A last second dunk by Charleston Southern was enough to upend Ole Miss at home Friday, 66-65 in overtime.
Memphis native Martavious Newby led the Rebels with 14 points.
Shooting from the filed was a major issue, with Ole Miss connecting on a whopping 18 percent from the field in the first half which netted 17 points. Charleston Southern led 29-17 at the break. Ole Miss finished 19 of 63 from the field and 6 of 30 from 3-point range.
“I have been doing this for 10 years, and I have never had one like this,” Head Coach Andy Kennedy said. “You have to do your best to learn from it. It’s easier said than done. It’s going to hurt. You want it to hurt. They were stunned in there. They should be.”
The Rebels came out of the half on fire, as they quickly went on a 9-0 run to bring the game within 3 points. Ole Miss eventually got the game tied at 32, however then gave up back to back three pointers.
Which was the story of the night, the Rebels would close the gap only to then give up a big play. Ole Miss lost leading returning scorer and SEC Player of the Year Candidate Jarvis Summers with just over two minutes to play to fouls. The game was tied 57-57 at the end of regulation.
In overtime, Ole Miss struck first to take the lead for the first time since being up 2-1. Later in extra time, a Ladarious White three pointer put the Rebels up 65-64. With the ball and 8.2 seconds left, the Bucs drove the length of the floor and Cedrick Bowen made a tip in dunk off of a missed layup with .1 seconds left.
Rebounding was a key factor in the a loss that saw few baskets drop for Ole Miss. Kennedy echoed this statement. The Rebels lost the rebounding battle 54-50.
“Rebounding continues to be a huge nemesis for us,” Kennedy said. “Rebounding was our undoing, as it should have been. They played well enough to win the game. We have to go and try to get to 1-1 Monday night on the road. It’s another test in an away environment, which is something this team has never experience. We’ll see how they respond.”
The Troy game will be the last game of suspension of senior forward Aaron Jones who was suspended for breaking team rules. The Rebels begin the Emerald Coast Classic at home against Southern University on November 20th. 
