Florida
Jaemyn Brakefield scores 28 points as Ole Miss basketball discovers its swagger again vs Florida
Chris Beard on Ole Miss basketball season so far
Here’s what Chris Beard had to say about how the Rebels have managed their nonconference slate.
OXFORD — Ole Miss basketball did not shy away from the required response when it hosted Florida Wednesday at the SJB Pavilion.
Staring down a possible 0-2 SEC start and a whole lot of questions on the back of last Saturday’s bludgeoning from Tennessee, the Rebels (14-1, 1-1 SEC) were not tight and tentative against Florida (10-5, 0-2). Instead, in beating the Gators 103-85, Ole Miss brought a swagger and punch-first attitude.
The Rebels seamlessly adapted to the Gators’ preferred pace, running the floor aggressively against one of college basketball’s tempo leaders. They mitigated what looked like a huge interior mismatch on paper. And they didn’t allow their first loss of the season to impact their confidence, taking audacious fadeaway jump shots, swatting shots and letting Gators defenders know they were “too small” when making plays inside.
Jaemyn Brakefield goes off again for Ole Miss basketball
The main instigator for the Rebels offensively remained forward Jaemyn Brakefield.
The Jackson native carried over a strong performance against Tennessee, posting a career-high 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting.
He tormented the Gators inside and out, connecting on two 3-pointers and a handful of outside jump shots while also showcasing his ability to score in the paint. Brakefield finished off a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays.
FULL UPDATES: Ole Miss basketball live score updates vs. Florida: Rebels face Gators in SEC play
Rebels hang with Florida in the paint, dominate from deep
Brakefield’s efforts contributed to a remarkable interior effort by the Rebels, who often cede control of the painted area even in victories.
Florida, the sixth-most-efficient offensive rebounding team in college basketball entering action Wednesday, outdid the Rebels 26-10 on the offensive glass.
But that didn’t translate into a considerable advantage when it came to points in the paint. The Rebels drew Florida 42 to 42 in that category. Ole Miss’ rim protectors imposed themselves on the game, too. Jamarion Sharp swatted a school-record nine shots as the Rebels finished with 16 total blocks.
Those numbers gave Ole Miss a chance to win. Its outside shooting removed any doubt.
The Rebels connected on eight of their 20 attempts from downtown, continuing their season-long trend of efficient 3-point shooting.
Matthew Murrell and Allen Flanigan bounce back
As usual, guard Matthew Murrell helped key Ole Miss’ efforts from deep.
He drilled three 3-pointers on his way to a 23-point performance. The Rebels needed improvement from Murrell, who turned in by far his worst performance of the season against Tennessee, hitting just four of his 12 field-goal attempts on his way to nine points.
Allen Flanigan, who was also out of sorts against the Vols, responded to shoot 6-of-11 from the field for 17 points.
Up next
Ole Miss will remain at home, with Vanderbilt scheduled to visit the SJB Pavilion on Saturday (Noon, SEC Network). The Commodores (5-10, 0-2) lost at LSU on Tuesday.
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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A 77-year-old man is facing charges after deputies say he threatened a woman with a firearm during a domestic incident in the Florida Keys.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened around 2:50 p.m. on March 28 near Mile Marker 38 on U.S. 1.
Authorities say Charles Durand Wilkinson, of Okeechobee, retrieved a revolver and told the victim, “I aught to shoot you.”
The woman was able to pull over, disarm Wilkinson, and throw the firearm into nearby bushes, deputies said. The weapon was later recovered by responding officers.
Wilkinson was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
No serious injuries were reported.
The train hit a pedestrian about 7:20 a.m. March 29 at the 77th Street railroad crossing, just west of Old Dixie Highway.
A man died in a freight train crash on the morning of March 29 in Indian River County, according to sheriff’s officials.
The Florida East Coast Railway train hit the man, identified as a pedestrian, about 7:20 a.m. at the 77th Street railroad crossing, just west of Old Dixie Highway, according to officials.
The man was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to officials. His name was withheld pending notification of his next of kin.
Because of the length of the train, several crossings in the area remain closed until the train can be moved. Drive alternate routes if traveling in the area.
County Road 510 at the crossing and 77th Street at 58th Avenue are currently closed.
A Brightline train was seen stopped just south of 69th Street unable to travel north.
Sheriff’s deputies and railroad officials remain at the scene investigating the cause of the crash.
No further information was immediately available.
Laurie K. Blandford is a breaking news reporter with TCPalm. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Commandment broke his maiden last fall at Churchill Downs. He’ll soon be headed back there, looking for a much bigger victory.
By the slimmest of margins — a photo finish — Commandment won the Florida Derby on Saturday, completing a worst-to-first rally in the six-horse field and overtaking The Puma with the final bob of his head.
It was the fourth consecutive win for Commandment, who had jockey Flavien Prat aboard on Saturday. Next up: the Kentucky Derby, the start of the Triple Crown series on May 2 at Churchill Downs.
“He’s a racehorse, bottom line,” said trainer Brad Cox, who saddled the Florida Derby winner for the second consecutive year. “He always shows up. … He’s a Grade 1 winner. Florida Derby’s a big race. Proud of the horse. Very proud of the horse.”
The Puma took the lead at the top of the stretch and was maybe an inch or two shy of keeping it the rest of the way. Bettors roared when the official order of finish was announced, and Cox could finally exhale.
“Little too close for comfort,” Cox said.
Commandment returned $5.80 for the win. Chief Wallabee was third, favorite Nearly — the 7-5 top choice — was fourth and Wayne’s Law was fifth.
Commandment got 100 points toward the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. The Puma got 50 for finishing second, Chief Wallabee got 25 for third, Nearly got 15 for placing fourth and the fifth-place showing by Wayne’s Law earned him 10 points.
The Puma and Commandment went into Saturday’s race with spots for the Kentucky Derby basically secured, based on their point totals coming in — The Puma had 56, Commandment 50, and those likely would be enough to make the field.
Now, assuming both emerge from Saturday healthy and stay that way, they’re locks for the Run for the Roses.
“He’s got a great mind,” said Cox, just the fourth trainer to win the Florida Derby in back-to-back years, joining Todd Pletcher (who did it three times), Nick Zito and Horace Jones. “That’s going to take him a long way, the first Saturday in May.”
History has shown there’s a clear path from the winner’s circle at Gulfstream Park to the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs. The Florida Derby has been run by 26 eventual Kentucky Derby winners, more than any other prep race — most recently Sovereignty last year. Sovereignty was second in last year’s Florida Derby.
And Florida Derby winners have gone on to win 31 Triple Crown series races, including the Kentucky Derby on 15 occasions — the last of which was when Always Dreaming pulled it off in 2017. Those 31 victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont have come from 21 different Florida Derby winners.
UAE Derby
On Dubai World Cup day at Meydan, Wonder Dean won the UAE Derby for trainer Daisuke Takayanagi.
Wonder Dean is the fifth consecutive Japanese-trained winner of the UAE Derby. All four of the others went to the Kentucky Derby and Takayanagi — who guided T O Password to a fifth-place finish at the Run for the Roses in 2024 — said Wonder Dean is on his way as well.
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