OXFORD, Miss. – The Spartans were held to 33 percent shooting, and despite leading for more than 11 minutes in the first half, the Norfolk State men's basketball team fell to Ole Miss 68-55 on Tuesday evening at The Pavilion.
 
The Rebels shot 51 percent for the game and got a pair of 20-point performances in improving to 2-0 on the year. They got just five points from their bench and most of their production from three players.
 
NSU fell to 2-1 on the season. Junior Devante Carter shot 5-of-8 for 12 points with seven rebounds to lead the way.
 
The Spartans took the lead for the first time in the game at the 14:10 mark of the first half when senior Steven Whitley went 1-of-2 from the free throw line. He pushed the lead to five on a layup a minute later, and sophomore Joe Bryant Jr. made a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws for a 21-15 advantage.
 
Bryant had two more free throws and a layup to keep NSU ahead, but the Rebels eventually took the lead back on a 3-pointer from Devontae Shuler with 3:05 left in the half. Breein Tyree's layup on the team's last possession put Ole Miss up 40-35 going in the half.
 
Bryant and senior Jermaine Bishop each had 11 points, while Whitley tallied eight points and eight rebounds.
 
The teams went scoreless for more than three minutes early in the second half, although NSU trailed by just five with 13:11 left after a pair of free throws from Bryant. It was still a five-point deficit after Carter's jumper with 11 minutes to go, but Ole Miss scored seven in a row for a 12-point edge.
 
The Rebels pushed the lead up to 15 in the last few minutes of play.
 
Ole Miss got 23 points, nine rebounds and three steals from KJ Buffen, who shot 9-of-13 from the floor. Tyree added 21 points while hitting 8-of-18 from the field with three assists and three steals. Shuler totaled 12 points, five assists, four steals and four rebounds. The trio combined for 41 of the team's 51 field goal attempts.
 
The Rebels outscored the Spartans 38-20 in points in the paint and 14-2 in fastbreak points. They also turned 17 NSU turnovers into a 24-8 edge in points off turnovers.
 
NSU will host The Apprentice School on Thursday night. The game will be a doubleheader with the women's team, which plays at 6 p.m.