The Ole Miss men’s basketball team got the season started the right way with a 93-57 win over Mississippi Valley State Friday night at Tad Smith Coliseum.
Junior guard Marshall Henderson led the Rebels with 22 points, going 5-for-11 from 3-point range, including three made three-pointers in 1:22 of game time.
“That’s why we brought him here,” head coach Andy Kennedy. “We were deficient in shooting last year. We needed to remedy that and obviously, he is a good remedy. When we needed to make a little spurt and needed to get some separation, I thought he was very effective.”
Ten other Rebels (1-0) played double-digit minutes against the Delta Devils because of a large lead, which gave Kennedy an opportunity to see what he has in some of his new guys.
Freshman point guard Derrick Millinghaus played 22 minutes, five more than starting point guard Jarvis Summers. Summers picked up two early fouls, allowing Millinghaus to step in. Millinghaus had six points on 1-for-9 shooting, and 4-for-8 from the free throw line.
Freshman guard Martavious Newby had an impressive performance, scoring 11 points and adding eight rebounds and two assists.
The Rebels did not have a very efficient game, as they shot under 40 percent from the floor, and just 22 percent from beyond the three-point line.
“When you can score 93 points and shoot under 40 percent from the floor, it shows you are active,” Kennedy said. “We took 78 shots, we were very active.”
Ole Miss out-rebounded Mississippi Valley State (0-1) 54 to 43. The Delta Devils shot just 32 percent from the field. Ole Miss had eight blocked shots, led by the all-time leading shot blocker in Ole Miss history, senior forward Reginald Buckner, who had three.
Davon Usher led Mississippi Valley State, the defending South Western Athletic Conference champions, with 19 points.
Senior forward Murphy Holloway posted his 26th career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore forward Aaron Jones left the game after getting elbowed in the head, but Kennedy said that was just a precaution. Sophomore forward Demarco Cox remains out with an ankle injury, and junior forward Jason Carter sat out due to a “violation of team rules.”
Walk-on redshirt sophomore Will Norman scored his first career points with an and-one layup in the final minute, although he missed the free throw.
The Rebels will be back in action on Tuesday when they take on Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. from Tad Smith Coliseum.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s basketball, follow @thedm_sports and @Tyler_RSR on Twitter.
Rebels roll in hoops opener
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