The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, January 24
Lexington, Ky.
10 a.m.
Ole Miss
63
at
72
Kentucky
Men’s Basketball Falls Just Short in Battle at Kentucky
1/24/2026 | Men's Basketball
LEXINGTON, Ky. – AJ Storr led the way with his fifth 20-point game this season as the Rebels fell short to Kentucky 72-63 on Saturday morning in Rupp Arena.
Ole Miss (11-9, 3-4 SEC) was caught in a tight contest early against Kentucky (14-6, 5-2 SEC) thanks to a corner three-pointer from Zach Day that had the Rebels up 14-11 at the 11:28 mark.
The Wildcats got back in front 19-15 after a turnaround jumper by Jasper Johnson in the paint, which Johnson followed up with a transition three-pointer with 7:22 remaining in the first half.
Kentucky extended its lead to as much as 10, 29-19, with 2:35 left to play in the first half. However, the visitors battled back, causing the Wildcats to go scoreless in the final minutes, cutting the lead to 29-23, headed into the halfway break.
In the second half, Kentucky would rebuild its offensive momentum, getting out to a 37-29 lead through the first few minutes of action.
The Rebels would storm back, knotting the game at 39 after going on a 9-2 run with Patton Pinkins delivering the game-tying three-pointer at the 13:51 mark.
Over the next six minutes, neither team managed to break away from the other. With Just under eight minutes remaining, Storr broke away for a fast break tomahawk slam to put the Rebels within one, 50-49, forcing the Wildcats to call a timeout to halt the Ole Miss momentum.
A minute and two seconds remained in the second half as Kentucky led 63-60, eventually holding on to the lead in the final moments.
Ole Miss will return home to face off against No. 15 Vanderbilt on Saturday, January 31, at 7:30 p.m. in the SJB Pavilion and broadcast on the SEC Network.
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
NOTABLES
• AJ Storr finished with a team-high 20 points, and is averaging 20.0 points per game off the bench during the past six contests.
• Corey Chest pulled in a season-best tying 10 rebounds.
• Malik Dia added 16 points, his 10th game this season with 16 or more.
Ole Miss (11-9, 3-4 SEC) was caught in a tight contest early against Kentucky (14-6, 5-2 SEC) thanks to a corner three-pointer from Zach Day that had the Rebels up 14-11 at the 11:28 mark.
The Wildcats got back in front 19-15 after a turnaround jumper by Jasper Johnson in the paint, which Johnson followed up with a transition three-pointer with 7:22 remaining in the first half.
Kentucky extended its lead to as much as 10, 29-19, with 2:35 left to play in the first half. However, the visitors battled back, causing the Wildcats to go scoreless in the final minutes, cutting the lead to 29-23, headed into the halfway break.
In the second half, Kentucky would rebuild its offensive momentum, getting out to a 37-29 lead through the first few minutes of action.
The Rebels would storm back, knotting the game at 39 after going on a 9-2 run with Patton Pinkins delivering the game-tying three-pointer at the 13:51 mark.
Over the next six minutes, neither team managed to break away from the other. With Just under eight minutes remaining, Storr broke away for a fast break tomahawk slam to put the Rebels within one, 50-49, forcing the Wildcats to call a timeout to halt the Ole Miss momentum.
A minute and two seconds remained in the second half as Kentucky led 63-60, eventually holding on to the lead in the final moments.
Ole Miss will return home to face off against No. 15 Vanderbilt on Saturday, January 31, at 7:30 p.m. in the SJB Pavilion and broadcast on the SEC Network.
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
NOTABLES
• AJ Storr finished with a team-high 20 points, and is averaging 20.0 points per game off the bench during the past six contests.
• Corey Chest pulled in a season-best tying 10 rebounds.
• Malik Dia added 16 points, his 10th game this season with 16 or more.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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