National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Mississippi 85, Syracuse 80
When: 11:00 AM ET, Saturday, March 18, 2017
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
Officials: # Karl Hess, # Wally Rutecki, # Jose Carrion
Attendance: 9556

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Guards Terence Davis and Deandre Burnett combined for 11 3-pointers on Saturday to carry Mississippi to an 85-80 victory over top-seeded Syracuse in a National Invitation Tournament second-round game before 9,556 fans at the Carrier Dome.

Ole Miss shot 46.9 percent from 3-point range (15 for 32), including six consecutive treys at the end of the first half and start of the second half to turn a nine-point deficit into a seven-point advantage.

Davis scored 30 points on 11 for 14 shooting (6 for 7 from 3-point range), and Burnett added 19 on 7 for 11 shooting (5 for 9 from beyond the arc).

Cullen Neal chipped in with 15 points and Sebastian Saiz grabbed 12 rebounds for Ole Miss, the fifth seed in the Syracuse Region of the NIT.

In the third round, the Rebels (22-13) will face the winner of Sunday's second-round game between No. 6 Georgia Tech (18-15) and No. 7 Belmont (23-6) in Atlanta.

Andrew White and Taurean Thompson each scored 18 points for Syracuse (19-15), and Tyler Lydon recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

The Orange, which was the first team out of the NCAA Tournament, won 17 of 20 games at the Carrier Dome this season before Saturday.

The Rebels' six consecutive 3-pointers at the end of the first half and start of the second half -- three by Davis and three by Burnett -- gave the Rebels a 45-38 lead.

But with freshman guard Tyus Battle leading the way, the Orange pulled within one, 64-63, on Battle's third 3-pointer of the second half.

White, who missed his first seven 3-point shots, heated up with three treys, the third of which got Syracuse even at 74-74 with 3:40 remaining.

Ole Miss responded with two more 3-pointers, including Burnett's trey from the top of the key with the shot clock winding down, to give the Rebels an 82-78 lead.

Lydon and backup point guard Frank Howard combined for all the points in a 12-0 Orange run that turned a 3-point deficit into Syracuse's largest lead of the first half, 34-25.

But even with Saiz on the bench with two fouls, the Rebels cut the Orange's lead to 38-36 at the half thanks to three late 3-pointers, including Burnett's with one second remaining.

Syracuse missed its first nine 3-point shots and shot 2 for 13 overall from beyond the arc in the first half.

White and Battle, who combined for 54 points in the Orange's first-round win over UNC Greensboro, shot a combined 0 for 8 in the first half (0 for 6 from 3-point range). They combined for 30 points in the second half.
Top Game Performances
 
Mississippi   Syracuse
Terence Davis 30 Scoring Taurean Thompson 18
Deandre Burnett 9 Assists John Gillon 8
Sebastian Saiz 12 Rebounds Tyler Lydon 14
Cullen Neal 4 Free Throws Made Andrew White III 7
Sebastian Saiz 3 Steals Taurean Thompson 5
Justas Furmanavicius 1 Blocks Tyler Lydon 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Mississippi 85 46.8 15-32 12-15 17 33 1 9 15
Syracuse 80 44.6 8-30 14-19 14 34 5 11 13