SOUTHAVEN, Miss. - Chris Warren scored 17 points, Dwayne Curtis added 15 and No. 22 Mississippi set a school record for consecutive wins to start the season with a 78-58 victory over Southern Miss on Friday night.

Southern Mississippi's Kenny Wise, left, and Mississippi's Eniel Polynice (14) collide while battling for the ball during their college basketball game in Southaven, Miss., Friday, Dec. 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Bruce Newman)

Warren started two runs that helped Ole Miss hold off streaky Southern Miss (8-5), including a personal 7-1 run that straddled halftime and featured a 3-pointer from 30 feet as time expired in the first half.

Ole Miss held Southern Miss without a point in the final 6 1/2 minutes to break open an entertaining back-and-forth game.

The Rebels' 12th straight win set the school record for consecutive victories to start the season. The Rebels started the 1936-37 and 2000-01 seasons with 11 straight wins. Both years, the Rebels finished with 20 or more victories.

The win also tied the school record for consecutive wins in a season, set in 1926.

Warren got things started for the Rebels, ranked for the first time since the final Associated Press poll of the 2000-01 season. But he sat for all but 7:43 of the last 10:39 because of foul trouble and Ole Miss had to turn to others to put Southern Miss away.

Curtis scored nine points and Eniel Polynice added seven in a decisive 23-7 run to end the game.

Polynice finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as Ole Miss outscored Southern Miss 34-22 in the paint and 15-4 on second-chance baskets.

Warren, the reigning Southeastern Conference freshman of the week after being chosen the most valuable player of the San Juan Shootout last weekend, scored 13 of his points in the first half.

Eight came in a 17-4 first-half run that the point guard started with back-to-back 3-pointers. By the time he finished the run with two free throws, Ole Miss had wiped out an eight-point deficit to take a 33-27 lead with 2:25 left until halftime.

His 3-pointer to end the half made it 40-34 and his four points to start the second half gave Ole Miss a 44-35 lead, its largest to that point.

R.L. Horton scored the last of his 23 points with 6:45 left to cut Ole Miss's lead to 64-58, but the Rebels turned the defensive pressure up and took advantage of their depth to hold the Golden Eagles scoreless.

Curtis and Polynice scored all of their field goals during the final run on layups or free throws earned in the paint.

Jeremy Wise added 17 for Southern Miss and David Huertas added 12 for Ole Miss. Polynice was one assist away from a triple-double with nine.