Rebels hold on to down Bulldogs
Published 9:19 pm Saturday, January 6, 2018
- Mississippi's Deandre Burnett (1) shoots against Mississippi State's Tyson Carter (23), Mississippi State's Nick Weatherspoon (1), and Mississippi State's Aric Holman (35) in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, January 6, 2018. Mississippi won 64-58. (Bruce Newman, Oxford Eagle via AP)
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — The first half of Mississippi’s college basketball season has been full of frustration, close losses and a sinking sensation that the season might be over before it really started.
A couple huge baskets by Breein Tyree on Saturday changed the Rebels’ mood in a hurry.
Tyree scored 16 points, including two tough layups at the rim in the final minute, to lead Ole Miss over Mississippi State 64-58. It was an ugly win for the Rebels — who struggled on offense for most of the game — but coach Andy Kennedy isn’t concerned with how they look.
“I thought it was beautiful,” Kennedy said. “When you sit where I sit and you get a win, one against Mississippi State, it’s a beautiful win.”
Ole Miss (9-6, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) has won eight out of the past nine against Mississippi State. Deandre Burnett led the Rebels with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. Devontae Shuler added 10.
Mississippi State (13-2, 1-1) pushed ahead 34-28 by halftime on balanced scoring. The Bulldogs came into the game with the SEC’s best defense — they give up about 63 points per game — and continually forced Ole Miss into settling for contested jumpers in the first half.
But the Rebels started making better decisions in the second half and took a 54-53 lead on Tyree’s free throw with 4:45 remaining. From that point, it was a close game, but Tyree’s driving layups in the final minute proved to be the difference.
“It’s always great to see shots go in,” Tyree said. “That’s always a plus. I was just trying to make a play to help our team win and that’s what happened.”
Both of Tyree’s crucial shots were contested, but the 6-foot-2, 192-pounder muscled his way over and through Mississippi State’s defense to finish at the rim. The sophomore has played well in two straight games — he scored 17 points against Georgia on Wednesday — and the Rebels hope there’s more where that came from during the season’s final two months.
“It’s so good for him to put together back-to-back good games because I need his voice on that court,” Kennedy said.
Mississippi State was led by Nick Weatherspoon and Aric Holman, who both scored nine points. The Bulldogs were 0 of 13 from 3-point range in the second half.
Mississippi State was coming off an impressive win against No. 22 Arkansas and had its chances against the Rebels, but a 50-39 lead slowly evaporated over the final 10 minutes.
“We’ve just got to play smarter down the stretch with the ball,” Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said. “We got a little tentative late in the game.”
KENNEDY GETS NO. 100
Kennedy became the 23rd coach in SEC history to win 100 conference games. He has a 100-89 record vs. SEC foes over 12 years at the school.
BIG PICTURE
Mississippi State: It’s a difficult loss for the Bulldogs, who controlled a large portion of the game. Mississippi State’s shooting touch went cold in the second half and now the Bulldogs have another tough game against Florida looming.
Ole Miss: The Rebels are struggling on offense, but found a way to pull out a win against their rival. Burnett and Tyree had several good moments and Ole Miss needs more of them if the Rebels are going to be a factor in the SEC race.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State travels to face Florida on Wednesday.
Ole Miss travels to face Auburn on Tuesday.