebounding advantage. The Rebels made 25 of 59-shot attempts (42.4%) including 9 of 22 (40.9%) from 3-point range.

Greg Jackson II scored 24 points for the Gamecocks, Meechie Johnson scored 13 and Hayden Brown 11.

As the 13th seed, Ole Miss (12-20) advances to face No. 5-seed and 17th-ranked Tennessee on Thursday. South Carolina (11-21) ended its season having lost seven of its last 10.

Jackson's layup with 10:27 left gave South Carolina its lone lead of the second half at 46-44 before Amaree made a 3-pointer 27 seconds later and Ole Miss stayed ahead for the remainder.

Abram made consecutive 3s and followed with a jump shot and the Rebels extended their lead to 61-52 with 4:17 left before a 9-3 outburst by South Carolina reduced its deficit to 64-61 with 1:03 to go.

Following a South Carolina timeout, the Rebels' Matthew Murrell missed a 3 attempt but White grabbed the offensive rebound and Ole Miss called a timeout with 18 seconds left. White then hit a jump shot for a 66-61 advantage with 11 seconds remaining to seal it.

Ole Miss moved its overall record to 25-22 against South Carolina.

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