OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Sean Padulla scored 18 of his 25 points in the second half, and No. 17 Mississippi pulled away in the final 15 minutes to beat Queens University of Charlotte 80-62 on Saturday.
Ole Miss (11-1) used a 16-6 run, capped by Padulla's twisting layup, to build a 61-48 lead with 8:20 remaining. Queens never got closer than nine points again as the Rebels improved to 7-0 at home.
Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell, a preseason All-SEC selection, returned to play 23 minutes after missing three games with what was listed as a lower body injury. He finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
Dre Davis scored 11 points and Jaylen Murray added 10 for the Rebels.
Maban Jabriel had 15 points and seven rebounds for Queens (7-6). Chris Ashby added 14 points and Leo Colimerio had 13.
The Royals, who trailed just 38-33 at halftime, had their four-game winning streak snapped.
Takeaways
Queens: Grant Leonard’s Royals, picked ninth in the 12-team Atlantic Sun Conference preseason poll, finished with a winning record against non-conference competition.
Ole Miss: The schedule accelerates with a road date at No. 21 Memphis in late December before SEC play. Despite being ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25 poll, the Rebels trail seven other SEC teams in the rankings.
Key Moment
The decisive 16-6 second-half surge by the Rebels needed only three minutes and was highlighted by a pair of layups and a 3-pointer by Padulla. Murrell added a steal, an assist and a pair of rebounds.
Key Stat
Ole Miss outscored the Royals 24-6 off turnovers, including 12-0 in the first half. The Rebels, ranked No. 2 nationally at fewest turnovers per game with 8.9, finished with eight.
Up Next
Queens hosts Stetson in the Atlantic Sun Conference opener for both teams on Jan. 2. No. 17 Ole Miss visits No. 21 Memphis on Dec. 28.
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Chris Burrows, The Associated Press
