Mississippi Stefan Moody dribbles the ball in a game earlier this season. (File Photo | Ariel Cobbert)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Junior Stefan Moody scored 25 points, including 22 in the second half, and senior LaDarius White added 19 points off the bench, as Ole Miss knocked off Alabama 82-74 Tuesday night.
Ole Miss (20-10, 11-5 SEC) outscored the Crimson Tide (17-13, 7-10 SEC) 55-44 in the second half, aided by Moody’s 22 points. For the Rebels, who snapped a two-game skid, Aaron Jones chipped in with 10 points and Jarvis Summers dished out seven assists.
Levi Randolph led all scorers with 32 points to pace the Crimson Tide, while Rodney Cooper finished with 14 points and Jimmie Taylor posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
After trailing 8-0 to start the game, Ole Miss cut the Crimson Tide lead to 30-27 at intermission thanks to a 3-pointer at the buzzer from White. Ole Miss turned it around in the second half, shooting a scorching 61.5 percent from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range with a 19-of-22 mark from the free-throw line.
Alabama hit 40.9 percent of its shots from the field, including 2-of-8 from beyond the arc and adding 24-of-27 from the charity stripe. Trailing 46-43 with just over seven minutes gone in the second half, the Rebels went on a 12-0 run to take control of the game as they held on for the victory.
“I thought Alabama’s zone in the first half had us really perimeter oriented and had us very stagnant,” said head coach Andy Kennedy. “We were settling for way too many contested jump shots. We tried to challenge at the half to put some pressure on the paint and see if we could get dribble penetration through not only their man, but their zone.
“The biggest play of the game was M.J. Rhett on an offensive rebound and kickback to Snoop White who steps in and knocks down the three and we get a stop in transition.”
The Rebels outscored the Crimson Tide in the paint, 28-16. The Ole Miss bench outscored its counterparts on Alabama 36-5 in the win.
Ole Miss hosts Vanderbilt at 8 p.m. Saturday, where the Rebels will honor their 2015 senior class.
