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| Ole Miss improved to 8-1. |
Ole Miss let an 11-point 2nd half lead slip away, but managed to hold on for a 73-70 win over Loyola Marymount last night in Los Angeles. Marshall Henderson was 3 of 5 from 3 pt land at halftime and the Rebels appeared to be headed for a the 2nd half route of the Lions, but then Ole Miss got sloppy, the shots quit falling and Loyola cut the lead to 69-68 with 3:06 to play. Loyola seemed destined to win the game at that point, but key shots by Jarvis Summers and Nick Williams in the final minutes saved the day for the Rebels, who now head to Hawaii for the a tournament where they'll face Indiana State on Saturday and either San Diego State or San Francisco on Sunday. The Championship game is on Christmas Day with a potential game against Arizona if the Rebels can take care of business over the weekend.
Ole Miss' big men dominated the paint. Murphy Holloway finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Reginald Buckner had 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and nine points, but the hot and cold shooting from the back court dictated the flow of the game.
Henderson was en fuego in the 1st half, drilling a couple quick-draw three's that would have otherwise seemed ill-advised. He only made one three in the second half though and finished 4 of 9 and 5-for-13 overall for a game-high 18 points. That's still better than 40 percent from 3-point range, which is exactly what Ole Miss needs from Henderson, but it was amazing how quickly the Rebels nearly fell out of the game when Henderson got out of rhythm. His importance to the team is undeniable.
The Rebels were just 1 of 8 from 3-pt range and 2 of 8 from the free throw line in the 2nd half. Despite the cold 2nd half shooting though, Ole Miss came through when it counted.
A win is a win. The Rebels improved to 8-1, picked up their first road win of the season and get the confidence that comes with that. Now it's on to Hawaii where they hope to win a few more.
Box Score.