COLUMBIA, SC (Ole Miss Athletics) – SEC’s co-player of the week Devontae Shuler returned home and made one of his best performances in a rebel uniform on Saturday night. Ole Miss Rebels (12-8, 7-6 SEC) held up and won their fourth consecutive victory, beating South Carolina (5-9, 3-7 SEC) 81-74 behind a career record of 31 points (8 of 13 FG) for Shuler, native of Irmo, South Carolina.
“It means a lot,” said Shuler. “I never won here. I just crashed because I knew this would be my last game here and for my team and family in the stands. I did what I did to make them happy. “
Shuler’s career night was his seventh this season with more than 20 points and included a season record with seven rebounds. Romello White finished with 14 points (5 of 9 FG) and five boards, while KJ Buffenadded 12 points and four boards coming off the bench.
Ole Miss pitched 50% (22 of 44) from the ground as a unit, the third consecutive game pitching 50% or more. The rebels also set a season record of 34 points on the free-throw line in 44 attempts, playing a key role in the Colonial Life Arena.
The defense took center stage early on, with both teams struggling to come out of the arc with five consecutive mistakes. However, the rebels found their points near the basket when they jumped to a 6-0 lead and did not allow a single Gamecock bucket until 3:04 pm. The rebels forced South Carolina to start 1-8 on the field, going for the first media timeout. Gamecocks looked for some looks and open brands, but Ole Miss responded on the free throw line. Sammy Hunter’s layup and-one played another six-point ball game with 11:59 remaining in the first half.
South Carolina responded with a 6-0 streak to tie the game after a few brutally physical minutes. A three-point basket from AJ Lawson gave South Carolina their first advantage in the game, but Shuler immediately responded with a three-pointer to raise 17-15 with 7:26 to end the break. After three minutes of coming and going, the rebels used a 13-2 run to climb 13 after a three-point bucket from Buffen. The Gamecocks scored five consecutive points by going to the locker room behind Ole Miss 36-28.
The rebels threw 48 percent (13 of 27) from the ground with 18 points from the paint (10) and the charity ribbon (8 from 10). Defensively, the rebels forced South Carolina to shoot 37 percent (10 of 27) and commit 11 losses. Shuler already had 13 points (5 out of 7 FG) with three assists, while Buffen and White had seven each at halftime, the latter with a team of four rebounds.
To start the second half, the rebels used a pair of three-point moves by White and Shuler with a Jarkel Joiner to go back up 13 in four minutes. However, with 14:49 to the end of time, South Carolina was already in the bonus. During the next four minutes and changes, the rebels maintained their double-digit lead and Shuler’s three-point lead with 10:14 left gave Ole Miss his biggest advantage of the game at 60-45. Allen’s free throw gave them a 16 point lead a little over a minute later.
After later taking an 18 point lead, the Gamecocks went on a 7-0 run to reduce the deficit to 11 with 4:33 remaining to play during the double bonus. Despite a late wave from South Carolina, the rebels used the free-throw line to stand their ground and win another SEC victory.
“Whenever you can win on the road in this league, it’s great,” Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis said. “Our team showed a lot of balance. Very proud of our team. “
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TIP-INS
- Ole Miss leads the 22-20 series.
- First victory in Colombia since 2014.
- Second streak of four consecutive SEC game wins under Kermit Davis.
- On his return to his home state, Devontae Shuler scored 31 points, the best of his career.
- Shuler’s score was higher for a Rebel this season.
- It was the 10th consecutive game that Shuler reached double digits, as well as his first game of 30 points in his career.
- Ole Miss hit 34 free throws, the record of the season, hitting 34 of 44 from the line.
- The rebels have released at least 30 for the first time since they turned 31 against Missouri four years ago (March 9, 2017).
- KJ Buffen scored 12 points off the bench, his most points since he scored 18 against Wichita State (January 2).
- The rebels had 11 steals, recording at least 10 steals for the seventh time this season.
- With 3 robberies, Luis rodriguez produced his 13th multi-theft game of the season.