Ole Miss Edges Men’s Basketball, 79-76

Oxford, Miss. – The Missouri men’s basketball team dropped a close 79-76 contest at Ole Miss on Saturday night.

Graduate Sean East II returned from injury to lead the Tigers with 25 points – his most in a Mizzou uniform – to go with a game-high six assists. Junior Tamar Bates added a dozen points with forwards Jordan Butler and Aidan Shaw also scoring in double figures with 10 points apiece. Shaw led MU with five boards, while Butler’s 10 points are double his previous high during his rookie campaign.

After Ole Miss (19-6, 6-6 SEC) started the game with a 17-8 advantage, the Tigers made their move to take their first lead of the game. Mizzou went on a 15-2 run with East tallying 11 points during the spurt for a 23-19 edge. The teams battled throughout the first half with a late Bates’ triple putting the visitors in front by three, 33-30, at the intermission.

The Tigers (8-17, 0-12 SEC) continued their strong start in the game during the second half with Nick Honor (Orlando, Fla.) sinking three triples early In the frame to push the Mizzou advantage to as many as 10 points, 54-44, with over 12 minutes remaining. However, the Rebels would claw their way back into the game at the free-throw line and would eventually use a 22-4 run to move in front by nine points, 69-60, with five minutes left.

Mizzou continued to fight and pulled to as close as a single point, 75-74, only for Ole Miss to sink its free throws late in securing the 79-76 win.

The Tigers finished the game by shooting 46.9 percent with a 5-of-11 performance from 3-point range. The Rebels made 43.4 percent of their field goals, going 11-of-21 from beyond the arc and 22-of-30 from the charity stripe – all 30 attempts coming in the second half.

UP NEXT
The Tigers return to Mizzou Arena to host No. 8 Tennessee on Tuesday night. First tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. on SEC Network.