NEW YORK — Ole Miss’ run in the Men’s National Invitation Tournament came to an end Tuesday night with a 68-63 loss to Dayton at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals of the NIT Final Four. Ole Miss overcame a four-point deficit at the half and an 11-point deficit in the second half to get within one point of the Flyers with 35 seconds remaining in the contest.
Ole Miss’ Trevor Gaskins had an opportunity to tie the game at 65 with 11.7 seconds left, but his layup attempt fell short leading to an Ole Miss foul and two free throws for the Flyers, who advanced to their first NIT championship game since 1968. Dayton closed out its fourth-straight win in the NIT by making three of four from the free-throw line in the final 11 seconds, while Ole Miss was never able to take another shot.
Terrico White led three Rebels in double figures with 19 points. Chris Warren, who was plagued with foul trouble in the first half of the game, was next with 15 points, while Murphy Holloway finished with 12 points.
Chris Johnson led Dayton with 22 points in the win, while Marcus Johnson finished with 12 points. Ole Miss finished the season with a 24-10 overall record. (March 30, 2010)
