It wasn’t the desired situation for either team, but Ole Miss and Utah hope to end their stays in Palm Desert, Calif., with a win as they face off in the consolation game of the Acrisure Classic on Wednesday night.Ole Miss (5-1) lost 74-69 loss to Iowa on Tuesday. The Rebels kept it within eight points the entirety of the contest but held the lead for only a little longer than three minutes.The Rebels couldn’t contain Bennett Stirtz, who put up 29 points, including 18 in the second half.AJ Storr led the way for Ole Miss with 22 points and five rebounds on 6-for-10 shooting. Kezza Giffa (13) and Ilias Kamardine (12) were the other double-digit scorers.It was an uptick in competition for Ole Miss, getting its first look at a power-conference opponent this season. That showed as the Rebels were held to fewer than 70 points for the first time. The Rebels were efficient from the field, hitting 46.9% overall and 35.3% from 3-point range.However, Ole Miss tied a season high in turnovers with 13 and matched a season low in forced turnovers with seven, including only one in the second half.Ahead of the game, Ole Miss coach Chris Beard knew his team couldn’t expect any favors from the Hawkeyes.”They’re a very disciplined team and they’re not going to beat themselves,” he said.And they didn’t.Utah (5-2) ended up in this game after falling to Grand Canyon 68-58 for the Utes’ second straight loss.
