The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
4-3
Louisiana-Monroe
3-8
Ole Miss Holds Off Louisiana-Monroe, 66-64
12/20/2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec 20, 2003
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Aaron Harper had 19 points and Ole Miss held off a last-minute charge to defeat Louisiana-Monroe 66-64 on Saturday.
Justin Johnson had 14 points and Tommie Eddie added seven as the Rebels (4-3)watched a nine-point lead disappear in the final 35 seconds.
The Indians (3-8), trailing 62-53, nailed three consecutive 3-point shots, the last by Mark Keith with 3 seconds remaining to pull to 65-64.
Johnson hit the second of two bonus free throws to make it it 66-64.
A potential game-winning shot from half court by John Andrews bounced off the front of the rim.
Aaron Branch led the Indians with 15 points, while Andrews had 13.
Justin Reed, who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds per game for Ole Miss, finished with seven points.
It marked the first time since his freshman season that Reed was held to single figures in consecutive games. He scored six against Evansville on Wednesday.
The Indians dropped their third road game this season to an SEC Western Division opponent, losing previously to Mississippi State and LSU.
The Indians are 0-10 against SEC teams over the past five seasons.
Louisiana-Monroe went on a 10-0 run midway through the first half to take their biggest lead, 24-12. Tony Helton and Isaac Guy hit consecutive 3-point shots during the run.
The Indians hit 9-of-12 shots to open the game, while limiting Ole Miss to 5-of-19 from the field.
The Indians led 30-25 at halftime, led by Wayne Bransom with eight points.
Ole Miss regained the lead for good 45-40, capping a 10-0 run, with 11:38 left.
Harper highlighted the comeback with a pair of three-point shots, as the Rebels opened 4-of-7 from 3-point range in the second half.
The Rebels built their biggest lead, 62-53 with 48 seconds remaining, on a pair of free throws by Todd Abernathy.
That set up the late three-point barrage by the Indians, but the Rebels made four free throws to preserve the win.
Ole Miss leads the series against Louisiana-Monroe 9-4.
