Matthew Murrell scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to help host Ole Miss pull away from Alcorn State for a season-opening 73-58 win Monday night in Oxford, Miss.
Murrell shot 7 for 18 from the field, including 5 for 12 from 3-point range to go along with six rebounds and three assists. Robert Allen had 15 points and seven rebounds, TJ Caldwell finished with 10 points and two rebounds and Myles Burns had nine points and five rebounds for the Rebels.
For the Braves, Byron Joshua had 15 points on 4-for-10 shooting, while Keondre Montgomery had 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Dominic Brewton had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.
The Rebels shot 22 for 57 (38.6 percent) from the field, including 9 for 25 (36 percent) from beyond the arc. Ole Miss outrebounded the Braves 42-34 and outscored the Braves 32-15 in second-chance points.
Alcorn State shot 21 for 57 (36.8 percent) from the field, including 7 for 16 (43.8 percent) from 3-point range.
After Montgomery’s 3-pointer pulled the Braves to within 43-39 with 12:12 remaining, the Rebels responded with a 3-pointer by Murrell and two free throws by Robert Allen to push its lead to 48-39 with 11:15 left.
The Rebels pushed their lead to 67-51 following Murrell’s 3-pointer with 4:03 left.
Ole Miss outscored the Braves 45-31 in the second half after neither team led by more than five points during a tightly contested first half that ended with the Rebels ahead 28-27.
Murrell and Burns had six points apiece for Ole Miss, which shot 9 for 29 (31 percent), including 4 for 13 from beyond the arc.
Alcorn State was paced by Jousha’s 13 points of 4 for 6 shooting, including 2 for 2 from 3-point range.
The Braves shot 10 for 26 (38.5 percent), including 2 for 5 (40 percent) from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
–Field Level Media