Ole Miss Basketball Marks Chris Beard's Debut with 69-59 Win Over Alabama State

Chris Beard's new era at Ole Miss begins with a win despite struggling with free throws and long-range shots, thanks to key performances from Allen Flanigan and Matthew Murrell.

The victory over Alabama State marks the beginning of the Chris Beard era at Ole Miss basketball. The former Texas Longhorns coach was commencing his tenure as the Rebels' new head coach.
Key player performances contributed to the win, with Allen Flanigan finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Matthew Murrell delivering a game-high 16 points along with nine rebounds, despite the team's struggles with free throws and long-range shots.
The game was a close one, with Ole Miss leading the Hornets by just a single point with less than 13 minutes remaining. However, the Rebels managed to pull away with a 24-15 run in the remainder of the game.
Intensifying their dominance over Alabama State, Ole Miss' win improved their all-time record against the Hornets to eight wins and zero losses. Alabama State was picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll for the 12-team Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Despite a strong shooting performance from Alabama State at the foul line (76.2 percent compared to Ole Miss' 48 percent), the Rebels managed to secure a win, aided by their superior field shooting percentage (36.8 percent) and a leading score of points in the paint (30-10).