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National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Mississippi 91, Monmouth-NJ 83
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Where: OceanFirst Bank Center, West Long Branch, New Jersey
Officials: # Brian O'Connell, # Joe Lindsay, # Robert Riley
Attendance: 1672

Sebastian Saiz posted a milestone double-double and Deandre Burnett got hot in the second half, leading Mississippi past Monmouth 91-83 Tuesday in the first round of the NIT at OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Beach, N.J.

Burnett scored 16 of his 18 points after halftime, and Saiz finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds for his 21st double-double, a single-season school record.

The Rebels, who were seeded fifth in their region, advanced to face the winner of Syracuse-North Carolina Greensboro in the second round. The Syracuse-North Carolina Greensboro game, originally slated for Tuesday, was postponed due to winter weather in New York.

Ole Miss led 76-70 with five minutes to play after a pair of Saiz free throws. Justin Robinson and Je'lon Hornbeak each knocked down 3-pointers to keep fourth-seeded Monmouth close in the final minutes. Robinson finished with 23 points, and Hornbeak added 18 points for the Eagles (27-7).

Terence Davis and Justas Furmanavicius answered with 3-pointers in the final minutes for the Rebels (21-13), who hit nine 3-pointers overall and shot 51.6 percent from the field. Davis, Breein Tyree and Cullen Neal each finished with 11 points for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss led 21-18 midway through the first half, before Monmouth's Louis Pillari hit a 3-pointer to ignite a run. Robinson and Collin Stewart made back-to-back 3-pointers, capping the 14-4 run for the Eagles. Monmouth went into halftime with a 42-38 lead, behind 12 points from Robinson. Saiz led all scorers with 13 points in the first half.

Sophomore forward Diago Quinn added 11 points off the bench for the Eagles, and junior guard Austin Tilghman finished with 10 points.

Ole Miss outscored Monmouth 18-7 at the foul line.
Top Game Performances
 
Mississippi   Monmouth-NJ
Sebastian Saiz 23 Scoring Justin Robinson 23
Rasheed Brooks 4 Assists Justin Robinson 7
Sebastian Saiz 11 Rebounds Chris Brady 5
Sebastian Saiz 10 Free Throws Made Justin Robinson 2
Deandre Burnett 2 Steals Je'lon Hornbeak 4
Sebastian Saiz 2 Blocks Chris Brady 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Mississippi 91 51.6 9-20 18-22 16 38 5 6 16
Monmouth-NJ 83 41.1 16-38 7-9 21 29 3 5 12