Davis, Saiz lead Mississippi to 66-49 win over Bradley (Dec 19, 2016)
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) Despite scoring 19 points with six assists in Mississippi's 66-49 win over Bradley on Monday night, Terence Davis figures he still has room for improvement.
''I'm not sure how much, but I think there is more to come. More important, I know AK (head coach Andy Kennedy) thinks that, too,'' Davis said. ''My role has changed this year. I want to help this team win as much as I can.''
Cullen Neal added 12 points while Sebastian Saiz recorded his sixth double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, for the Rebels (8-3), who were never seriously threatened.
Bradley (5-7) was led by Darrell Brown with 14 points. The Braves shot 18 of 58 (31 percent) from the field.
Bradley trailed 38-19 at halftime and never got closer than 17 points again.
''Sebes (Saiz) had six blocks and really defended the rim,'' Kennedy said. ''What we want with Terence is to keep him playing downhill. He can make the hard plays and he knows we need him to do those things for us to keep improving.''
Ole Miss went on an 11-0 run during a two-minute frame late in the first half to build a 38-19 halftime cushion. Neal and DeAndre Burnett combined for three 3-point shots before Davis capped the decisive surge with a twisting layup.
''Our turnovers and bad shot selection on a couple of possessions put us in that spot,'' Bradley coach Brian Wardle said. ''We kept battling to get back but give Mississippi credit. Their physicality bothered us as the game wore on.''
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
''Confidence is like cash. You've got to have some before you can make some,'' said Kennedy, describing guard Burnett's recent shooting slump. ''All he can do is keep playing, taking a good shot and his confidence will come back up.''
BIG PICTURE
Bradley: The Braves feature the third-youngest roster in the country and it has showed in December, losing four of five games. JoJo McGlaston, 0 for 10 from 3-point range over the past six games, broke the streak by hitting 3 of 4.
Ole Miss: The Rebels are 3-1 in December, as the athletic Davis has emerged as a third offensive option to go with Burnett and Saiz. Coming off consecutive double-double performances, Davis had 14 first-half points as the Rebels raced to an insurmountable 38-19 halftime cushion.
UP NEXT
Bradley visits TCU on Wednesday before opening Missouri Valley Conference play the following Thursday by hosting Southern Illinois.
Ole Miss hosts South Alabama Thursday. The Rebels complete a four-game home stand the following Thursday with the SEC opener against Kentucky.
