OXFORD – An 18-0 run by No. 25 Ole Miss in the third quarter Monday against Alcorn State blew open a game that was already at double digits at halftime, and the Rebels shot a program-record 67.3% from the field overall in a 93-41 rout of the Braves at SJB Pavilion in their final game before SEC play. It is the Rebels’ fourth win in a row.
Ole Miss (9-3) outscored Alcorn State 33-6 in the third quarter and hit 37 of 55 shots from the field in the game. All five of the Rebels’ starters – and six players overall – finished in double-figure scoring. Senior forward Starr Jackson led Ole Miss with 14 points and also grabbed seven rebounds.
“Our team did a really good job moving the ball, taking shots that they had. They looked comfortable out there,” Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “For us, it’s all about taking the best shot. … And I thought our team really locked in and … has been focusing on that.”
Both teams got off to a hot start Monday, starting a combined 8 of 13 from the field. The Braves (2-9) missed their next five shots, allowing the Rebels to jump out to a 13-point lead after a quarter. Alcorn State shot 6 of 9 from the field in the second, though, and cut the lead to 11 at halftime.
The third quarter was all Ole Miss, however, as the Rebels began the period on a 22-3 run and increased the lead to 38 by the time the fourth started. Alcorn State went 2 of 12 from the field in the third while the Rebels went 13 of 14. Ole Miss shot 75% from the field in the second half and held the Braves to just five made field goals over the final two quarters.
The Rebels begin SEC play Thursday at Auburn. The game tips off at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
“When I look at some teams that have started their conference slate – that hadn’t played the schedule we’ve played – they’re struggling, and that is normal,” McPhee-McCuin said. “So, they will learn from those games. We have enough lessons that we should go in (SEC play) and be mature enough. We were able to work out a lot of things. … We’re right on schedule, as far as I’m concerned, to put ourselves in a position to be able to host.”
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