Flanigan, Murrell lead No. 24 Ole Miss past Bryant 95 78 as Rebels remain unbeaten

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Allen Flanigan scored 20 points, Matthew Murrell had 18 and the duo combined for 31 second half points to help No. 24 Mississippi remain unbeaten with a 95 78 victory over Bryant on Sunday. The Rebels (13 0) head into Southeastern Conference play having matched the 2007 08 team for the best start in program history, which also equals the school's longest overall winning streak.

Murrell had four points at halftime and Flanigan had just three before ripping off seven straight points early in the second half. Flanigan's spurt pushed an 11 point halftime edge up to 52 34. Flanigan also finished with nine rebounds and four assists. Jaemyn Brakefield had a similarly well rounded stat line for the Rebels with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Jamarion Sharp had eight points and 10 rebounds, while Moussa Cisse scored 10. Sherif Gross Bullocks led Bryant (8 7) with 24 points and made four 3 pointers. Rafael Pinzon hit five 3s and scored 21, while Earl Timberlake had 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Timberlake made 8 of 10 shots.

The Rebels trailed 7 6 early before scoring 13 consecutive points over a 2:36 stretch to take control of the game. Bryant didn't cut the margin to single digits again. Doug Edert and Gross Bullocks hit back to back 3 pointers to cut it to 70 60 with 7:38 left, but the Bulldogs couldn't muster a real threat.

BIG PICTURE Bryant: Couldn't pull off another . The Bulldogs beat No. 7 Florida Atlantic on Nov. 18, three days after Phil Martelli Jr. was named to replace coach Jared Grasso, who had resigned. Ole Miss: Remains one of three unbeaten Division I teams, along with No. 3 Houston and No. 20 James Madison.

The Rebels made 35 of 65 field goals (53.8%). UP NEXT Bryant visits UMBC in its America East Conference opener Saturday. Ole Miss opens SEC play at No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. . ___ AP college basketball: and.