Jarkel Joiner and Nysier Brooks scored 15 points apiece and Ole Miss survived an upset scare from visiting Mississippi Valley State, pulling away for a 73-58 victory Friday afternoon in Oxford, Miss.
The Rebels (4-2) beat the Delta Devils for the seventh time in as many meetings but did not take control until after the midway point of the second half after erasing a five-point halftime deficit. Ole Miss outscored Mississippi Valley State 20-6 over the final 9:52.
Joiner made 6 of 12 shots and grabbed six rebounds. Brooks scored 12 points after halftime and totaled 10 rebounds while hitting 9 of 10 free throws.
Luis Rodriguez and Robert Allen added 11 points apiece as Ole Miss shot 41.7 percent and survived missing 14 of 20 3-point attempts.
Robert Carpenter led all scorers with 27 points in his second game with the Delta Devils. He scored 17 in his program debut two weeks ago after transferring from St. Bonaventure, where he totaled 15 points in 14 games two seasons ago.
Caleb Hunter added 14 and Devin Gordon contributed 10 as the Delta Devils (0-3) shot 38.2 percent after losing their first two games by a combined 87 points.
Carpenter scored 15 points as the Delta Devils held a 38-33 lead by halftime. The Rebels held a 29-21 lead on two free throws by Austin Crowley with 6:03 left and Mississippi Valley State outscored them 17-4 the rest of the way, snapping a 31-31 tie on a 3-pointer by Carpenter with 2:36 to go.
Crowley’s 3-pointer gave Ole Miss a 53-44 lead with 11:44 remaining. Carpenter hit a 3-pointer and a jumper before David McCoy converted a 3-point play to get the Delta Devils within 53-52 less than two minutes later.
Ole Miss gained separation with an 11-0 run that made it 64-52 on two free throws by Brooks with 6:51 remaining. The Rebels extended their lead to 71-55 on a jumper by Brooks with 4:46 left to essentially seal it.
–Field Level Media
