Ole Miss continues hot play

By

Posted 7:07AM on Thursday, January 24, 2002

OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - The 3-point shot is Aaron Harper's specialty, but it was his three-point plays that did in LSU. Harper scored 16 points, including six on two three-point plays to spark a second-half run as Mississippi beat LSU 70-55 on Wednesday night. Harper finished with 12 second-half points. Ole Miss (15-3, 4-2) opened the second half with a 14-6 run, highlighted by Harper's key baskets. The Rebels held a 44-27 lead after the run and was never challenged again. ``We were able to work the ball low and kick it back out for open shots and I got them down in the second half,'' Harper said. ``I don't know why I shoot better in the second half. Maybe I concentrate more or it's because it's more important, but I've shot the ball well this year in the second half.'' Justin Reed led Ole Miss with 18 points LSU (12-6, 2-3) held an early lead. The Tigers got a 3-pointer from Antonio Hudson to take a 13-10 lead with 8:41 remaining in the first half. The Tigers quickly gave up the advantage. Reed scored a basket with 5:11 left in the first half to give the Rebels a 17-15 lead. Ole Miss never trailed after Reed's basket. ``Winning this game is important because it keeps us alive to sweep all three of these home games,'' said Reed, who's team plays South Carolina and Vanderbilt at home before hitting the road. ``If we do that, we put ourselves in position to win the West again. We're happy to get this one, because we had to grind it out.'' Ole Miss closed the first half with Jason Harrison's buzzer-beating 3-pointer. ``That was a big basket for us. I thought we had messed it up because we didn't get a good shot. He hit a big shot,'' Ole Miss coach Rod Barnes said. ``We played pretty well tonight.'' The Rebels led 30-21 at the half. LSU got 14 points from Ronald Dupree. The Tigers played without second-leading scorer Collis Temple, who is nursing a torn ligament in his foot. Brad Bridgewater added 10 points for LSU. David Sanders had 11 for the Rebels. LSU got as close as 11 points, 48-37, with 11:36 left on a 3-pointer by Dupree, but Ole Miss answered with a 9-0 run. ``Had we made the free throws in the first half, we might have been there. On the road, you've got make the score workable and we did not do that in the first half,'' LSU coach John Brady said. ``When that happens the game usually won't come back your way in the second half.'' The Tigers went 0-for-7 from the free-throw line in the first half. The game's biggest lead came at 66-44 with 6:37 remaining on reverse layup by Reed. The Rebels forced LSU into 18 turnovers.