OXFORD | Dominc Olejniczak buried the business end of the high pick and roll multiple times in the first half, setting a season high in points prior to intermission.
Terence Davis caused his expected havoc and equaled Olejniczak’s first half total.
Breein Tyre found double digits in that timeframe, as well.
With point guard Devontae Shuler’s stress reaction costing him the start and adding to the questions following Ole Miss’ first conference loss, plenty of answers came quickly at The Pavilion on Saturday. The Rebels, using the three-headed attack mentioned, got back to basketball business and used an 11-point halftime advantage to rout visiting Arkansas, 84-67, and salvage the second game of the homestand, moving to 4-1 in the SEC and 14-3 overall.
“Bouncing back for the first time in this league for a new program is hard, especially with that atmosphere and you want to please the crowd,” Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis said. “I thought the crowd and players connected today. We played with energy, got our hands on balls, played unselfish… It was a great win.”
[Related: Box Score]
Ole Miss entered the game No. 28 in NET following the loss to LSU Tuesday, and Arkansas came in at No. 78. The Hogs, who are now 10-7 and 1-4 in the league, are a quadrant three win for the Rebels unless they can improve to the top 75. Ole Miss travels to Alabama Tuesday and returns home for Iowa State on Saturday as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Tyree led the Rebels with 22 points, and Davis finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, falling a rebound and three assists shy of a triple double.
Arkansas had an eight-point spurt early in the second half to cut it to six and bring into play the Rebels’ recent early after-halftime woes, but Davis keyed a 13-2 run to put the Rebels up 17 with just more than 11 minutes remaining.
“Our energy level was poor (out of halftime) and I could sense a letdown,” Kermit Davis said. “Arkansas played harder in that four-minute stretch and then we got it cranked up. We went to the 1-3-1 we got turnovers and that energized the whole thing.”
The lead was as high as 19 in the second half, and Arkansas never had the lead. The Rebels scored the first seven points of the game.
Olejniczak, in the paint with Arkansas future NBA Draft pick Daniel Gafford, scored 13 in the first half and hit all three free throws. His previous season high was 11, and he repeatedly executed baskets behind Gafford on pick and rolls. A quiet second half kept his career high at 16 points which came last season against Texas.
“We didn’t do a good job on the screen and roll in the first half and they scored every time,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said.
While all the junior’s points came before the break, Bruce Stevens scored 10 of his 14 afterward. The pair played a combined 40 minutes with 27 points and 12 rebounds on 11-of-14 shooting including Steven hitting two 3-pointers. Gafford didn’t harm the Rebels, putting up 9 and 10 in 31 minutes. He didn’t have an offensive rebound and turned it over five times.
"Dom did a great job and he and Bruce that’s the best they’ve played together,” Kermit Davis said. They did a great job on (Gafford). The double teams were effective.”
D.C. Davis started in Shuler’s place and contributed seven points with four assists and no turnovers in 25 minutes. All the points came during the decisive opening minutes of the second half that ultimately put the game away. Shuler was ineffective, hitting one of six shots in 24 minutes. He was in a boot throughout the week. He will get another X-ray on Thursday.
After an off night at the line against LSU, Ole Miss was 15-of-17 (88 percent) at the charity stripe on Saturday. The Rebels also outscored Arkansas in fast break points (9-0) points in the paint (44-28) and second chances (17-15).
Ole Miss out-rebounded the Razorbacks 40-31 and forced 17 turnovers.
“They delivered the first punch and kept us on our heels,” Anderson said. “We’ve had a tough road with Tennessee and now this surging Ole Miss program.”
