OXFORD — The Ole Miss men’s basketball team had one final piece of business to attend to before heading to New York City this weekend for the Barclays Classic.
Ole Miss had to defend its home court, which it did handily, defeating North Carolina A&T 84-50 on Tuesday afternoon.
Derrick Millinghaus had 16 points and the Rebels improved to 4-0.
“We did what we were supposed to do,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said. “We got through these first four unscathed.”
The Rebels moved the ball well with 19 assists, four from Millinghaus, and dominated defensively with nine blocked shots and nine steals. Ole Miss shot 50 percent from the field (29 of 58) and hit 10 3-pointers.
Ole Miss opened the game on a 9-0 run and dominated early. NC A&T closed the gap to 32-29 with five minutes remaining, but the Rebels went on a 15-4 run to take a 47-33 halftime lead.
Marshall Henderson played 13 minutes for the Rebels, most in the first half, and had only eight points.
Ole Miss went on a 15-0 run early in the second half, and from there the Aggies never challenged. The Rebels had 10 players finish the game with double-digit minutes, including several freshmen.
“It really allowed us to get some of those guys minutes, which they desperately need,” Kennedy said.
Ole Miss never trailed in the game and got 48 points off its bench.
Millinghaus was 5 of 11 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range and had zero turnovers.
“Anytime you can have a point guard play 20-plus minutes and not turn the ball over, that’s important,” Kennedy said. “I thought defensively tonight may have been his best game. He was putting pressure on the ball. We turned them over 21 times, and he gave us great push.”
Jarvis Summers added 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting and had six assists.
“I’m proud of Jarvis,” Kennedy said. “We’ve started him off the ball and he’s really responded. When Marshall’s not in, he’s really a primary scoring option.”
Aaron Jones had his first career double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) for Ole Miss.
“We’ve got some things we need to improve on, but I feel great about them,” Jones said. “I feel great about where we’re at.”
Lamont Middleton and Richaud Pack led NC A&T (1-4) with 13 points each. The Aggies shot 26.1 percent (12 of 46) from the field and committed 21 turnovers.
For Ole Miss, the focus shifts to its first extended road trip of the season, one where it will face Georgia Tech.
“I’m excited to see how we respond to another BCS opponent Friday night,” Kennedy said. “A team, much like ourselves, trying to find themselves. But we know Georgia Tech has got quality players. It’ll be a big challenge.”
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.