Summers scores 22 as Ole Miss defeats Northern Arizona 80-74

OXFORD, Miss. – Jarvis Summers and LaDarius White scored 22 and 12 points and highlighted a 13-0 surge in the final 10 minutes Sunday night as Mississippi defeated Northern Arizona 80-74 as part of the Emerald Coast Classic.

Ole Miss (3-1), with Summers and White accounting for nine points and an assist in the decisive outburst, broke open a one-point game to build an insurmountable 65-51 lead with 6:26 left. Stefan Moody added 13 points, including 8 of 8 from the free throw line, for the Rebels.

Quinton Upshur led a balanced attack by the Lumberjacks with 19 points.

Jaleni Neely had 17 points and a game-high eight assists, while Kris Yanku and Aaseem Dixon added 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Lumberjacks hit 13 of 31 to stay within striking range.

The Rebels led 37-32 at halftime and preserved the lead by hitting 30 of 35 from the free throw line. Ole Miss finished 24 of 52 (46 percent) from the field, as forwards Sebastian Saiz and M.J. Rhett combined for 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Ole Miss closed the first half with an 8-0 run, including a pair of 3-point plays from Summers. The clubs had six lead changes and four ties, with neither team leading by more than five points in the first half, but the Rebels led throughout in the second half.

Northern Arizona pulled within 52-51 on a 3-point shot by Upshur with 11:01 left. The Rebels responded with the decisive run that built the insurmountable 65-51 edge.

The Lumberjacks pulled within 71-66 on a 3-point play by Gaellan Bewernick with 2:26 left. Within a minute, the Rebels answered with a layup from Saiz and a pair of free throws by Summers while Northern Arizona missed shots from the field and the free throw line.

The Rebels had the rebounding edge 42-27 and blocked two shots. Northern Arizona, who managed only 24 of 64 (37 percent) from the field, compensated from 3-point shooting and forced 16 turnovers.

TIP INS

Northern Arizona: The Lumberjacks shooting percentage of 37.5 percent is in line with their season average of 37.3 percent.

Ole Miss: "You're going to win games shooting 86 percent from the line. We were plus 15 on the glass," Mississippi coach Andy Kennedy said.

UP NEXT

Northern Arizona travels to meet Middle Tennessee as part of the Emerald Coast Classic on Tuesday.

Ole Miss travels to meet Creighton in the Emerald Coast Classic at Niceville, Florida, on Friday.