OXFORD, Miss. -- Alabama coach Mark Gottfried had never won at Mississippi -- until now.
Kennedy Winston scored 26 points and Jermareo Davidson had 13 rebounds to lift No. 22 Alabama to a 66-58 win over Ole Miss on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide (15-3, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) snapped a seven-game losing streak at Ole Miss. The Tide's last win in Oxford came in the 1996-97 season.
"It's hard to win here," said Gottfried, in his seventh season as Alabama coach. "Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn in the woods every once in a while. We knew we had not done well here. Today, we had a great second half."
The Crimson Tide erased an eight-point deficit in the final 17 minutes, outrebounded Ole Miss 37-18, and shot 52.8 percent in the second half, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range.
Jean Felix had 12 points and started a decisive 12-2 run with consecutive 3-pointers that gave Alabama a 54-49 lead with 7:09 remaining. Felix and Winston combined to hit 7-of-8 from 3-point range and Alabama never trailed again.
"I was hot and I was looking to shoot it," Felix said. "Coach Gottfried told me that this kind of game was going to come, just to take my time and stay on the same page as my teammates."
"We got some great play from guys that stepped it up," Gottfried said. "Felix was big today and Winston had big baskets at key times."
The Rebels (11-8, 2-4) pulled within four on two occasions, the final time at 62-59 with 1:59 left. Alabama hit four straight free throws, including a pair by Earnest Shelton, to preserve the lead.
"They beat us by 30, then 20, then 15 every time I've been here," said Shelton, who scored 10 points. "It's hard to explain how big this win was, but we're clicking and playing real well right now."
Ole Miss led 34-28 at halftime. The Rebels didn't turn the ball over in the first half and took the lead with a 7-0 run in the final 2 minutes.
"We did a good job slowing down Earnest Shelton and Chuck Davis, but Winston played well all day and Felix made the plays down the stretch," Mississippi coach Rod Barnes said. "They're the most talented team in our league."
Tommie Eddie had 16 points and Cavadas Nunnery scored a career-high 13 for the Rebels, who dropped their second straight to a ranked team after leading at the half. Ole Miss was ahead of Kentucky on Wednesday night before fading.
Winston had 12 first-half points for Alabama.
"They play as hard as anybody in the country," Gottfried said of the Rebels. "But I told our team that we were not getting on the bus without a win."
