Mississippi 77, Murray St. 61

Mississippi 77, Murray St. 61

Published Nov. 18, 2010 3:53 a.m. ET

Zach Graham scored a career-high 22 points and Nick Williams added 21 as Mississippi cruised to a 77-61 victory over Murray State on Wednesday night.

Graham, a 6-foot-6 senior, made 6 of 11 shots from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. He was also 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.

Williams, a transfer from Indiana playing just his second game with the Rebels, made 7 of 10 from the field. The 6-foot-4 sophomore added six rebounds and two assists.

Ole Miss (2-0) made 22 of 23 free throws (95.7 percent) and led by as many as 23 late in the second half.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Rebels dominated in the paint, outscoring the Racers 34-17 and outrebounding them 39-30. Sophomore Reggie Buckner blocked three shots.

Murray State (1-1), which returned three starters from a team that made the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, shot just 30.2 percent from the field (16 of 53) and trailed 34-23 at halftime. Isaiah Canaan led the Racers with 15 points. Donte Poole added 12 and Jeffrey McClain scored 11.

The Racers jumped out to an early six-point lead, but fought foul trouble throughout the game. Ole Miss went on a 11-0 run midway through the first half to take a 21-14 lead and the Rebels never trailed again. Graham and Williams scored a combined seven points during that crucial run.

Chris Warren's school-record streak of 46 straight games with a 3-pointer ended. The Mississippi senior finished with 10 points. He missed all four of his attempts from beyond the arc - including one in the final seconds.

Ole Miss is now 39-1 at home in non-conference games under fifth-year coach Andy Kennedy. The Rebels are 19-5 all-time against teams from the Ohio Valley Conference.

share