TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- When Alabama picked up the pace, Mississippi got left way behind.
Kennedy Winston scored 22 points and the 17th-ranked Crimson Tide used full-court pressure to spark a late surge in a 71-45 victory Saturday night, turning a comfortable lead into a rout.
"They tried to take us out of our offense," Alabama's Earnest Shelton said. "They tried to pass nine or 10 times and slow the game down. Our press was to speed the game up and make them play more our tempo."
Once that happened, the Tide (19-4, 8-2 Southeastern Conference) clearly outclassed the struggling Rebels. Shooting 58 percent and getting a late 16-2 run, Alabama took a two-game lead over LSU in the SEC West and picked up its eighth consecutive win over Ole Miss at Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama pushed its lead to 15 points five times in the first 10 minutes of the second half, with the Rebels (12-12, 3-8) keeping the game from getting ugly by maintaining their favored slow pace.
Then, the Tide pulled away during a four-minute surge that ended with just under five minutes left, getting two quick 3-pointers from reserve Jean Felix and four straight free throws from Winston.
"It's a very tough game for us," said Ole Miss coach Ron Barnes, who is 0-7 in Tuscaloosa. "The first half our guys really came out and competed. Alabama came out in the second half and got on top of us. They're a team you don't want to play from behind."
Alabama led 30-20 at halftime and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Chuck Davis had 15 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots for Alabama, and Shelton had 13 points. Ron Steele had eight points and six assists. The Tide also got more production than usual from its thin bench, led by Evan Brock's four points and six rebounds and Felix's 3-pointers.
Justin Johnson led Ole Miss with 11 points, and Jermey Parnell added 10. The Rebels have lost six of their last seven games.
The Tide attempted 18 fewer shots than the Rebels but made 20 of 29 free throws. Ole Miss shot 32 percent and was just 2-of-5 from the line, having little success around the basket against Davis and Jermareo Davidson.
"They were going to have to score over us rather than around us," Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said. "We were very active defensively. We were moving our feet. Our hands were moving. We were deflecting shots."
The result was the Tide's nine blocked shots and a miserable performance from Ole Miss starters Marvin Moore, Londrick Nolen, Cavadas Nunnery and Tommie Eddie. The four were a combined 4-of-20 shooting for nine points.
Alabama never got into much offensive rhythm in the first half, committing 10 turnovers. The Tide turned it over only four times after that and scored the first five points of the second half on Shelton's 3-pointer and two free throws.
"From there on we just had to fight," Mississippi's Todd Abernethy said. "I don't think we fought as well as we needed to. We didn't play as hard as we should have."
But, he added, "They are really talented. One through five, they've got great players. They have lots of threats and lots of talent."
