OXFORD, Miss. (AP) Senior guard Breein Tyree scored 21 to help lift Mississippi to a 68-66 win over Norfolk State on Saturday evening.

After a sluggish start in the season-opener, Tyree, the Rebels' All-Southeastern Conference guard, helped them power through some early offensive struggles with 12 first-half points. The Spartans led for a good portion of the first half before a 14-5 surge from Ole Miss to close the half gave it a 40-35 halftime lead.

"I thought changing from our 1-3-1 into our 2-3 zone was the difference," Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. "That was really the first time we have had to go to it. It slowed things down. They couldn't drive the ball on top of us like they were able to in the first half."