Texas’ SEC Tournament run came to an early close Wednesday night in Nashville, as Ole Miss knocked off the Longhorns 76-66 in the opening round at Bridgestone Arena. Junior wing Dailyn Swain led the way with 22 points and a game-best 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to extend Texas’ stay in the postseason. The Horns (18–14, 9–9 SEC) have lost four of their last five games, and will now wait for Selection Sunday to learn their NCAA Tournament fate.
Swain did much of his damage at the line, sinking a career-best 13 of 14 free throws while also adding four assists in 38 minutes of action. Senior guard Jordan Pope chipped in 16 points, connecting on four threes to go with three boards, two assists, and a steal. Sophomore forward Matas Vokietaitis provided solid energy off the bench, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds, and a block in 25 minutes.
Ole Miss set the tone early, jumping out to a 9–2 advantage before Texas was able to settle in. The Rebels’ hot start continued with a 13–4 burst midway through the half that stretched their lead to 22–10. The Longhorns clawed back within five after a quick run sparked by Swain and Vokietaitis, but Ole Miss finished the half on another surge to take a 41–30 lead into the locker room.
Texas opened the second half with urgency, trimming the deficit to 46–41 just four minutes in after a jumper from Pope. The comeback effort continued as his three-pointer cut it to 53–48 midway through the half. But Ole Miss answered again, using a 9–1 run to push the margin back to double digits.
The Longhorns made one final push when Pope’s late three capped a 14–4 spurt to pull within 66–63 with just over four minutes to play. That’s as close as they would get, though, as the Rebels closed strong with a 10–3 finish to lock up the win.
