National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Mississippi 79, Missouri 76
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, February 17, 2024
Where: The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss, Oxford, Mississippi
Officials: # Mike Nance, # Todd Austin, # Lucas Santos
Attendance: 8598

Matthew Murrell scored 26 points as Ole Miss rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to edge visiting Missouri 79-76 on Saturday in Oxford, Miss.

Allen Flanigan had 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Rebels (19-6, 6-6 Southeastern Conference) snapped their three-game losing streak. Jaylen Murray scored 16 points and Jaemyn Brakefield added 14.

Ole Miss avoided a costly Quad 4 loss and kept its candidacy for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament alive.

Sean East II returned after missing two games with a knee contusion to score a season-high 25 points and collect six assists for Missouri (8-17, 0-12).

Tamar Bates scored 12 points, and Jordan Butler and Aidan Shaw had 10 each for the Tigers, who have lost 15 of their last 16 games.

Missouri opened in a zone defense and Murrell knocked down his first three shots from 3-point range as Ole Miss broke out to a 17-8 lead.

Attacking off the dribble, East rallied Missouri while starting 5-for-5 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He led the Tigers on a 15-2 run as they surged ahead 23-19. East finished 12-for-12 from the foul line.

Murray finally stabilized Ole Miss with a pair of 3-point jumpers, but Bates' 3-point jumper gave Missouri a 33-30 halftime lead.

The Tigers outscored the Rebels 16-4 in the paint and 7-0 at the foul line during the first half.

Missouri extended its lead to 54-44 with 12:32 left, with Nick Honor hitting two 3-pointers sandwiched around a steal and dunk by Bates.

Ole Miss responded with a 17-4 run to move ahead 61-58 with 7:46 left. Murrell triggered the run with two 3-pointers and Flanigan extended it with four points attacking the basket.

The Rebels pushed out to a 69-60 lead with five minutes left, but the Tigers cut the margin to 77-76 with 2.9 seconds left before Murrell's two free throws iced the game.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Missouri   Mississippi
Sean East II 25 Scoring Matthew Murrell 26
Sean East II 6 Assists Jaemyn Brakefield 5
Aidan Shaw 5 Rebounds Allen Flanigan 10
Sean East II 12 Free Throws Made Jaemyn Brakefield 7
Tamar Bates 2 Steals Jaylen Murray 2
Tamar Bates 1 Blocks Allen Flanigan 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Missouri 76 46.9 5-11 25-30 10 24 3 7 8
Mississippi 79 43.4 11-21 22-30 16 32 4 6 13