OXFORD, Miss. - The smiles returned to the faces of the Mississippi Rebels on Wednesday night and as far as coach Andy Kennedy was concerned, it could not have come at a better time.
Ole Miss (17-11, 8-7) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 79-67 victory over Alabama, moving into a tie for fourth place in the Southeastern Conference standings. The Rebels did it with a balanced effort, led by Jarvis Summers with 20 points, five assists and four rebounds.
“We just wanted to win,” Kennedy said. “Looking at the postseason scenarios and the standings can drive you crazy. What we can do is prepare for Texas A&M next and try to keep winning.”
Martavious Newby came off the bench to score 15 points, grab a game-high 10 rebounds and provide what Kennedy called “the energy component we’ve been looking for. He was all over the floor and was the MVP of this game.”
Marshall Henderson scored 13 points and set an SEC record for consecutive games with a three-point shot at 61. Former Arkansas guard Pat Bradley previously held the record.
Aaron Jones added 12 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot. The Rebels shot 26 of 31 from the free-throw line and out rebounded Alabama 42-24 to preserve a 43-28 halftime lead.
Shannon Hale led Alabama(11-17, 5-10) with 27 points and nine rebounds as the Crimson Tide fell to 0-13 on the road. Trevor Releford scored 16 points, 14 in the second half, and Levi Randolph added 13.
“Newby really hurt us and he got 10 rebounds,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “Offensive rebounds and turnovers built their lead. We went to six guys that battled to get it back to six points and give us a chance. But, you’ve got to give Ole Miss credit. They made the crucial plays to win it.”
Ole Miss used a 16-5 run midway through the first half to build a commanding 26-13 lead. Summers connected on five free throws, two assists and a short jumper to highlight what proved to be the game’s decisive surge.
The Crimson Tide closed within 64-58 on a Releford basket with 6:10 remaining, but the Rebels quickly answered with a 7-1 spurt that settled the issue. Alabama managed only three baskets the rest of the way.
AUBURN 83, S. CAROLINA 67
AUBURN, Ala. - Chris Denson scored 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting to help Auburn beat South Carolina.
Allen Payne had 15 points and Tahj Shamsid-Deen added 14 for the Tigers (13-13, 5-10) in a battle between two of the bottom three teams in the league standings. Auburn won both regular-season meetings.
The Gamecocks (10-18, 3-12) lost their third consecutive game despite getting 26 points from Brenton Williams. Williams made 5 of 9 three-pointers while Mindaugas Kacina scored 10 points.
LSU 68, TEXAS A&M 49
BATON ROUGE, La. - Jarell Martin scored 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and LSU resumed its home-court dominance with a victory over Texas A&M.
Johnny O’Bryant III had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Andre Stringer added 11 points as LSU (17-10, 8-7) won its seventh consecutive game at home and improved to 13-2 in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Aggies (16-12, 7-8), who beat LSU in the teams’ previous meeting in College Station, Texas, came into the game shooting a league-worst 40.7 percent in SEC games and fared even worse than that at LSU, shooting 30.8 percent (16 for 52).
Texas A&M, meanwhile, was plagued by poor shooting. During the first 11 minutes of the second half, the Aggies made only 2 of 16 shots (12.5 percent), providing little indication they would be able to rally back from a 15-point hole in the final 10 minutes.
TENNESSEE 75, MISS. ST. 68
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Jordan McRae scored 29 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds, Jarnell Stokes added 14 points and Tennessee held on to beat Mississippi State.
Tennessee (17-11, 8-7) won for just the third time on the road this season. The Volunteers never trailed and led by as many as 14 in the first half, but the Bulldogs cut it to 67-63 with 2:14 remaining.
McRae hit two free throws to stop Mississippi State’s run and preserve the victory.
Mississippi State (13-15, 3-12) has lost 10 consecutive games. Roquez Johnson scored 19 to lead the Bulldogs.
TUESDAY’S GAMES Florida 57, Vanderbilt 54 Georgia 71, Missouri 56
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES LSU 68, Texas A&M 49 Mississippi 79, Alabama 67 Tennessee 75, Mississippi State 68 Auburn 83, South Carolina 67
TODAY’S GAME All times Central Arkansas at Kentucky, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 11 a.m.
Mississippi State at Missouri, 12:30 p.m. Auburn at Alabama, 2 p.m.
Georgia at Arkansas, 3 p.m.
LSU at Florida, 3 p.m.
Kentucky at South Carolina, 5 p.m.
Mississippi at Texas A&M, 5 p.m.
Sports, Pages 20 on 02/27/2014