OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Murphy Holloway scored 22 points, Jarvis Summers added 12 and Mississippi cruised to a 64-49 victory over No. 10 Missouri on Saturday night.
Ole Miss (13-2, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) led the entire game, jumping out to an early 9-0 lead thanks to timely shooting and superior defense. Holloway was nearly unstoppable in the paint, making 8 of 12 shots from the field and 6 of 10 free throws.
Missouri (12-3, 1-1) was without leading scorer Laurence Bowers, who is out with a sprained MCL in his right knee, and it was obvious the offense missed him. The Tigers were led by 13 points from Jabari Brown.
Missouri pulled to 41-33 with 16 minutes remaining, but couldn't get any closer. The Rebels' defense was suffocating for most of the night, forcing 19 turnovers.
The Tigers fell into an early 9-2 hole after needing nearly seven minutes to score their first basket. Missouri shot just 11 of 33 (33 percent) in the first half.
Ole Miss wasn't much better on offense early, shooting 38 percent from the field in the first half, but did enough to take a 31-22 lead into halftime. Derrick Millinghaus led the Rebels with 8 first half points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Marshall Henderson scored 32 points in the Rebels' SEC opening victory against Tennessee, but it was obvious that Mizzou had reviewed that game tape, and Tiger defenders were draped all over him every possession. He finished with 11 points, shooting just 4 of 11 from the field, including 2 of 8 from 3-point range.
But Holloway picked up the offensive slack, constantly slashing into the lane and finishing with his left hand over taller Missouri defenders. The 6-foot-7 senior is the only player in the SEC averaging a double-double and he had another complete game, adding eight rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot.
Even without Bowers, Missouri figured to make some sort of run with Earnest Ross, Alex Oriakhi, and Phil Pressey all scoring in double figures this season. But the shots never fell on a consistent basis.
Keion Bell scored 11 points and Pressey added 10 for the Tigers.
It was a physical game and Ole Miss consistently won the interior battles. The Rebels had 20 attempts from the free throw line, making 15, while Missouri was just 5 of 6.
Ole Miss is not known for raucous basketball crowds, but Tad Smith Coliseum was sold out and loud for this one. The Rebels are 7-19 against ranked opponents under coach Andy Kennedy.