SEC MEN

Rebels rally, snap streak, top Tigers

MISSISSIPPI 80, AUBURN 63

OXFORD, Miss. -- Mississippi Coach Andy Kennedy is a pop culture fan, especially when it comes to comparisons of comic book superheroes and point guards.

"We got our Batman back. Everybody wants to be Batman, but Stefan Moody is Batman for us," said Kennedy, after Moody scored 24 points, 22 in the second half, as the Rebels snapped a four-game losing streak with an 80-63 victory over Auburn.

Moody returned to the lineup after missing one full game and part of another with a hamstring injury. Despite limited mobility and an occasional grimace of pain, Moody ignited the decisive second half rally for the Rebels (13-7, 3-5 SEC).

"I am so proud of his effort and he is so important to us in a big, big way," Kennedy said. "He was tight early but once he hits a couple of shots, he feels better about life and we're a much different team when he is out there."

Moody connected on three consecutive three-point shots within a two-minute stretch to highlight a 19-4 second half run. The surge built an insurmountable 57-41 cushion with 12:22 left. The Rebels led by as many as 20 points and were never threatened again.

Marcanvis Hymon added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Rebels, rallying from a 30-29 halftime deficit. The Rebels were 28 of 62 (45 percent) from the field, including 19 of 34 (56 percent) in the second half.

"Hymon was outstanding. We had the statistical edge in the categories that are really important to us -- rebounding and forcing turnovers," Kennedy said. "A lot of good things from a lot of guys tonight."

TJ Lang scored a career-high 19 points for Auburn (9-10, 3-5). Tyler Harris added 16 for the Tigers, who finished 20 of 54 (37 percent) from the field. Auburn led 30-29 at halftime.

"It was great to see TJ Lang play with confidence and that's a positive," Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said. "But it was obviously a tale of two halves. Andy made great adjustments, Moody played at his tempo, rebounding was a huge factor and in the second half, they destroyed us."

Ole Miss out rebounded the Tigers 40-33, highlighted by a 28-10 edge by the reserves, and forced 13 turnovers. The Rebels turned the ball over twice in the second half, as Moody handed out five assists.

Moody extended his string of 20-point games to 14, despite grimacing in pain with the nagging hamstring injury. Hymon added two blocked shots and Lang was 5 of 7 (71 percent) from three-point range.

Auburn's Kareem Canty, ranked fourth in scoring in the SEC at 18.9 ppg, struggled to score 8 points on 3 of 14 shooting. Canty compensated with a solid floor game with eight rebounds and nine assists.

Ole Miss was 12-3 before injuries sidelined starters Moody, Sebastian Saiz and Martavious Newby. The Rebels were 0-4 without the trio on a full-time basis.

Saiz, who averages 12.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, remains inactive while recovering from eye surgery.

Auburn has had six different players, including three guards, miss 48 games this season. The Tigers have used eight different starting lineups in 19 games.

Up next, Ole Miss visits Kansas State on Saturday and Auburn hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday.

In a AP top 25/SEC men’s game Wednesday night, Tyler Ulis scored 20 points, Derek Willis added a career-best 18 and No. 20 Kentucky used an early 20-0 run to blow past outmanned Missouri 88-54. The Wildcats (16-4, 6-2 SEC) had it easy in improving to 9-0 against the Tigers and winning their third consecutive overall.

In other games involving AP top 25 men’s teams Wednesday, Damion Lee scored 29 points and No. 16 Louisville used sharp shooting from behind the three-point arc to overcome foul trouble and beat Virginia Tech 91-83. Lee hit his first six tries from long range and Trey Lewis made four threes in the second half for the Cardinals (17-3, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). … Rico Gathers scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help No. 17 Baylor defeat Oklahoma State 69-65. Gathers also had nine rebounds and made a critical free throw in the closing seconds. … Vince Edwards scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help No. 21 Purdue hang on without freshman standout Caleb Swanigan and beat Minnesota 68-64. Edwards finished 8 for 15 from the floor. A.J. Hammons added 16 points, Raphael Davis pitched in 10 and the Boilermakers (18-4, 6-3 Big Ten) bounced back from a loss to Big Ten leader Iowa for the second time this month. … Shaquille Morris had 12 points to lead No. 22 Wichita State past Loyola of Chicago 80-54. Wichita State (15-5, 9-0 Missouri Valley) had seven players score at least eight points, including Rashard Kelly with 11. Fred VanVleet had eight points and eight assists.

Sports on 01/28/2016

Upcoming Events