OXFORD — Ole Miss basketball doesn't always need superhero performances from Matthew Murrell to win games these days, but that doesn't mean the senior guard can't deliver them.

Murrell smacked Vanderbilt with volley after volley until the Commodores sank, helping to secure a 69-56 victory for the Rebels on Saturday at the SJB Pavilion.

He finished with 24 points to lead all scorers. The No. 23 Rebels (15-1, 2-1 SEC) have seen this kind of performance from Murrell plenty of times before. He had scored more than 20 points 16 times in his four-year career heading into the game against the Commodores (5-11, 0-3).

Bu until this season, Murrell had rarely matched volume with efficiency the way he did Saturday. During a miserable 2022-23 Ole Miss season, he attempted nearly 13 shots per game and cashed in on 36.5% of them.

This season, he's still taking more than 12 shots per game. But he had been much more efficient, converting at a 48.1% rate before Saturday. That number will only improve after a performance against the Commodores in which Murrell shot 9-for-17, including 6-for-12 from beyond the arc.

Murrell dominated the first half, sending the Rebels into halftime holding a nine-point advantage with an 18-point showing in which missed only one field-goal attempt.

He popped off screens. He converted audacious 3-pointers from well beyond the arc. He got to the basket. And he executed the other aspects of the game well, finishing with six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Allen Flanigan does it all for Ole Miss basketball

And when the scoring slowed down for Murrell in the second half, the Rebels got enough from their other contributors.

Fifth-year forward Allen Flanigan, in particular, stood out. As usual, he could be counted on to score, contributing 16 points with his back-to-the-basket creativity. He gave the Rebels some remarkable post passing, too, with eight assists, one shy of a career-high.

Those joint efforts had the Rebels looking comfortable, holding an 11-point lead with 10:48 to play.

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But the Commodores ripped off an 8-0 run thereafter, trimming the Ole Miss advantage to three points before guard Jaylen Murray stepped up with a 3-pointer to stem the tide. Murrell pushed the lead back to nine with another 3-pointer on the next possession.

Murray, who contributed 12 points, helped the Rebels sidestep a major land mine on their schedule. Though they'd improved to play their first two SEC opponents close, the Commodores entered as one of the worst-rated power conference teams in the country with a NET ranking of 246.

A loss would have been a big dent in Ole Miss' NCAA Tournament resume.

Up next

Ole Miss goes back on the road next week. The Rebels travel to LSU on Wednesday (6 p.m., SEC Network).

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Matthew Murrell sparks Ole Miss basketball to win over Vanderbilt