Ruffin, Brooks combine to lead Rebels to much-needed win over Dayton

OXFORD -- Dayton made run after run Saturday night.

Time after time, Daeshun Ruffin responded.

Ole Miss' freshman point guard, still getting back to full speed after missing more than five weeks with a broken hand, gave Dayton fits off the dribble, breaking the Flyers' defensive pressure and getting to the rim en route to a 76-68 win at The SJB Pavilion at Ole Miss.

Ruffin's speed and relentlessness, combined with a stellar outing from center Nysier Brooks, was more than the Flyers could overcome.

Ruffin led Ole Miss (8-3) with a game-high 19 points. Brooks finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jarkel Joiner added 12 points despite going 0-for-5 from the 3-point line. Jaeymn Brakefield had nine points and Matthew Murrell had eight.

"We got a lot of contributions from a lot of different guys," Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. "I thought Jaemyn Brakefield was the most active he has been, (Brooks) had a terrific game, Jarkel had a huge shot even when he wasn't shot-making and making the shots he usually does. He still competed. Daeshun Ruffin was terrific. He's getting in the paint and making others better. It was a team win."

But it was Ruffin that gave Ole Miss some real optimism as Southeastern Conference play looms in 10 days. Dayton trailed by double-figures throughout the game, trailing by 15 in the second half. However, the Flyers put together runs that got to within five points on a couple of occasions in the second half. Each time, Ruffin broke the Flyers' press and got to the basket.

"That's the easiest. press offense," Davis said, adding he was pleased with Ole Miss winning the points off turnover battle, 25-14. "Even in the first half, I thought that was a big part. ...The way they play and the way they press, you can never settle because you know they're going to play that way until the final buzzer. They're going to keep coming and they're built for it."

"I feel like I was a good mismatch for them," Ruffin said. "I feel like guarding full-court, I'm a very fast guy, so definitely I feel like my game gave them trouble."

Ruffin played just 16 minutes Saturday as he's working his way back into game shape and getting used to the contact that comes with game action.

"What he's doing better is he's competing on the defensive end," Davis said. "That's hard coming off an injury."

Malachi Smith led Dayton (7-5) with 16 points. Tourmani Coumani Camara added 15 for the Flyers and DaRon Holmes II had 14.

It was the first win in eight tries for Ole Miss against Dayton. The Flyers had won the first seven meetings in series history.

Ruffin was 5-for-9 from the floor and 9-for-12 from the free throw line. Brooks played almost 37 minutes, making eight of his 11 shots from the field, adding three steals and a blocked shot.

"He has done a much better job of really playing with physicality around the hole," Davis said. "We are doing a better job of finding him. I think his conditioning is much, much better."

Brooks said his getting inside touches allows Ole Miss' offense to operate more efficiently. That proved true Saturday as the Rebels shot 57.1 percent from the floor and got to the free throw line 21 times. That overcame a 21.1-percent shooting performance from the 3-point line.

"It makes the game a whole lot more fun for our team to score inside-out, and it helps the flow of our game," Brooks said. "Instead of going side to side, we go up and down."

Ole Miss returns to action Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Samford, the Rebels' final game before Christmas.