OXFORD — Murphy Holloway scored 23 points and added eight rebounds as the University of Mississippi men’s basketball team placed four players in double figures Friday to defeat Lipscomb University 91-45.
Nick Williams scored 14 points for the Rebels (5-0), while Reginald Buckner and Marshall Henderson added 10 apiece.
Stephen Hurt led Lipscomb (2-2) with 14 points and seven rebounds while John Ross Glover added 12 points. The Bisons struggled from the field, managing only 12 of 49 (24.5 percent).
Ole Miss raced to a 17-2 lead in the opening five minutes. The Rebels hit 6 of 7 shots in the early outburst, including 3-point shots from Henderson, Holloway and Williams.
“It was important to get off to that 17-2 start, especially against a team that wanted to set the tempo,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. “We did a pretty good job of maintaining that after halftime because they (Lipscomb) kept playing hard.”
Ole Miss led 43-22 at halftime and by more than 30 points for most of the second half. The Rebels were 30 of 69 (43.5 percent) from the field and outrebounded the Bisons 43-38.
“Murphy is our swag and energy, so it was good to see him on those numbers,” Kennedy said. “Marshall (Henderson) struggled a little bit with his shot, but I was excited to see him get seven rebounds and five assists. That was great.”
Henderson, the leading scorer for the Rebels this season at 18.8 points per game, was a season-low 3 of 14 from the field, including 2 of 12 from 3-point range. When asked about Henderson’s shooting performance, Kennedy smiled.
“Marshall will make them when they count,” he said.
The Rebels will get a week’s rest before hosting Rutgers in the Big East/SEC Challenge to conclude a six-game home stand.
“We’ve got two very difficult games coming up with Rutgers and a road game at Middle Tennessee State,” Kennedy said. “I’m anxious to see where we are and those games will tell us a lot.”
The Rebels improved to 56-2 against non-conference opponents at home during Kennedy’s seven-year tenure.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.