No. 12 Florida routs Ole Miss 94-75; Rebels lose ninth straight

No. 12 Florida handed Ole Miss its ninth straight loss Saturday, beating the Rebels 94-75 at the SJB Pavilion, according to the box score. Florida improved to 21-6 overall and 11-3 in the SEC, while Ole Miss fell to 11-16 and 3-11 in conference play, the schools reported.

Alex Condon led the Gators with 24 points and Thomas Haugh had 20 points and nine rebounds, the box score shows. Xaivian Lee added 11 points and 10 rebounds for Florida.

Malik Dia scored a team-high 24 for Ole Miss but his performance was overshadowed by Florida’s run. Dia said he leans on faith and routine to maintain morale during the skid: “I read the Bible. I play the game. I do all the types of stuff to get my mind off the basketball. Basketball brings me the most joy. Just staying in the gym and grinding, regardless of our outcome, I’m going to be in there.”

Florida pushed the pace early and led 43-32 at halftime, outrebounding Ole Miss by nine in the first half, the box score shows. The Gators extended the margin to as many as 17 in the second half and led 72-51 with 8:42 remaining. Ole Miss briefly cut the deficit to 15 with about six minutes left, but Florida quickly rebuilt a 20-point lead.

Three-point shooting and rebounding separated the teams. Florida hit 11 3-pointers and shot 50 percent from long range, while Ole Miss was 2 of 16 (13 percent) from 3-point range, according to the box score. The Gators outrebounded the Rebels 39-24. Ole Miss was without Kezza Giffa, and Eduardo Klafke was limited after not playing Wednesday, the school said. Ole Miss is scheduled to host LSU on Wednesday at 8 p.m., with the SEC Network and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations carrying the broadcast, the school said.

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