OXFORD, Miss. – Reginald Buckner scored a career-high 19 points, added 15 rebounds and Mississippi upset No. 18 Mississippi State 75-68 on Wednesday night.
Nick Williams added 17 points, and Jarvis Summers had 12 to help Ole Miss (12-6, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) beat its in-state rival for the first time in six attempts.
Buckner is usually known for his defense and is the school's career leader in blocked shots. But he scored with regularity against the Bulldogs, shooting 8 of 10 from the field as the Rebels shot 50 percent as a team.
Renardo Sidney led Mississippi State (15-4, 2-2) with 17 points. Arnett Moultrie had his ninth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Sidney and Moultrie have formed a dynamic frontcourt for most of the season, but Buckner nearly beat the pair by himself, adding three blocked shots to his impressive offensive totals.
The 6-foot-8 junior forward has always been a little robotic on the offensive end, which is the main reason he averages just 5.9 points.
That's why it was so surprising to see Buckner scoring in bunches against the Bulldogs — not only on put-back dunks but also an array of short jumpers that aren't usually in his repertoire.
Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury has been dominant against his in-state rival for more than a decade, winning 20 of 27. But the Rebels led for most of the night in their first win against the Bulldogs since 2009.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 10-3 lead in the opening minutes, riding a pair of 3-pointers by Summers. Mississippi State fought back to briefly take the lead, but the Rebels pushed right back for a 38-33 halftime lead because of superior post play.
Buckner had 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting and also grabbed six rebounds in the first half, negating the loss of leading rebounder Murphy Holloway, who was on the bench in foul trouble for much of the game.
Ole Miss won despite shooting just 17 of 30 (56.7 percent) from the free-throw line.
Mississippi State's Dee Bost scored 15 points, but was 4 of 15 from the field. The shorter Bost was hounded by 6-foot-9 Terrance Henry on the perimeter for much of the game, forcing the Bulldogs' point guard into some tough shots.
Henry also added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists.
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Follow David Brandt on Twitter: (at)davidbrandtAP
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