DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - Stefan Moody scored 26 points and led Mississippi's comeback from a 17-point halftime deficit to a 94-90 victory Tuesday night against BYU in the NCAA Tournament's First Four.
The Rebels (21-12) trailed until Moody led a 15-2 run midway through the second half. He hit a late 3-pointer that helped finish off the tournament's first big comeback.
Ole Miss goes to Jacksonville, Fla., to play sixth-seeded Xavier on Thursday afternoon in the East Region.
"I thought we were so tentative," coach Andy Kennedy said. "We wanted to impose our will to start the second half. We chopped it in half pretty quickly, our guys start believing, the ball started going in, and good things happen."
BYU (25-10) pulled off the biggest comeback in NCAA Tournament history in Dayton three years ago, rallying from a 25-point first-half deficit to a 78-72 win over Iona. This time, the Cougars couldn't hold the big lead.
Tyler Haws, BYU's all-time leading scorer, had 33 points, going 13 of 23 from the field. He missed a 3-pointer as BYU tried to catch up in the closing seconds. It was the first time this season that the Cougars lost after leading by 17 points.
Haws had 19 points in the first half, helping the Cougars pull ahead 49-32. Moody got the Rebels' guard-driven offense going midway through the second half, when three BYU players picked up their fourth fouls and things opened up near the basket.
M.J. Rhett added 20 points for Ole Miss, including a pair of three-point plays and a dunk during the go-ahead run.
Chase Fischer put the Cougars ahead 8-0, making a reverse layup and a pair of 3s. Ole Miss missed 15 of its first 19 shots overall as BYU took control. Fischer finished with 23 points, going 6 of 12 from beyond the arc.
Notes: The Rebels held down guard Kyle Collinsworth, who set an NCAA record with six triple-doubles this season. Collinsworth didn't score in the first half, missing all four of his shots, and finished with eight points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. ... Haws had his fifth 30-point game of the season. He finishes with 2,720 points. ... Kennedy gets to prepare for another game against Xavier, an old nemesis. Kennedy was an assistant coach for four years at Cincinnati and interim coach for one season. Xavier and Cincinnati play their crosstown rivalry game each season.