OXFORD, Miss. (AP) Giddy Potts scored 20 points and hit four 3-pointers to lead Middle Tennessee to a 77-62 victory over Mississippi on Wednesday night.

�Middle Tennessee (7-1) hit 9 of 16 3-pointers as a team and shot 48 percent (29 of 60) from the floor in a game they dominated from the opening tip.

''The problem is that we have guys who, for whatever reason, freeze up out there,'' Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy said. ''It's my job to have an answer for that, and I don't.''

�Ole Miss (5-2) struggled out of the gate, starting 0-for-7 from the field and turning the ball over 14 times in the first half. Middle Tennessee built a 16-1 lead early and eventually led 48-19 at the break.

''I've been in coaching a while, and that's about the best half you could have from the standpoint of hitting shots and making plays,'' Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis said.

�Ole Miss opened the second half on a 10-2 run and chipped away at the MT lead for most of the half, but never led. The Rebels managed only two second-half turnovers and finished 19-of-27 from the free throw line, but in the end could not overcome their deep first-half hole.

''We've flirted with a loss like this a couple times already this season,'' Kennedy said. ''It's like I told our team: if you get pulled over and the cop doesn't give you a ticket, you get a mile down the road and you speed back up - you don't learn your lesson. Well, we got our ticket tonight. And we're going to be paying for this one for a while.''

Middle Tennessee made shots when it needed them and finished an efficient 10-of-12 from the free throw line, including several during a late Rebel push.

''I wouldn't say it was anything we did second half,'' Davis said. ''They just started making plays and gaining momentum. I think they kind of maybe ran out of gas there at the end.''

Potts was 7 of 9 from the field and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc for the Blue Raiders. Reggie Upshaw added 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 10 rebounds and JaCorey Williams chipped in 10.

�Deandre Burnett led the Rebels with 15 points., while Cullen Neal added 13 points and Breein Tyree 11.

�TURNOVER TROUBLES

Middle Tennessee scored 15 points off turnovers, capitalizing on Rebel mistakes.

''Our points-off-turnovers have been really good the last few games,'' Davis said. ''Our 1-3-1 is very active, very long. And we need that to be effective for us.''

� BIG PICTURE

Middle Tennessee adds a quality road win to its non-conference resume. The Blue Raiders were an NCAA Tournament team last year, upsetting Michigan State in the first round.

''This was a quality RPI game that no one was really talking about,'' Davis said. ''It could be a great win in that sense for us. Andy's team definitely has a chance to be an NCAA tournament team.''

� UP NEXT

Ole Miss will try to rebound with a home game versus Memphis on Saturday.

Middle Tennessee travels to South Alabama on Saturday.

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