COLUMBIA, Mo. — Mizzou Men’s Basketball fell in its regular season road finale, 75-67, at Ole Miss on Wednesday night in Oxford, Miss. Mizzou stormed back to erase a 15-point first-half deficit, but a late Rebel run down the stretch was just enough to hold off the Tigers’ effort.
Sophomore Xavier Pinson led the Tigers in scoring with 16 points, and added five assists and four rebounds. Junior big-man Jeremiah Tilmon, Jr., posted 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench, his most points since Dec. 3.
Mizzou outrebounded the Rebels, 38-33, and converted 19-of-23 free throws to fight back in the second half. Ole Miss countered with a 44.9 percent shooting clip from the field and made enough plays defensively in the final three minutes to stave off Mizzou.
Turning Point:
Mizzou sophomore guard Torrence Watson followed a 3-pointer with a steal and layup to go on a 5-0 personal run and cut the Tigers’ deficit to nine at halftime. It launched a long Mizzou run that saw the Tigers tie the game at 51-51 on a Tilmon, Jr., offensive rebound and putback down low.
After Mizzou knotted the score, redshirt junior guard and defensive stopper Dru Smith was whistled for two fouls, saddling him with four with more than 10 minutes left. Ole Miss capitalized and the Rebels used a 6-0 run to push back in front by six. Mizzou got back within two after that stretch at the 4:55 mark, but couldn’t ever tie the game or seize the lead again.
Top Tigers:
- Xavier Pinson reached double figures for the ninth time in the last 11 games with a team-high 16 points. Pinson has scored 15+ in six straight games.
- Jeremiah Tilmon, Jr., chipped in 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds. He hadn’t reached those marks in either category since Dec. 3.
- Dru Smith finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal, giving him 42 multi-assist outings in his last 44 games.
- Sophomore Torrence Watson tallied eight points and a career-high three steals off the bench. It marked Watson’s most points in a game since Jan. 25.
Notes
- With a steal on Wednesday night, Dru nabbed his SEC-best 62nd steal of the season, the most by a Tiger since Phil Pressey in 2012-13. The 62 steals this season rank tied for 10th all-time in program history.
- After shooting 82.6 percent on Wednesday (19-of-23), Mizzou has shot above 75 percent at the free throw line in 13 of the last 14 games. Mizzou has missed just 4.3 free throws per game this season.
Up Next
Mizzou returns home for its regular season finale vs. Alabama on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game will air on the SEC Network. Prior to tipoff, Mizzou will honor its lone senior Reed Nikko with a pregame ceremony at 1:15 p.m.
For all the latest on Mizzou’s Men’s Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @MizzouHoops.
