Ole Miss will look to keep up its sizzling shooting Tuesday afternoon when it faces Samford in a nonconference matchup in Oxford, Miss.
The teams will play for the first time since Dec. 31, 2002 — a 57-49 win for the Southeastern Conference’s Ole Miss, which leads the series 3-0.
Coming off their best shooting performance of the season, the Rebels (8-3) likely will turn again to Daeshun Ruffin and Nysier Brooks, who delivered the bulk of the load in their team’s second straight win Saturday, 76-68 over visiting Dayton.
Ole Miss was hot from the field the entire game, finishing 28 of 50. The 56 percent mark was the best game output since the Rebels shot 56.9 percent in a victory over Missouri last season.
The Rebels owned the game down low as well, scoring 42 points in the paint.
In his second game back from a broken hand, Ruffin produced a career-high 19 points, while Brooks secured his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds, plus three steals.
“With a team as good as Dayton is who applies so much pressure on the defensive side of the ball, I feel like I was a good mismatch against them,” said Ruffin, who scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half.
Southern Conference standout Samford (9-2) has won three straight games.
The Bulldogs would like to wrap up their nonconference table by going 2-0 vs. Power Five schools. They won 78-77 at Oregon State on Nov. 18.
Former Florida Gator Ques Glover — Samford’s leading scorer at 19.1 per game — is enjoying coach Bucky McMillan’s upbeat offense.
“(His style) is a fun way to play once you get the hang of it,” Glover said. “I’m still learning it, but he’s doing a really good job of coaching me. I really love the guy.”
Samford is averaging 76.8 points per game while allowing 72.
On defense, the Bulldogs are No. 1 in the Southern Conference with an average of 17.1 turnovers forced per game.
–Field Level Media