OXFORD, Miss. ? David Huertas connected on a career-high-tying seven three pointers Tuesday, helping Mississippi build a 19-point halftime lead en route to an 89-71 men’s basketball victory over the University of South Alabama at C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum.
Huertas hit 7-of-13 from beyond the arc, falling one short of matching the Rebels’ school game record, to finish with a game-best 27 points as Ole Miss (2-0) handed the Jaguars (1-1) their first defeat of the season. Zach Graham added 16 points, and Chris Warren collected 15 and six assists while turning the ball over just once in 35 minutes. The trio combined to post 31 points in the opening period, when UM built a 46-27 advantage.
Despite being outshot by the Jags 46.7-41.8 percent, the Rebels sank 11 treys and were 22-of-22 at the free-throw line. They forced 11 of USA’s 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, committing just 12 on the offensive end for the contest.
Brandon Davis, the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week, recorded 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and he also blocked three shots to pace USA. LaShun Watson just missed a double-double with 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while DeAndrae Ross chipped in with career bests of 12 points and six assists, turning the ball over only once. Bryan Sherrer also handed out six assists as the Jaguars finished with 17 as a team, giving them a positive assist-to-turnover ratio for the second game in a row.
“It was a physical game that you would expect from a Southeastern Conference opponent,” stated Jag head coach Ronnie Arrow. “We did some good things like commit only four turnovers in the second half and hold them to 41-percent shooting, but anything that had to do with physical play they kicked our tail. That’s just something that comes from the heart.
“When we go back to practice, we need to work and not make excuses. That’s where it all starts.”
The Jags led through most of the first three-plus minutes as Ross, Sherrer and Davis all recorded buckets, but a 14-2 UM run over a three-minute span helped the Rebels take control. Up 10-9 after a Watson jumper with 14:48 remaining, DeAundre Cranston connected on a three from the right wing and a layup 26 seconds apart to push the Ole Miss advantage to six. Huertas followed with another three-pointer less than a minute later to cap the spurt.
C.J. Garner and Davis stemmed the tide with baskets in a 28-second stretch that made the score 20-15 in the Rebels’ favor with 11-and-a-half minutes remaining, and it was still a six-point contest when Garner drove in for a layup a minute later.
Garner (six) and Ronald Douglas (seven and three rebounds) would provide all of the Jags’ scoring off the bench with 13 combined points.
However, Ole Miss would outscore the Jaguars 23-10 over the second half of the opening period. Huertas gave the Rebels their first double-digit advantage with nine minutes to go when he converted a layup to make the score 27-17. Cranston’s lay-in with five minutes left extended the lead to 15, 36-21, which would grow to 19 after threes from Graham and Huertas with just over two minutes remaining.
Watson and Ross scored within 36 seconds of each other to cut into the USA deficit with a minute to go, but after Douglas picked up his third foul Arrow was charged with a technical foul ? the Rebels would hit all four foul shots for a 46-27 edge at the break.
Ole Miss, which shot 3-of-22 from beyond the arc in its season-opening win over Arkansas State Friday, connected on 6-of-16 treys in the opening 20 minutes. The Rebels would go on to shoot 42.3 percent from long distance for the game.
The Jags were also charged with 11 first-half turnovers as well.
The Rebels stretched their advantage to as many as 25 points with just over 15 minutes to go in the game, but USA ended up outscoring UM 44-43 after the break. Not only did the Jags shoot 53.3 percent from the floor in the second half, including making all three of the team’s treys during that span, but they turned the ball over only four times.
UM held a 42-31 rebounding advantage overall after the teams were tied in the category at the half, including 19 on the offensive end that led to 24 second-chance points.
The Jaguars continue a three-game road trip Saturday at 7 p.m. when they face Florida A&M in the opening round of the Billy Minardi Classic hosted by Louisville.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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