Padilla helps No. 24 Mississippi beat South Alabama 64-54

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) Sean Padilla 19 of his 27 points in the first half and No. 24 Mississippi used a 9-0 surge in the final two minutes to beat South Alabama Jaguars 64-54 on Tuesday night.

Jaemyn Brakefield scored 14 points for Ole Miss Rebels (3-0) while Malik Dia added a game-high 13 rebounds. The Rebels led 38-26 at halftime.

Judah Brown led South Alabama (1-2) with 16 points while Myles Corey added 14.

The Jaguars pulled within 55-52 in the final four minutes, but consecutive 3-point shots by Jaylen Murray, Brakefield and Pedulla put the game away.

The Rebels played without Matthew Murrell, a three-year starter at shooting guard, due to lower back concerns.

South Alabama: Richie Riley’s Jaguars have been .500 or better for six consecutive seasons but the challenge to that streak will be blending eight transfers before Sun Belt Conference play.

Ole Miss: The game was billed as a “Throwback at the Tad ((Smith) Pad". The former on-campus home court – a cozy, noisy 7,500-seat round-shaped arena. Chris Beard’s squad reminded fans why the Rebels owned such a strong home court advantage in the nostalgic but outdated facility.

Ole Miss snapped a 24-24 tie with a 14-2 run in the final five minutes of the first half to build a 38-26 halftime lead. Padilla opened the surge with consecutive 3-point shots and the Rebels never trailed again.

The Rebels finished 13-of-38, 34%, from beyond the 3-point line, led by Pedulla at 7-of-16. The long range shooting was decisive as Ole Miss managed only 21-of-64, 32 percent, from the field.

South Alabama hosts Mercer on Saturday afternoon. Ole Miss moves to neutral in-state site Southaven on Saturday afternoon against Colorado State.

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