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Oxford, MS (Sports Network) - A.J. Ogilvy finished with 27 points and seven rebounds, as 17th-ranked Vanderbilt pulled out an 82-78 victory over Ole Miss at Tad Smith Coliseum.
Jeffery Taylor recorded 19 points for the Commodores (20-5, 9-2 SEC), who have won three in a row. Jermaine Beal added 14 points to the victory, in which Vanderbilt shot 26-of-34 from the free throw line and shot 50 percent overall.
That shooting percentage was buoyed mostly by Ogilvy and Taylor, who combined to go 16-of-21 from the field.
Chris Warren had 23 points to pace Ole Miss (17-8, 5-6 SEC), which has dropped four of its last five. Terrico White added 14 points, while Murphy Holloway had 12 points and 13 boards in the setback.
The teams traded leads in a close second half, though Vanderbilt went on a critical six-point run down the stretch. With the Rebels up by one, John Jenkins sank a jumper to put the Commodores ahead. Beal followed with two free throws, and Ogilvy made two from the line with 4:09 left for a 65-60 advantage, and the Commodores didn't trail again.
A Holloway layup had Ole Miss within 69-67, but Ogilvy made a pair of foul shots with just over two minutes left to restore a two-possession edge. White missed a jumper at the other end, and Ogilvy made two more with 1:34 on the clock for a 73-67 game.
With just under 43 seconds left, Zach Graham sank a three to get the Rebels within 75-71, and they pressured to try to force a turnover. But Vanderbilt got the ball upcourt to a wide open Taylor, who dunked emphatically for a six- point edge. The Commodores sealed the win at the foul line.
The Rebels had a double-digit lead early, as a White three made it a 16-5 game. But Vanderbilt followed with a 12-2 run to get back in the contest. Ogilvy's layup with just over 10 minutes left capped the rally to get the Commodores within 18-17.
It remained close until halftime, when the Commodores held a 30-28 edge.
Though Vanderbilt shot 50 percent, it made only 26 total field goals...Ole Miss shot 30-of-64 (46.9 percent), but made just 10-of-19 free throws...Eniel Polynice added 12 points for the Rebels.