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Ole Miss outlasts Appalachian State

Mar 15, 2007 - 3:19 AM OXFORD, Mississippi (Ticker) -- Ole Miss made a victorious return to the postseason.

Todd Abernethy scored 18 points and the fourth-seeded Rebels pulled away in the second half to defeat Appalachian State, 73-59, in a South Region opening game of the National Invitation Tournament.

Making their first appearance in the postseason since 2002, the Rebels used a hot-shooting second half to knock off the fifth-seeded Mountaineers (25-8), who won the regular-season title in the Southern Conference.

Dwayne Curtis scored 14 points and Kenny Williams added 13 and 11 rebounds as Ole Miss (21-12) shot 56 percent (15-of-27) after the intermission.

D.J. Thompson finished with 17 points and four steals and Donte Minter added 14 points for Appalachian State, which was seeking the first postseason victory in school history.

The Mountaineers made 14 steals but couldn't capitalize as they shot 37 percent (22-of-59) and hit just 5-of-20 3-point attempts.

Ole Miss will play at Clemson on Monday in a second-round matchup.