Vandy holds off late rally to beat Ole Miss

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Posted 8:24AM on Sunday, February 2, 2003

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings continually reminded his players this week they had yet to win back-to-back Southeastern Conference games this season. His message apparently got through because the Commodores held off a late Mississippi rally for a 76-68 victory Saturday night. ``It was important for us to do something back-to-back,'' said Stallings, whose team upset No. 15 Georgia Wednesday. ``We've had some good wins, but nothing back-to-back. I think our confidence will go up.'' Vanderbilt (10-8, 3-4) led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but a late 10-2 run by Mississippi (12-6, 3-4) made it a 70-66 game with 1:58 to play. A Matt Freije bucket and a free throw by Scott Hundley built the lead back to 73-66 with 52 seconds left. The lead never dipped below five the rest of the way. ``You get two wins in a row in the SEC, one of the toughest conferences in the country, it is a stepping stone toward something great,'' said Hundley, who was throwing up at halftime due to illness yet still managed 18 points and seven rebounds. ``I think our team can do something great. We have the potential.'' Mississippi came into the game leading the SEC in scoring defense, but the 76 points scored by Vanderbilt was the most allowed by the Rebels this season. The Commodores played sharp offensively for the third consecutive game, shooting 52.2 percent for the game. ``We sent them to the free throw line too many times,'' said Mississippi coach Rod Barnes after Vanderbilt hit 25 of 31 free throws. ``We fouled too much early and had two starters on the bench in the first half.'' Justin Reed led the way for Mississippi by matching his career high with 26 points. Emmanuel Wade added a career-high 20 points for the Rebels. For Vanderbilt, Freije scored 20 points and Brian Thornton added 16 before fouling out. The Commodores largest lead of a tight first half was 29-20 after a pair of Freije free throws with 5:44 to play. Mississippi then went on a 10-4 run before Lakey's 3-pointer put Vanderbilt ahead 36-30 at the half. Vanderbilt has won 11 of its last 12 games against Mississippi at Memorial Gym. ``The Georgia win was big, but it would not have meant anything if we did not win tonight,'' Freije said. ``This game puts us back in the mix a little bit. We just have to win our home games and try to sneak a few out on the road.'' Vanderbilt played its second straight game without starting guard Corey Smith, who is out with a broken hand.