OXFORD -- Ole Miss basketball had its best crowd of the season on Saturday against LSU. The crowd counted for more than just a homecourt advantage.
The Grove Collective partnered with Funkys, a local bar and pizza restaurant on The Square in downtown Oxford, for a unique promotion during No. 22 Ole Miss' 77-65 win against LSU. For every fan who attended the game, Funkys would donate $1 to The Grove Collective, which directly benefits Ole Miss athletics.
There were 9,406 fans at the game, per Ole Miss athletics. It made for a sizeable donation.
"I'm thankful for the attendance tonight," coach Chris Beard said. "All of our students weren't back, but many of our students came back early to go to this game. We're very appreciative. Thank you to those students."
Ole Miss moved to 14-2 (3-0 SEC) with the win. LSU fell to 11-5 (0-3).
Beard also thanked Funkys. The 9,406 fans constituted the 15th-largest Ole Miss basketball crowd of all time, per Ole Miss athletics, The listed capacity at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion is 9,500.
"It's exciting to think about what we're building here, especially when the students get back for our next home game when classes are back in session," Beard said.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_