GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Down 10 at the half, the Ole Miss men’s basketball team climbed back within two to open the final period, but ultimately fell 79-64 to Florida on Wednesday night in Exatech Arena.

While Florida (14-12, 7-6 SEC) opened the game up with the lead, the Rebels (10-16, 2-11 SEC) were able to go out in front with 9:15 left before halftime on a breakaway dunk by Matthew Murrell. Ole Miss would take a four-point lead, 19-15, after Murrell connected from deep, but a late run from the home team put the Rebels down 39-29 at the half.

A 10-2 run by the Rebels to begin the second half got Ole Miss within two points, as they trailed 41-39 with 17:11 on the clock. After shooting 66.7% from the floor in the first 20 minutes of action, the Florida offense reclaimed the lead, going up by as much as 18 before defeating the Rebels by 15.

For the 13^th game this season, Murrell paced the team in scoring with 15 points while grabbing five rebounds. Jaemyn Brakefield added 14 points as well and secured a team-best eight boards.

The Gators had five score in double digits, led by Myreon Jones with 15.

Ole Miss returns home next to take on Mississippi State on Saturday, February 18 at 2:30 p.m. in the SJB Pavilion.