Mississippi

Everything a frustrated Chris Beard said after a listless Ole Miss loss to Mississippi State

Published

1 year ago

February 16, 2025

Everything a frustrated Chris Beard said after a listless Ole Miss loss to Mississippi State

ESPN predicted before Saturday’s slate of college basketball games 14 of the SEC’s 16 teams would make the NCAA Tournament. No. 19 Ole Miss was included as a 5-seed.

Actually, the Rebels’ resume was/is so strong a win or loss against rival Mississippi State wasn’t go to move the needle much, if at all, either way. But a listless, 81-71 effort? If nothing else, it shook up something in second-year head coach Chris Beard.

A clearly-frustrated Beard tore into his team in his postgame press conference. Ole Miss fell to 19-7 overall and 8-5 in the SEC. Mississippi State improved to 18-7 (6-6). The teams were meeting for the second time ever with both ranked in the Top 25. Mississippi State has now swept both of those matchups, each coming this season.

Ole Miss is off this week before traveling to Vanderbilt (17-8, 5-7) Saturday, February 22. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

Here’s everything Beard had to say afterwards.

ON TEAM REBOUNDING

Beard: We got pounded on the glass. We had zero offensive rebounds in the first half. At times during the game we were non-competitive on the glass.

ON OLE MISS GETTING BULLIED

Beard: I wish I could tell you I was surprised, but I wasn’t. I think these last two games, the four halves we played on the road, fortunate to win those games. But I would agree with the players if they said they weren’t the most aggressive team tonight.

I give Mississippi State credit. Got a good coach, good players. I thought (Shawn Jones, Jr.) was the difference in the game. You look at his plus-minus (+22), winning basketball. You look at the stat sheet on us, we had one guy that had a positive plus-minus today. We got some good minutes from Mikeal (Brown-Jones) off the bench.

College basketball is a players’ game. You’ve got to have guys show up to play. Ultimately where the coach fits in is it’s his responsibility to get the guys ready to play. Want to apologize to all the fans that drove into Oxford today to watch this rivalry. We did our best to explain to the guys how important this game was. We obviously didn’t get it done.

ON TEAM COMPLACENCY

Beard: If complacency is a part of this then we’ve got some guys that need to do some real soul-searching. Complacent for what? What have we done that allows us to be complacent?

ON STATE’S SUPERIOR SENSE OF URGENCY

Beard: I think it’s a fair statement. It’s hard for me as the coach to say that, but that’s exactly what I told the guys after the gamy. Victory is going to favor the team that’s more aggressive. In this time of year, in the SEC, you’re supposed to see two aggressive teams going at it. The victory will favor the team with the fewest mistakes once guys show up to fight.

For a lot of the game, we weren’t a part of the aggressiveness fight. That’s what rebounding is. That’s finishing around the basket, demanding that the refs call the fouls.

“We had a lot of softness to us today. That’s not easy for me to say as the coach. That’s one thing we pride ourselves on.”

We’re not going to win every game, but we do have an objective that we’re not going to put an effort out there like I thought we put out there today. Not taking anything away from Mississippi State; their backs are against the wall. They’re chasing wins here down the stretch in mid-February. They have great role definition on their team. (Jones, Jr.) is just a winner. I don’t care what the stat line says; just look at the final number. I felt (his plus-minus) when I was out there. It’s a winning player.

Who brought their ‘A’ game for us today? I’m not sitting here throwing the players under the bus. We coached the team — our staff. We’re all in this together. Team obviously wasn’t well-coached today. The players didn’t perform at the level it’s going to take to beat a team that’s very hungry right now.

ON THE BYE WEEK

Beard: You look forward to the break after a win. You dread the break after a loss.

ON GOING DEEP INTO THE BENCH

Beard: Some of the substitutions tonight were to literally get people out there that were playing with a sense of pride for Ole Miss. Understood a lot of people paid real money to come to this game today. We’re not going to make every shot, you’re not going to win every game, but you can absolutely control what you can control, and that’s effort, body language, competitiveness. We were lacking a lot of those things.

Thought John Bol gave us great minutes. (Eduardo) Klafke is always an energy guy. Rob (Caldwell’s) been battling injuries, really, his whole career. This year, no different. It was great to see Rob out there contributing today. He could be a big part of what we’re trying to do down the stretch.

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Mississippi

How Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius dominated third straight SEC team vs Ole Miss

Published

7 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

How Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius dominated third straight SEC team vs Ole Miss

OXFORD — Tomas Valincius struck out top Ole Miss baseball batter Tristan Bissetta looking on his last pitch of the game.

There was no emotion from the Mississippi State starting pitcher as he walked back to the dugout after Bissetta was the fourth straight Ole Miss batter to strike out.

It was another instance of Valincius, the left-handed Virginia transfer, showing a trait that’s made him such a dominant pitcher for the No. 4 Bulldogs. The longer Valincius pitches, the better he gets.

The sophomore pitched another five shutout innings as MSU (23-4, 5-2 SEC) took down No. 18 Ole Miss, 6-1, at Swayze Field on March 28 to win the series.

“It’s all mental,” Valincius said. “Just going out there and just kind of trusting yourself and all the work you put in throughout the week. And even when you don’t have your stuff, it’s still a war between every battle in every inning. It’s kind of like finding a way to do what you can do with what you got.”

