Brandon Murray debuts for Chris Beard as Ole Miss basketball beats Cal to stay perfect
Ole Miss basketball added a new weapon on Saturday against Cal when Georgetown transfer Brandon Murray made his debut for the Rebels.
But it was the longest-tenured Rebels who set off the fireworks in an 88-78 victory over Cal at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
Jaemyn Brakefield and Matthew Murrell, with a combined seven seasons of experience at Ole Miss, scored 46 of the Rebels' points.
Brakefield's performance proved particularly explosive. The forward led all scorers with 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting, connecting five times from beyond the 3-point line.
That showing headlined a dominant display from deep by the Rebels (10-0). They cashed in 12 of their 21 efforts from range.
It's the fourth time this season that Chris Beard's team has clocked a 3-point shooting percentage of at least 50%. The Rebels never achieved that last season under former coach Kermit Davis, and did it only once in each of the two prior campaigns.
Ole Miss basketball runs away with the game early
That 3-point efficiency helped Ole Miss establish early command of the game that it never relinquished.
The Rebels led by 10 less than six minutes into the first half, and rode that buffer to an 11-point halftime advantage.
A quick 3-pointer by Murrell extended the lead to 14 on Ole Miss' first possession out of the break, and the Golden Bears (3-7) only briefly cut the deficit to single digits in the game's final minute.
Brandon Murray debuts for Ole Miss basketball
Murray had been awaiting a decision from the NCAA on his two-time transfer waiver.
The move came after the NCAA said in a statement that two-time transfer athletes would be eligible through the end of the season.
Murray, a guard, scored 13.7 points per game at Georgetown last season. He spent his freshman year at LSU.
The initial impression he delivered against the Golden Bears was a positive one. Murray drilled a stepback 3-pointer in his first shot attempt.
He finished with those three points and four assists.
Could Ole Miss basketball be ranked next week?
A 9-0 start earned Ole Miss a place at No. 25 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, but the Rebels did not manage to crack the AP's Top 25 as the second team on the outside looking in.
Doing so would mark their first entry into the AP Poll since 2019.
As of Saturday night, only No. 25 Northwestern had lost this week among Nos. 15-25.
Up next
Ole Miss will return to the SJB Pavilion on Tuesday (6 p.m., SEC Network+) to take on Troy (5-5).
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: Ole Miss basketball coasts by Cal, stays perfect under Chris Beard
