Field Level Media
Feb 29, 2020
Ole Miss shot 54.7 percent from the field and placed all five starters in double figures to roll to an 86-60 SEC victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.
Devontae Shuler drilled 4 of 5 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 18 points for the Rebels (14-15, 5-11), who snapped a four-game losing streak. KJ Buffen posted 17 points, Blake Hinson notched 13 and Khadim Sy added 12 points -- all in the first half.
Breein Tyree, the SEC's leading scorer at 24.1 points per game, scored all 11 of his points in the first half as he tied his season low with just eight shot attempts.
Ejike Obinna posted 13 points as Vanderbilt (9-20, 1-15) dropped its seventh game in a row and fell to 0-10 away from home this season. Scotty Pippen Jr. scored all 11 of his points in the first half.
Mississippi raced to a 13-1 lead as it pounded the ball inside to Sy for three baskets in the first three minutes, which set up a Hinson jumper and Shuler's first 3-pointer.
Vanderbilt answered with 14 consecutive points as the Commodores buried four 3-pointers in three minutes -- two by Pippen -- and seized a 15-13 lead on Jordan Wright's fast-break slam at the 12:31 mark.
Then it was Ole Miss' turn to go on another spree as the hosts reeled off 10 points in 100 seconds. Tyree started the run with a 3-pointer and capped it with a jumper to push the lead to 40-24 with 2:59 left.
The Rebels owned a 43-27 margin at the break as they shot 55 percent from the floor.
Vanderbilt trotted out the full-court press, half-court trap and other defensive wrinkles in the second half to try to work its way back into the game, but Ole Miss kept moving the ball for open shots. The Rebels drilled 12 of 15 shots during one elongated stretch to transform a 43-31 lead into a 71-42 bulge on Shuler's unguarded 3-pointer from the wing with 9:40 to go.
Ole Miss finished with a season-high 26 assists on 35 baskets and tied its season high for points.
--Field Level Media