The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Spirit Express (Exhibition)
Rebels Defeat Spirit Express in Exhibition
11/26/2004 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2004
Box Score
OXFORD, Miss. - Tommie Eddie led three Rebels in double-figures, as Ole Miss took a break from the regular season to beat Spirit Express 80-70 Friday in exhibition action.
Eddie, who was coming off a career-best 24-point effort against Tennessee Tech, dropped in 18 on 9-of-12 shooting and grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds.
Brandon Patterson was 5-of-7 from the field, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc, for 14 points, while Todd Abernethy totaled 12 points, 7 assists, 5 boards and 4 steals. Justin Johnson and Kendrick Fox each added 9 points.
"I'm excited about the way our team played tonight, coming out with such enthusiasm in the beginning," said Ole Miss head coach Rod Barnes. "Hopefully, we can use this as a learning process to get better. We have to be ready for a tough schedule ahead."
The Rebels, who have a 2-2 regular-season record, enjoyed an 18-point advantage at the break. With the game tied at 7-7 at the 15:46 mark, Ole Miss used a 20-4 run to take a double-digit lead it would not relinquish, ignited by a three-pointer from Ed Glass and a pair of threes by Patterson.
The Rebels led by as much as 23 in the second stanza, before Spirit Express narrowed the gap late on three straight treys with 8:37 remaining. Melvin Adams tossed in an acrobatic layup as the buzzer sounded to cut the final deficit to 10.
Former Rebel Jason Smith led the Spirit Express with 25 points. Smith, who played for Ole Miss 1996-99, also posted 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Brett Olsen, an ex-Kansas Jayhawk, turned in a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards.
The Rebels return to regular-season play Wednesday at Arkansas State. Game time is set for 8:05 p.m. CT at Jonesboro's Convocation Center.
