Patton Pinkins produced 19 points and three steals, Budd Clark totaled 13 points, six assists and four rebounds and Ole Miss breezed past Central Arkansas 92-60 on Friday night in Oxford, Miss.
After crushing Alcorn State 99-58 in their season opener on Monday, the Rebels (2-0) outclassed the Bears (1-1) from the opening tipoff and never let up.
Ben Henshall had 13 points, three assists and two steals. Corey Stephenson posted 11 points and seven boards as Ole Miss held a 42-18 advantage in points in the paint.
Luke Moore scored 11 points for the Bears, an 85-55 winner over Oral Roberts on Monday. Cole McCormick managed five rebounds and five assists to go with his two points.
Ty Robinson provided the visitors’ offense early, but Ole Miss led 12-4 as five different players chipped in buckets behind two assists from Clark. However, defense was the key early, as Pinkins intercepted an inbounds pass and notched an easy dunk for an 18-6 margin.
Ole Miss shot the ball well and frustrated Central Arkansas with its aggressive defensive effort in the remainder of the half, which ended 47-24 after Moore drained a trey as time expired for the Bears.
Pinkins paced Ole Miss in the half with 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field, making 4 of 5 from outside the arc.
His play spearheaded an offensive showing that had the Rebels making 54.1% (20-for-37) on field goals and connecting on 7 of 17 3-point tries. They added 15 assists and forced a dozen turnovers by Central Arkansas, which made just 8 of 22 shots.
In the second half, Ole Miss gradually added onto its lead. Henshall converted a three-point play at 16:24 after being fouled on an 18-foot jumper.
The Rebels created back-to-back highlight-reel plays — Clark’s driving, high-flying layup that brought the home bench to its feet and Stephenson’s steal and breakaway thunderous dunk.
Central Arkansas went on a 6-0 run, its best of the night, to cut it to a 31-point deficit at 83-52, but the Rebels cruised to their second victory.