No. 18 Alabama Loses to Ole MIss, 75-69
2/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -Clarence Sanders scored 11 of Mississippi's final 12 points to cap a rousing comeback in a 75-69 victory over No. 18 Alabama on Saturday.
Sanders also made two key steals down the stretch to go with his 16 points, and the Rebels (16-8, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) gained a share of first place in the SEC's wild Western Division.
Ole Miss has won four of its last five after starting 1-4 in conference play. Playing before a school-record crowd, the Rebels guaranteed themselves their first winning season in five years.
It was the fourth straight game decided in the final minutes for Alabama (18-6, 5-5), which had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Bam Doyne led Ole Miss with 17 points, while Dwayne Curtis added 14 and Todd Abernethy 13.
Richard Hendrix led Alabama with 18 points. Mykal Riley scored 16 and Jermareo Davidson added 13.
Ole Miss built an eight-point lead midway through the first half, but the Crimson Tide held the Rebels to one field goal over the final 8:03 to take a 38-35 halftime lead.
Alabama pushed its lead to as much as 49-42 with about 15 minutes left. But Abernethy's 3-pointer started an 11-5 run that tied the score at 54 with 9 minutes remaining.
The run featured two layups by Curtis, saddled with early foul trouble against one of the SEC's most formidable frontcourts.
Sanders gave the Rebels their first lead of the second half with a steal and fast-break layup to make it 65-64 with 4:33 left.
The Rebels then turned up the defensive pressure, forcing a shot-clock violation that led to a free throw by Curtis. On Alabama's next possession, Abernethy forced a steal and passed ahead to Sanders for another layup to make it 68-64 with 3:25 left.
After Ronald Steele's layup, Sanders extended Ole Miss' lead to 71-66 with a wide-open 3 from the left wing, then nabbed a game-clinching steal with 30 seconds left. He capped the win with four free throws.