The win clinched the Bulldogs’ ninth series against the Rebels (19-9, 3-5) in the last 10 meetings. Another win March 29 (3 p.m., SEC Network) would make Brian O’Connor the third straight first-year MSU coach to sweep Ole Miss.

Valincius (6-0) hasn’t allowed an earned run in 19 SEC innings and his season ERA dropped to 0.91.

Against the Rebels, one game after striking out a career-high 14 batters against Vanderbilt, Valincius recorded nine strikeouts with three hits, two walks and one hit by pitch in 90 pitches.

“He buckled down when runners were in scoring position,” O’Connor said. “He’s always best in his middle innings. You see him just rise his game up.”

Why Tomas Valincius could’ve done even better against Ole Miss

While the Ole Miss game was Valincius’ third SEC start without allowing an earned run, it was his shortest outing of the three. The other two against Arkansas and Vanderbilt both lasted seven innings.

Valincius stranded six Ole Miss batters on base in his five innings.

“Early on, I didn’t really feel like I had anything going,” Valincius said. “I was kind of just finding a way to win. That was kind of my whole approach throughout the whole game. I couldn’t really figure out the slider and fastball command. It wasn’t working a lot. I just found a way to win.”

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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Mississippi

Mother, her 2 daughters among 5 killed in collision between train and van

Published

19 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Mother, her 2 daughters among 5 killed in collision between train and van

STONE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX/Gray News) — Multiple people were killed in a crash between a train and a van on Friday afternoon in Mississippi.

Stone County Sheriff Todd Stewart said the crash happened around 1 p.m. on Pump Branch Road. First responders had to cut through the woods to get to the wreckage.

There were six people in the van at the time of the crash, Stewart said. Stone County Coroner Wayne Flurry confirmed five of them died in the crash.

Multiple people are dead after a crash between a train and a van in Mississippi. (WLOX)

The sixth person was airlifted to New Orleans.

The five victims were identified as 26-year-old Ryan C. Peterson, who was a corrections officer with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, 23-year-old Demarcus Perkins, 45-year-old Kristina Carver, and Carver’s two daughters, 22-year-old Emley Chamblee and 20-year-old Sarabeth Chamblee.

Nearby resident Pam Olson has been sounding the alarm on the Pump Branch Road railroad crossing for some time. She was tending to her garden with her husband when the sound of screeching brakes made them jolt.

“We heard it,” explained Olson. “My husband and I were in the yard working on our flowerbeds. I told my husband a train hit another vehicle. My husband ran up there and said, ‘Pam, it’s bad.’”

A recent report from the Stone County Enterprise outlines another wreck in the same spot, which resulted in the driver of a pickup truck being airlifted. Stewart also pointed out a fatal train accident in Stone County happened at the location in 2023, claiming the life of a Wiggins woman.

“This’d be the second incident in the last four to five weeks involving fatalities and the third incident in the last year, all involving fatalities,” explained Stewart. “To date, we’ve lost seven folks within the last year.”

The crossing does not have crossing arms or lights. Stone County District 1 Supervisor Jimmy Springs said he previously reached out to Mississippi Department of Transportation railroad engineers and was told crossing arms are on the way for two crossings, including the one at Pump Branch Road. However, it could take a year for them to be installed.

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CLASH Endurance triathlon begins on Mississippi Gulf Coast

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

CLASH Endurance triathlon begins on Mississippi Gulf Coast

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) — The CLASH Endurance triathlon officially started along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Maya Reilly placed first in the collegiate female draft-legal division.

“I placed first, so I’m pretty stoked about that,” Reilly said.

Winning a triathlon means beating competitors from across the country and around the world in swimming, biking and running.

“Definitely a lot of hours goes into the sport, but the actual race was tough. It was like full gas, swim, bike, and run, so over an hour. And I’m excited to be able to be done and take home the win,” Reilly said.

Maya Reilly placed first in the collegiate female draft-legal division.(WLOX)

Athletes praise Gulf Coast hospitality

It’s CLASH Endurance’s first year on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and athletes say the experience is just as memorable as the competition.

“I have had such a great time down here in the south. It’s, like, the nicest people I’ve ever met. The culture is amazing. The music’s great. The food’s great. Honestly, nothing but positive for me. It’s awesome,” said Annette Zavala of the UC Davis Triathlon Team.

“I really like this course. It was really cool to see them swim in the marina. The course was very accessible to view, which I really appreciated,” said Sophia Najera of the UC Davis Triathlon Team.

It’s CLASH Endurance’s first year on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and athletes say the... — It’s CLASH Endurance’s first year on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and athletes say the experience is just as memorable as the competition.(WLOX)

More than 28 countries and all 50 states are represented, bringing a boost to the coastal economy.

“All of the athletes who are visiting coastal Mississippi, they’re staying in the hotels, they’re visiting the restaurants, they’re shopping, and they’re not just staying for a night or two. Some of them are staying and playing,” said Blair Lahaye, CLASH Endurance vice president of communications.

Athletes say it’s the support from the crowd and each other that pushes them across the finish line.

“You might have the worst mindset out there, but just hearing someone believe in you, like, that’s sometimes all you need to move forward,” Zavala said.

“I could not have gone through half the races I did, half the trainings I did, without the support of my teammates. We’re really excited to come race tomorrow, and we were super glad to get to be able to cheer on our teammates today,” Najera said.