Guard Jarvis Summers drives the ball past Alabama guard Rodney Cooper during the game on Wednesday. Photo: Ignacio Murillo, The Daily Mississippian.
Martavious Newby didn’t start the game and didn’t lead the Rebels in scoring, but the sophomore guard played 31 minutes and helped Ole Miss stomp Alabama, 79-67.
“He was all over the floor, didn’t hesitate,” head coach Andy Kennedy said of Newby. “He stepped up and knocked down two threes, kept balls alive. He was without question the energy component that we were looking for.”
Newby had a career-high 15 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. It was the first double-double by an Ole Miss player since Jan. 15. Newby not only had a career night for total number, but he was also extremely efficient, as he went 4 of 4 from the field – 2 of 2 on threes.
“I was looking for my shot,” Newby said. “Coach says every time I’m open in the corner knock it down. He knows I’m capable of knocking it down. I just got to have confidence to shoot it.”
Newby hit two corner threes. But he also plays extremely physical. Newby finished the game with four fouls, and he managed to play the last 9:29 without fouling out. He also was on the floor numerous times, as he pinballed off of teammates and opponents.
“That’s me. That’s how I always play,” Newby said. “I was getting loose balls, trying to get everybody involved. You’re going to see that every night from me.”
Newby even had to leave the floor in the first half after he was hit in the mouth and began bleeding on the court.
Tyler Bischoff, The Daily Mississippian
Henderson breaks record
Marshall Henderson had a relatively quiet night, as he scored 13 points on 4 of 13 shooting. But Henderson broke an SEC record, as he has now made a three in 61 straight games. He broke Pat Bradley’s record of 60; Bradley played for Arkansas from 1996-99.
Henderson has made a three in every game in which he has suited up for Ole Miss. He will likely add to his conference record, as Ole Miss has four guaranteed games remaining. But the NCAA record of 88 will be unreachable for Henderson.
“It’s an honor to break the record,” Henderson said. “When you shoot as many threes as I do, records are bound to fall.”
Tie for fourth
With the win, Ole Miss improved to 8-7 in the SEC, and now sit in a three-way tie for fourth with Tennessee and LSU. Arkansas could join the tie for fourth if they beat Kentucky in Lexington tonight.
Texas A&M, the next opponent for the Rebels, fell at LSU and sits at 7-8. Missouri and Vanderbilt both lost on Tuesday, and also sit at 7-8.
The top four seeds in the SEC Tournament receive a double bye. So, whoever manages to grab the fourth seed would only have to win three games to win the SEC Tournament and secure an NCAA Tournament bid.
Derrick Millinghaus suspended
The sophomore back-up point guard was suspended before the game for a violation of team rules. Millinghaus was averaging 7.2 points in 19.5 minutes per game.
Kennedy did not offer a timetable for his return.
“It is what it is at this point. I don’t know what’s going to transpire,” Kennedy said. “There’s going to be some things set in place, and whether or not he meets those will determine what happens next.”
For right now, Ole Miss is going to rely on Jarvis Summers to carry the load at point guard, as he played 38 minutes against Alabama.
“He’s going to have to play heavy minutes. In lieu of the announcement (of Millinghaus’ suspension) this afternoon, he’s going to have to play heavy minutes,” Kennedy said. “You want to play your best players. Jarvis has got to stay out of foul trouble.”
And foul trouble has been an issue recently for Summers. He finished the game with four fouls and has now finished five of the last six games with four fouls.
The next option for point guard is LaDarius White, who played about 2 minutes as the point guard. White played some as a point guard in last year’s SEC Tournament when Summers went down with a concussion in the first game. White played 29 minutes at point guard in the championship game against Florida.
Rebounding goes Ole Miss’ way
Ole Miss grabbed 42 rebounds. It was the most boards the Rebels have grabbed since beating Mississippi State on Jan. 25. More importantly, Ole Miss kept Alabama off of the offensive glass, as the Crimson Tide grabbed just seven offensive rebounds.
It was the first time since that same Mississippi State game that an Ole Miss opponent didn’t have at least 10 offensive rebounds. On the other side of the court, Ole Miss did well snagging 17 of their own misses.
“I’m proud of the guys for battling,” Kennedy said. “Seventeen big offensive rebounds; typically, that goes the other way. Tonight, it went our way, and that’s the reason we won.”
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s basketball, follow @Tyler_RSR and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Tyler Bischoff
tfbischo@go.olemiss.edu
