Thanks to a brilliant second half effort and game-winner courtesy of former Duke basketball forward Jaemyn Brakefield, the unranked Ole Miss Rebels (21-9, 10-7 SEC) pulled off a 78-76 home win over the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers (24-6, 11-6 SEC) on Wednesday night.
With 7.5 seconds left on the clock and the score knotted up at 76-76, Brakefield delivered the deciding bucket after grabbing an offensive rebound in the paint.
The 24-year-old Mississippi native finished the contest with a game-high 19 points, including 17 in the second half. He shot 8-for-9 from the field and 3-for-3 at the charity stripe against the Vols, adding two rebounds and two assists without committing a turnover.
Jaemyn Brakefield, who spent his 2020-21 freshman campaign in the Duke basketball program under Mike Krzyzewski’s command before transferring to Ole Miss, entered the bout averaging 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 23.1 minutes per game off the bench this season.
He and the Rebels wrap up their regular season on the road versus the No. 5-ranked Florida Gators (26-4, 13-4 SEC) at 6 p.m. ET Saturday (SEC Network).
