BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Daeshun Ruffin scored 19 points before leaving the game in the second half because of an apparent leg injury, and Mississippi held of No. 25 LSU 76-72 on Tuesday night.
Luis Rodriguez scored 15 for Ole Miss (12-10, 3-6 Southeastern Conference), which saw its 24-point, first-half lead trimmed to two in the final minutes. But Ole Miss managed to notch its third victory in four games following a four-game skid in mid-January.
Darius Days scored 21, hitting five 3-pointers, for LSU (16-6, 4-5), which has lost five of their last six and slid down the national rankings since starting 12-0. Tari Eason and Eric Gaines each scored 16 for the reeling Tigers.
Jaemyn Brakefield's breakaway layup with 10 seconds left was the Rebels' only field goal in the last 9:50 of the game. The Rebels hit eight free throws during that stretch, however, including a pair each by Nysier Brooks and Tye Fagan in the last 1:05. Those came after Tari Eason's 3-pointer with 1:27 left had pulled LSU to 69-67.
Brooks finished with 10 points for Ole Miss, which outshot LSU 52% (22-42) to 43% (28-65).
Ole Miss looked to be on its way to a rout in the first half, taking a 20-point lead at 36-16 when Rodriguez stole Xavier Pinson's pass and ran free for a breakaway dunk. Shortly after, Austin Crowley's 3 made it 39-16 with 6:42 to go in the opening half
At that point, the Rebels were shooting 68.2%, including 6 of 10 from 3, while LSU was shooting 38.9%, including 1 of 7 from deep.
Ole Miss took its largest lead — 24 points — with a 3 by Rodriguez, which came on the heels of Brandon Murray's turnover.
But LSU suddenly made a game of it, closing the half on a 13-2 run.
Eason's steal and thunderous one-handed dunk gave LSU 11 straight points and re-engaged the crowd as the Tigers drew to 43-30 with 1:51 left in the half. LSU finished the half down 45-32.
Days then opened the second half with a pair of 3s, sandwiched around Eason's block on Matthew Murrell at the rim, to make it 45-38 with nearly 19 minutes still remaining, setting up a tense and competitive second half.
BIG PICTURE
Ole Miss: Appears to be playing some of its best basketball in the heart of its SEC schedule, but if Ruffin's injury proves serious, that could stunt the Rebels' momentum.
LSU: Is getting healthier and its athleticism is not in doubt, but the Tigers' unreliable shooting, including missed layups and putbacks, and seemingly avoidable turnovers in crucial situations are making it hard for them to win consistently in the SEC. This could be their final week in the rankings if they don't respond this weekend.
UP NEXT
Mississippi: Visits Florida on Saturday, seeking a regular-season sweep of the Gators.
LSU: Visits Vanderbilt on Saturday for their only regular-season meeting with the Commodores.
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