Coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks (20-13, 8-10 SEC) lost Game 2 of the SEC Tournament, 83-80, to the Ole Miss Rebels on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Hoop Hogs, who lost to Ole Miss in the regular season, 73-66, started off down 9-0 to the Rebels. Following a Calipari timeout, the Razorbacks punched back with an 8-2 run, and both teams continued trading blows until the 10:18 minute mark, with Ole Miss up 20-16.
Fatigue was an issue throughout the first half, as Arkansas turned it over seven times, was out-rebounded, 19-18, and shot a measely 3-of-12 from the three-point line. This saw Ole Miss' lead grow to double digits, but a 7-0 run in just under a minute at the end of the half drew the Hogs within eight points, 42-34.
Arkansas didn't let up to start the second half, as it scored 10 points in under five minutes behind a Karter Knox triple and clutch buckets by Trevon Brazile and Johnell Davis to make it a five-point game.
Just a few minutes later, at the 12:13 minute mark, the Hogs finally reclaimed the lead on a Brazile corner triple. The Razorbacks' unstoppable pace quieted Ole Miss offensively and allowed Arkansas to grab a 60-53 advantage with 9:35 minutes left in the game.
Basketball is a game of runs, though, and Ole Miss wasn't to be denied. A thunderous dunk by forward Malik Dia pushed the Rebels' run to 13-2 to secure a four-point lead with 5:04 minutes left.
The comeback effort by Arkansas wasn't exactly helped, as Jonas Aidoo fouled out with 4:44 minutes in the second half.
Late-game heroics by freshmen Billy Richmond III and Knox weren't enough, as Ole Miss guard Sean Pedulla sunk a game-winning three with under five seconds left to clinch the win.
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