Mississippi guard Ladarius White (10) reacts after an NCAA college basketball game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. Mississippi State won 76-72. (Photo/Ignacio Murillo)
Starkville, Miss. – Ole Miss (10-5, 1-1 SEC) dropped its first road game in the SEC as Mississippi State (11-4, 1-1) upset the Rebels 76-72 in Starkville.
The big stat from the game was the free throw disparity; Mississippi State attempted 42 free throws, Ole Miss 12.
“It’s very difficult to win on the road anywhere and when you get outshot by 30 on the free throw line, it’s going to be difficult,” head coach Andy Kennedy said.
Mississippi State’s Craig Sword went 15 of 18 at the free throw line and 0 of 7 from the field.
But it wasn’t on the referees hands. Ole Miss attempted 29 three pointers, and none were from Marshall Henderson who served the final game of his suspension.
29 threes from a lineup that has just one above average shooter is a sign of stagnant offense, and pressure defense from the opponent.
Mississippi State used a 1-3-1 zone to thwart any offensive attack Ole Miss had. The 1-3-1 kept Ole Miss out of rhythm and forced most of the Rebels 11 first half turnovers. Ole Miss uses a 1-3-1 as well and Kennedy was surprised his guys handled it so poorly.
“We did exactly what we want the opponent to do (when we use a 1-3-1),” Kennedy said. “Play on the perimeter and play indecisive, as opposed to getting spread, hitting those gaps and playing behind it.”
In the second half, on the first possession that Mississippi State went to the 1-3-1 zone, Ole Miss dribbled and passed the ball 10 feet beyond the three point line for 30 of the 35 seconds on the shot clock. The end result of the possession was a turnover and an easy dunk for Mississippi State.
Ole Miss had 16 turnovers, and Mississippi State cashed those in to 25 points. It wasn’t the refs. It was Ole Miss’ inability to attack the basket, while Mississippi State drove through the Ole Miss defense with ease.
But Ole Miss finally won a rebounding a battle, 47-37. The Rebels had been outrebounded in six straight games. Ole Miss only allowed 10 offensive boards while grabbing 31 on defense, their best ration in at least a month. But Mississippi State is second worst in rebounding percentage in the SEC – Ole Miss is last. So the rebounding woes aren’t fixed yet.
Jarvis Summers scored a game-high 23 points on 7 of 15 shooting. LaDarius White had a season-high 16 and Derrick Millinghaus had 15, although he took 17 shots.
But Demarco Cox scored just one point and didn’t play in the second half. Aaron Jones had four on 2 of 7 shooting. Anthony Perez was the next highest scorer with five points. Ole Miss struggled offensively, shooting 37.7 percent from the field.
Next up Ole Miss will host LSU on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.
— Tyler Bischoff
tfbischo@go.olemiss.edu
