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By Christina Teller

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

PITTSBURGH - Memo from Mellon Arena: Billy Knight is back. The corner is his again.

In the Bruins' 80-58 first-round victory over Ole Miss, Knight went for 21 points, 7-for-13 from the field, including 5-for-7 from downtown.

During Thursday's practice, Knight couldn't miss and said he hadn't felt that rhythm since before the Bruins played at Stanford a year ago. That day, Knight went for 22 points in the Bruins' second dethroning of a No. 1 Stanford team.

And although Ole Miss isn't a No. 1-caliber team, it didn't matter. Coming into Friday, Knight had averaged 9.8 points per game over the last six games. Though his overall average still sat at 13.9 ppg, he hadn't eclipsed that mark since the Bruins won at Stanford on Feb. 23.

Knight had been dealing with a sore ankle over the past few weeks, which prevented him from being able to take extra shots after practice. But in the last week, Knight was able to started shooting more on his own time, which helped him reclaim his groove.

"Over the last couple weeks, I started shooting late at night at Pauley Pavilion with my dad and he just helped me get my shot back," Knight said. "I think I just needed the week to shoot."

And on Friday, in order to win, the Bruins needed a few shooters to get hot. Knight more than answered his part of the call.

As the first half wore down, Ole Miss emerged from a 15-point deficit. The Bruins slipped in seven quick points, capped by Knight's buzzer beating three-pointer. With less than 10 seconds on the clock, Knight called for the ball at the elbow. After a few quick dribbles, Knight pulled off his defender and put up a beauty that slipped through the net, giving the Bruins a 10-point lead.

"I'm real happy for Billy Knight," Bruin point guard Cedric Bozeman said. He's been in a slump, but tonight was a breakout night, and he hit some big shots to pull us further ahead."

And he was just getting started. Just minutes into the second period, Knight put on a show, converting three three-pointers in three straight possessions from his trademark spot in the corner.

It was a combination of a more aggressive Bruin offense and the fact that Ole Miss didn't seem to know about Knight's favorite spot on the floor.

"The Pac-10 schools know me real well, and every time I would run down against Pac-10 schools, they were right with me," Knight said. "These guys didn't seem like they were with me very much, so that's probably why I got so many open looks."

And with the Bruins up 21 points with 7:58 left in the game, Knight stood in front of the bench, with a pale blue towel slung over his right shoulder. As he casually took swigs from his NCAA-issued water bottle, Knight looked as if he had just finished a jog.

Anyone watching, though, knew it was much more than that. Knight had returned from a hiatus and was back as the shooter he knew he could be.