The Tigers lost 79-76 in a game that came down to the wire against the Ole Miss Rebels
It was a tale of two halves for Missouri men’s basketball against Ole Miss, as the Tigers showed promise of winning their first game in SEC play in Oxford, Mississippi. The Tigers led at halftime and were up by 9 points at one spot, but the Rebels battled back and secured the 79-76 win at home. Ole Miss improved to 19-6 after this victory while Missouri fell to 8-17 overall and 0-12 in conference play.
Graduate guard Sean East II was back from injury after being out since Missouri’s matchup against Vanderbilt on Feb. 3. East II stood out in his bounceback game, scoring 25 points and grabbing six assists, but he was unsupported by the rest of the roster.
Ole Miss senior guard Matthew Murrell got out to a hot start, knocking down his first three shots from behind the arc. He got the Rebels off to a 9-4 start.
The Rebels started out strong as a whole, getting contributions from junior guard Jaylen Murray and senior guard Allen Flanigan. Murray hit a triple to extend the lead to 12-6.
The Tigers battled back quickly, obtaining their first lead of the early game after East II knocked down a 3-pointer of his own. East II then scored on the Tigers’ next offensive possession, making the lead 21-19 with nine minutes left in the first half.
The lead ping-ponged back and forth, with no team able to get defensive stops when it mattered. With just 28 seconds left in the half, junior guard Tamar Bates gave the Tigers a 3-point lead, knocking down a corner three. Missouri went into halftime up 33-30.
Hopes for Missouri’s first win in conference play increased a couple minutes into the half. The Tigers went up 40-33 after graduate forward Noah Carter went to work in the paint, scoring a contested layup.
Missouri’s lead was extended to 9 points at the 13:08 mark, as Bates silenced the Ole Miss crowd with a steal and fastbreak dunk. Coming out of a time out, the Rebels had a lot of fight left and went on a 14-2 run to get the lead back 61-58. Minutes later, the Rebels held on to a 69-60 lead, completely turning the tide of the game.
Missouri closed the gap, getting to the free throw line multiple times in the final five minutes of the game. The Tigers are last in the SEC when it comes to free throws attempted per game. They made 14 of their 15 free throw attempts in the final stretch of the game and went 83.3% overall.
A pair of free throws from Carter had the Tigers down 71-68 with 59 seconds remaining. Missouri elected to play the fouling game, forcing Ole Miss to beat them at the free throw line. The Rebels also unintentionally fouled, giving Missouri trips to the charity stripe.
East II found himself there with a little over two seconds left, trailing 77-74. He made both shots, forcing Missouri to have to foul again and try for a half-court shot to tie. However, the once-in-a-lifetime shot did not come and Missouri lost another game.
The Tigers have a quick turnaround and will take on the No. 5 ranked Tennessee Volunteers at home on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Missouri looks to add a one to the win column and not a 13 to the loss. The Tigers currently sit at last place in the SEC.
Edited by Grace Ainger | gaigner@themaneater.com
Copy Edited by Briana Iordan | biordan@themaneater.com
Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com