OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Murphy Holloway scored 15 points, Reginald Buckner added 13 and Mississippi cruised to a 76-50 victory over McNeese State on Tuesday.
Holloway missed most of the first half after picking up two early fouls, and the Rebels looked sluggish on their way to a 39-30 halftime lead. But the senior returned in the second half to score 12 of his 15 points. He finished 7 of 7 from the field and added nine rebounds.
Marshall Henderson came into the game leading the Southeastern Conference with 22 points per game, but scored just nine points.
The Rebels (4-0) were without Derrick Millinghaus, a 5-foot-10 freshman guard who had surgery to repair a torn meniscus on Tuesday. He's averaging 9.7 points and three assists per game. He's expected to miss about four weeks.
McNeese State (1-3) was led by Desharick Guidry's 14 points. Kevin Hardy added 11.
Holloway's energy and production helped the Rebels push their halftime lead to 54-35 with 13:20 remaining. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound junior was providing his usual muscle in the paint, but was also effective in the open floor, hitting Buckner for a pair of alley-oop dunks as the Rebels put the game out of reach.
Buckner was 6 of 6 from the floor and added seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
The efficient performance by Holloway and Buckner helped the Rebels offset an off night by Henderson.
Henderson hit his first 3-pointer, but then went cold. The 6-foot-2 junior shot 3 of 12 from the field, including 2 of 10 from 3-point range.
Nick Williams added 10 points.
Demarco Cox scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in his first action this season after missing the first three games with a foot injury. The 6-8, 272-pound junior provides a big body in the paint who was a capable backup for Holloway and Buckner last season.
