The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Shooting Goes Cold in Starkville
1/10/2007 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Charles Rhodes scored 17 points and Mississippi State withstood 32 3-point attempts to beat Ole Miss 77-67 on Wednesday night for its first Southeastern Conference victory.
Todd Abernethy scored 20 points and Clarence Sanders added 17 for the Rebels. Abernethy was 4 of 9 from 3-point range, while Sanders made 4-of-16. The backcourt mates took 42 of Ole Miss' 76 shots. Overall, the team attempted 23 more shots than its cross-state rival and shot only 32.9 percent.
Dwayne Curtis added 12 for the Rebels and Bam Doyne scored 10.
The Bulldogs (10-5, 1-1 SEC) snapped a three-game losing streak by scoring 40 points in the paint and blocking 10 shots against the Rebels (11-5, 0-2).
The game was marked by its contrasts.
Mississippi State, dominated by underclassmen, used its athletic frontcourt to build a late first-half lead on the way to a 41-36 halftime advantage. The Bulldogs began driving the lane in the second half and extended their lead with free throws and muscle.
Ole Miss, led by a number of upperclassmen, tried to bypass Mississippi State's height advantage and dominating interior defense by firing away from the perimeter. The Rebels made 11 3s in the loss.
While Ole Miss remained close for much of the game, the Bulldogs pulled away with a 15-4 run near halftime that gave them a 41-32 lead with 1:53 remaining.
An 18-4 run that began midway through the second half put the game out of reach. Barry Stewart got the run started with a 3-pointer - one of four for the Bulldogs.
Dietric Slater came up with several key plays for the Bulldogs late, including clutch free throws during the final minutes, and scored 16. Stewart finished with 12 and Reginald Delk scored 10.
Ole Miss returns home Saturday in search of its first SEC victory of the year against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Game time is set for 4 p.m. CT.
