Ole Miss jumps out early, cruises to 98-61 win over Valpo

Dec 10, 2022, 10:21 pm

OXFORD, Miss. -- — Matthew Murrell scored 17 points, Daeshun Ruffin added 14 points and six scored in double figures as Mississippi rolled to a 98-61 victory over Valparaiso on Saturday.

Ole Miss (7-2) ended a two-game skid and has won all five of its home games. Valparaiso (4-7), which is winless in its five road games, has lost three of its last four overall.

Murrell and Ruffin were a combined 12 of 18 from the field. Myles Burns added 12 points and eight rebounds for Ole Miss. Robert Allen and Jaemyn Brakefield had 11 points apiece and Tye Fagan 10.

Kobe King scored 20 points to lead Valparaiso. Ben Krikke added 16 points and Nick Edwards had 14.

Ole Miss jumped out to a 20-point lead about 13 minutes in and led 53-30 at the break. Murrell had 10 points and Burns and Allen each chipped in eight as the Rebels shot 56%. A 30-12 surge to open the second half stretched the Rebels' lead to 41 points with 9:55 remaining.

The game was the first time they met since the ’98 NCAA tournament when Bryce Drew hit “The Shot” -- the buzzer-beater to give 13th-seeded Valpo a 70-69 win over 4th-seeded Ole Miss in a first-round game.

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