The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Oregon St
Ole Miss Hits Boards, Knocks Off Oregon State
11/27/1999 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 27, 1999
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) - Mississippi may not be the best offensive team, but the team knows it can rely on defense and rebounding to pull out a win.
The Rebels (4-0) dominated the boards and limited Oregon State to 40 percent shooting to win the SoCon Holiday Hoops Tournament semifinal Friday, 77-58.
"We played really smart defense and that's what won the game," Mississippi coach Rod Barnes said. "The point of emphasis was not to let them have open shots from the perimeter.
The Beavers (2-1) shot just 2-for-16 from the 3-point circle.
The Rebels used an 18-0 run in the first half to take the early lead and ever let Oregon State get closer than 14 the entire second half.
Senior forward Marcus Hicks scored 13 points to lead Mississippi. Lataryl Williams added 12, and Rahim Lockhart and Darrian Brown had 11 each. Lockhart also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds as the Rebels controlled the boards 46-28, including 17 offensive.
Center Jason Heide scored 20 to lead the Beavers (2-1). Deaundra Tanner added 14 and Clifton Jones 10.
"They've got some big guys and it's hard to box them out," said Heide who had eight rebounds.
Lockhart opened the Rebels' 18-point first-half run with two free throws at the 14:17 mark and the game tied at 12. Jason Flanigan finished the charge six and a half minutes later on a 3-point shot from the right wing. Hicks scored five, Lockhart and Brown four apiece in the run.
The Rebels held a 42-26 halftime lead and maintained at least a 14-point advantage the entire second half. After Tanner made a driving layup to open the second period, Mississippi ran off eight straight on 3-pointers by Williams and Jason Harrison, and a short jumper by Hicks for a 22-point lead, 50-28.
"We did not come out ready to play today," Tanner said. "We didn't come out with the intensity we have been this season. They did a good job of pressuring our wings and forcing out high. They got us in situations we didn't want to be in."
Oregon State chipped the lead to 14 three more times in the half, only to watch the Rebels respond with four or five points. From 62-47 at the three-minute mark, Mississippi sank 13 of 17 free throw attempts before finishing its scoring on a layup by Emmanuel Wade with 18 seconds remaining. The Rebels were 23-of-30 from the line on the night.
