AJ Storr Shines, But Ole Miss Falls Short in Gritty Battle at Rupp Arena
LEXINGTON, Ky. - For a good stretch of Saturday morning, it looked like Ole Miss might just steal one in the Bluegrass. Behind AJ Storr’s continued scoring surge and a second-half surge that had Rupp Arena holding its breath, the Rebels pushed Kentucky to the brink before ultimately falling 72-63.
This one was a grind from the jump. Ole Miss (11-9, 3-4 SEC) came out swinging, trading blows with a Kentucky (14-6, 5-2 SEC) squad that’s been heating up in conference play. Zach Day gave the Rebels an early lift with a corner three that put them up 14-11 midway through the first half - a sign that this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park for the Wildcats.
But Kentucky responded with a run of their own. Jasper Johnson got going, first with a smooth turnaround jumper in the paint, then a transition three that gave the ‘Cats a 19-15 lead. From there, they built the advantage to double digits - 29-19 with just over two minutes left in the first half - threatening to break the game open.
To their credit, the Rebels didn’t fold. They locked in defensively, holding Kentucky scoreless down the stretch and clawing their way back to within six, 29-23, heading into halftime. It was a gritty stand that kept the door open for a second-half push.
And push they did.
Kentucky came out of the break looking to reassert control, quickly stretching the lead to 37-29. But Ole Miss dug in once again.
A 9-2 run, capped by a Patton Pinkins three-pointer, tied the game at 39 with 13:51 to play. Suddenly, the Rebels had all the momentum, and the Wildcats were searching for answers.
The next six minutes were a back-and-forth chess match. Neither team could create separation, and the energy inside Rupp turned tense.
Then came the highlight of the night - AJ Storr, already cooking offensively, broke away for a fast break tomahawk slam that cut the Kentucky lead to 50-49 with just under eight minutes to go. That dunk forced a Kentucky timeout and had Ole Miss believing.
But down the stretch, the Wildcats made just enough plays. With 1:02 left, Kentucky clung to a 63-60 lead and managed to hold off the Rebels in the final moments.
Storr was once again the engine for Ole Miss, pouring in a team-high 20 points - his fifth 20-point game of the season and a continuation of a hot streak that’s seen him average 20.0 points per game off the bench over the last six contests. He’s become a reliable weapon, and his ability to spark the offense in key moments was on full display.
Malik Dia added 16 points - his 10th game this season hitting that mark - continuing to be a steady presence in the scoring column. Corey Chest made his presence felt on the glass, pulling down 10 rebounds to match his season best.
This was one of those games where the final score doesn’t quite tell the full story. Ole Miss went toe-to-toe with a tough SEC opponent on the road, showed resilience in the face of double-digit deficits, and had a shot to steal it late. The execution in crunch time wasn’t quite there, but the fight certainly was.
Next up, the Rebels return home to the SJB Pavilion for a big-time matchup against No. 15 Vanderbilt on Saturday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m. That one will be under the lights and on the SEC Network - and you can bet the Rebels will be looking to turn this close call into a statement win.