Buckner, Holloway Notch Double-Doubles
OXFORD, Miss. – Senior Murphy Holloway posted 17 points and pulled down 15 boards and senior Reginald Buckner added 14 points and 11 rebounds, as Ole Miss downed Rutgers 80-67 in the SEC/Big East Challenge on Saturday.
Led by the senior tandem of Holloway and Buckner, the Rebels (6-0) shot 53.3 percent in the second half to pull away with the win.
“I was proud of our team’s resilience,” Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy said. “That was a game with a lot of knockdowns and physical play. The game never really established a rhythm offensively until the second half.”
It was Holloway’s third double-double of the year and the 28th of his career, which leads all active SEC players.
“When you get 31 (points) and 26 (rebounds) out of your two front court guys then you would hope you get a chance to win,” Kennedy said. “Murphy went for 17 (points) and 15 (rebounds), he was all over the floor. Reggie went for 14 (points) and 11 (rebounds) and had three blocks, that’s what you need out of your upperclassmen.”
The Rebels trailed by four at the half, shooting just 35.3 percent from the field and were 6-21 (28.6 percent) from the free throw line. Holloway led the team at the half with eight points and seven rebounds.
Ole Miss took over the lead with 14 minutes left in the game on a Holloway dunk and Rutgers was never able to regain the lead.
Every Rebel that scored, with the exception of Nick Williams, scored in double figures. Marshall Henderson added 18 points in the win. LaDarius White and Jarvis Summers added 12 and 13, respectively.
Mack Myles led Rutgers (4-2) with 15 points. The Scarlet Knights (4-2) shot 22-54 (40.7 percent) from the field.
“We defended pretty well,” Kennedy said. “They’re obviously a different level than who we’ve played. I was really pleased with the fact that we never let their leading scorer get in rhythm. It was very physical at both ends, which as a result there were a lot of fouls called.”
The Rebels will travel to Middle Tennessee next Saturday. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. in Murfreesboro, Tenn.