Murrell's 2nd half lifts Ole Miss past Chattanooga, 70-58
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Matthew Murrell put up 25 points, knocking down 6 of 10 shots from behind the arc and sparking a 13-3 run midway through the second half to earn Mississippi a 70-58 win over Chattanooga on Tuesday night.
Murrell scored just eight points in the first half and scored 14 of his 25 points in a five-minute stretch of the second half.
Amaree Abram's jumper with just under three minutes left in the first half tied the game at 33-33 and neither team scored again before intermission. Chattanooga got within a point, 42-41 with more than 12 minutes left on Randy Brady's layup, but Murrell bookended a 10-0 run with 3-pointers, and after A.J. Caldwell hit a 3 for the Mocs, Murrell answered with his third 3 in a three-minute span to make it 55-44 with under 10 minutes to play.
Murrell finished 9 of 14 from the field with five rebounds and a pair of steals. TJ Caldwell added 10 points and Ole Miss (3-0) dished a season-high 17 assists.
Jake Stephens had 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead Chattanooga (1-2). Jamal Johnson added 15 points and Demetrius Davis contributed another 11.
Ole Miss plays host to UT Martin Friday.
Chattanooga returns home to play host to Covenant College Saturday.
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