Ole Miss basketball escapes Temple scare as bigger tests await Chris Beard's team
Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard remained firm in his belief.
Despite a success rate through four games of just 28.6% from 3-point range, the first-year Rebels coach has said they will become a team that can shoot the triple effectively.
They shot it with lethal efficiency on Wednesday, connecting on 10 of 18 attempts in a 77-76 victory over Temple at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia.
The decisive moment arrived with nine seconds to go, when Allen Flanigan was fouled in the lane with the Rebels down one. He cashed in both his free throws to put Ole Miss ahead to stay.
In topping the Owls (3-2), the Rebels (5-0) passed their first road test of the season and completed a season-opening sweep through five opponents who could have inflicted early damage to their postseason résumé. Next, they'll get their first two shots at quality wins when a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from last season, NC State and Memphis, visit SJB Pavilion.
Ole Miss has sidestepped some close calls in the early goings of Beard's tenure, beating Detroit Mercy and Sam Houston State by a combined three points.
Ole Miss basketball pushed by Temple, but fights to hang on
Despite a 16-point Ole Miss cushion early, the Owls gave the Rebels another fright.
FULL UPDATES: Ole Miss basketball live score updates vs. Temple: Rebels face Owls in nonconference play
Trailing by five at halftime, Temple closed Ole Miss' advantage to just two at the 16:50 mark of the second half.
From there, the Rebels turned to their stars. Matthew Murrell got into the lane to deliver a quick response. Flanigan scored or assisted on the next eight points to help them steady the ship.
Temple didn't go away.
With 6:10 to go, it again cut the Ole Miss advantage to two points. Jaylen Murray and TJ Caldwell answered with 3-pointers, but the Owls connected on back-to-back triples of their own.
On a broken possession thereafter, Flanigan fought down low to collect a vital offensive rebound, and converted a layup to put the Rebels back ahead by four with 3:17 to play.
The Owls managed to poke their noses in front via the free-throw line with 1:39 to go, necessitating the free-throw heroics from Flanigan.
Allen Flanigan provides another huge lift for Ole Miss basketball
The Rebels are still without two transfers who figured to rank among their most important players in Moussa Cisse and Brandon Murray.
As they wait on eligibility waiver decisions from the NCAA, Flanigan, another transfer, has willed Ole Miss forward.
Wednesday marked the 119th time the fifth-year transfer from Auburn appeared in a college basketball game. Three of his top six scoring performances have come in his five games with the Rebels.
Flanigan posted 26 points to lead all scorers, and he secured them in a variety of ways. He contributed to the encouraging performance from beyond the arc with two 3-pointers. He collected his usual batch of points from the midrange game, and he proved a factor down low.
As important as his scoring touch was Flanigan's ability to distribute, with seven assists.
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 escapes Temple scare thanks to Allen Flanigan
