The Rebels (19-8, 8-6 SEC) overcame a 19-point deficit in the first half, trailing by eight points going into the half. In a wire-to-wire second half, the Rebels managed to take the lead, but a late 9-0 run from the Commodores would prove to be too much for Ole Miss.
“I thought the difference the game was our poor start,” said Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard in an interview postgame. “They (Vanderbilt) were very aggressive out of the gate, and we needed to take that first punch better than we did.”
While the Rebels were out-muscled in Saturday’s game, it’s still impressive the team managed to rally at the end of the first half, and continue to fight in the second.
“Congrats to Vanderbilt. Good home win in the SEC,” Beard said. “We played well at times today to get back into the game. But the start of the game, and the end of the game is where we didn’t play well enough to win on the road.”
While the loss stings, and adjustments will need to be made, there does exist a silver lining in the loss. The Rebels are a competitive team, and despite overwhelming odds, got back in the game against a tough team. Vanderbilt has lost just two games at home this season, combined with being a tough team on the court. Saturday’s game was a stark reminder that there are no “easy road games” in the SEC.
The Rebels are back on the road this week, taking on No. 1 Auburn in Auburn on Wednesday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN2.