Marshall Henderson (22) celebrates with fans following Saturday’s game against Missouri. Ole Miss won 91-88. (DM Photo/Alex Edwards)
The Ole Miss Rebels (16-7, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) took down the Tigers of Missouri in a ruckus environment in the Tad Smith Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. The game came down to the wire with 0.9 seconds left on the clock and a last second heave by the Tigers fell short as the Rebels won 91-88.
The Rebels came out of the gate with a barrage of three-pointers as senior guard Marshall Henderson knocked down four early threes to stretch the lead for the Rebels. Head coach Andy Kennedy felt that this was a huge win for his guys.
“This was a huge win,” Kennedy said. “It is a huge win because it is a home game against a top-50 team everyone has slotted ahead of us, huge win.”
Henderson led with 29 points tonight and sunk eight three-pointers. Junior guard Jarvis Summers added 16 along with junior guard Ladarius White.
Rebounding proved to be key in this victory, as junior forward Aaron Jones had 11 rebounds and freshman forward Sebastian Saiz added 10. Kennedy wanted Saiz and Jones to be focal points in grabbing rebounds.
“Coach said in shoot around this morning that the last four games at home that we won, he (Jones) had 11 rebounds,” said Saiz. “In the Kentucky game, he had three and coach told us he needs us to be tough and step up, rebound and be physical.”
Henderson knows that his time is winding down here in Oxford and he plans to take full advantage of his opportunities.
“There’s not much basketball left for me to be playing here,” said Henderson. “I have to go ahead and do what I can and finish strong.”
The Rebels are on the road the next two games against SEC foes Alabama and Georgia and Henderson along with the team know that they cannot overlook their next opponent in the Crimson Tide.
“Every game on the road is tough,” Henderson said. “Alabama is definitely a lot better than their record shows, but if we play like we did tonight with energy and effort, we can get it done. We have to get these games starting with Alabama.”
Tip-off in Tuscaloosa Tuesday evening is slated for 8 p.m. and can be seen on ESPNU.
— Tyler Carter
tcarter@go.olemiss.edu
