It was a tale of two halves for the Rebels in Dayton.
Ole Miss came out sluggish to open their NCAA tournament run but pulled out a big 94-90 win Tuesday night in Dayton with some major second half efforts.
Coach Andy Kennedy’s squad started off sluggish in the first half, shooting only 30 percent from the field and falling into a 17-point halftime deficit. The Rebels went into the locker room with 32 points, but BYU’s Tyler Haws and Chase Fisher combined for 36.
The Rebels came out strong to start the half, going on a 14-4 run to bring the lead to single digits, heavily assisted by Stefan Moody and M.J. Rhett. Moody had a number of clutch shots, including the 3-pointer to give the Rebels the first lead of the game. Two big free throws by Martavious Newby with 9.2 seconds left.
During the second half, the Rebels scored 62 points for 60 percent and more than doubled their production in the paint with 30 points, including many dunks from Rhett.
Rhett fouled out late in the game with 20 points, and Moody finished with 26. Sebastian Saiz led the Rebels in rebounding with nine, and Rhett held his own on the defensive end with three blocks on the Cougars.
Next up for the Rebels in the Round of 64 is No. 6 Xavier in Jacksonville, Florida, Thursday. Tipoff is set for 3:10 p.m. CST.
Amelia Camurati is editor of HottyToddy.com and can be reached at amelia.camurati@hottytoddy.com.
