Ole Miss Rebels at Vanderbilt Commodores

Ole Miss rallies to beat Vanderbilt

That's been the case lately for the Rebels, who made only eight turnovers in an 81-74 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

"Our issue all season, and the reason we're in (this) dilemma, is because we turn the ball over," Rebels coach Andy Kennedy said. "We were leading the league in turnovers at almost 16 a game, but the last three games we've had under 10, which gives us an opportunity to fight through some of those offensive struggles as it relates to shooting early."

Ole Miss (14-9, 5-5 SEC) won its second straight since a 78-75 loss to No. 5 Baylor.

The Rebels came out cold against Vanderbilt (11-12, 4-6), shooting only 29 percent from the floor while falling behind 32-27 at halftime.

Ole Miss heated up in the second half, shooting 56 percent from the field and 7 of 9 from 3-point range in a comeback win.

The Rebels' Sebastian Saiz recorded his Southeastern Conference-leading 16th double-double with 16 rebounds and 10 points. Deandre Burnett and Terence Davis both scored 17 points and Justas Furmanavicius and Breein Tyree 11 each for the Rebels, who have won six of their last seven against the Commodores.

Jeff Roberson led Vanderbilt with a career-high 21 points, including three 3-pointers. Vanderbilt made 14 3-pointers and Ole Miss nine.

"I think we had a chance in the first half to kind of put them away early and get some momentum, and we didn't do that," said Roberson, a 6-6 forward from Houston. "In the second half, they came out and got some momentum, and kind of just kept building on that. And once they got rolling, it was hard to stop them."

Luke Kornet, who became the NCAA's all-time top 3-point-shooting 7-footer on Tuesday, pulled the Commodores within 77-74 with his fourth 3-pointer with 24.7 seconds left. With at least two NBA scouts at the game, the 7-foot-1 senior scored 18 points and raised his career 3-pointer total to 136.

Matthew Fisher-Davis added 13 points for the Commodores, who had won three of their previous four.

Ole Miss built an 11-point lead late in the game, but Vanderbilt rallied and pulled to within 68-65 on consecutive 3-pointers by Nolan Cressler and Joe Toye with 2:25 left.

After Vanderbilt got within one, the Rebels made four straight 3-pointers during a 12-2 run to give Ole Miss a 60-49 lead with 7:17 left.

BIG PICTURE

Ole Miss: The Rebels kept their NCAA Tournament chances alive with an important road win.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores' postseason chances slipped after a first-half lead evaporated at home.

TURNING POINT

Vanderbilt led 42-36 with 13:54 left, but Ole Miss made a 12-0 run to take the lead and never trailed again.

"I think they really started attacking us," Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew said. "They really attacked the rim and we didn't have an answer for their speed, getting to the rim on us and pretty much getting whatever they wanted on offense. We had a couple of turnovers in there, too, which hurt."

THE SHOT-MAKER

The sight of Drew probably brought back bad memories for many longtime Rebels fans.

His 3-pointer as time expired gave 13th-seeded Valparaiso a 70-69 upset of No. 4 Ole Miss in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT

Ole Miss visits Tennessee in a battle of two teams in the middle of the SEC standings on Wednesday.

Vanderbilt visits Arkansas, which began the day with the SEC's No. 2 scoring offense (81.3 ppg), on Tuesday.

How can I watch Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt?

• TV Channel: Ole Miss at Vanderbilt 2021 College Basketball, week 13, is broadcasted on ESPNU.
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