Kamardine dazzles with 26 points, Ole Miss takes down Memphis 83-77

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Ilias Kamardine tallied 26 points, three other players reached double figures, and Ole Miss won in an 83-77 thriller against Memphis on Tuesday night.

The Rebels (3-0) did not trail in the second half, but saw their lead cut to as little as four points after leading by 11 with 7:37 remaining in regulation.

Kamardine was an efficient 11-of-14 from the field (3-of-4 from 3-point range) in his third collegiate game, and his dunk with 29 seconds on the clock put an exclamation point on the game as the Rebels survived Memphis’ comeback bid.

Kezza Giffa (15 points), Malik Dia (13), and AJ Storr (10) joined Kamardine with double-digit points. Giffa also dished a team-high five assists, and Dia reeled in six rebounds.

The Tigers (1-1) were led by Curtis Givens III’s 20 points and Dug McDaniel’s 15 points and seven rebounds. Ashton Hardaway tallied 16 on 7-of-11 shooting.

The Tigers lead the historical series, 30-17, and won 87-70 in the programs’ last meeting on Dec. 28, 2024. Ole Miss leads the series in Oxford, improving to 13-6. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball