Field Level Media
Feb 20, 2018
Playing its first game under interim coach Tony Madlock, Mississippi ended a seven-game losing streak with a 90-87 overtime win over Missouri on Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.
The defeat was a potentially devastating blow to the Tigers' NCAA Tournament hopes.
Breein Tyree paced the Rebels (12-16, 5-10 Southeastern Conference) with a game-high 25 points, forcing overtime when he canned a short pullup jumper in the lane with 3.9 seconds left.
Mississippi's Terence Davis added 19 and Bruce Stevens hit for 13 points. Markel Crawford scored 11, including two free throws with 5.1 seconds left to give Ole Miss a three-point edge.
The Tigers (18-10, 8-7) didn't make a single field goal in overtime, scoring only three points and missing four key foul shots in losing for the fourth time by five points or fewer this season. It was their second straight loss after a five-game winning streak.
Jontay Porter came off the bench and led six Missouri players in double figures with 17 points. Kassius Robertson scored 16, while Jordan Barnett and Jordan Geist each tallied 15 points. Jeremiah Tilmon contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Kevin Puryear added 11 points.
Geist drove to the bucket with the Tigers trailing 88-87 in the final 10 seconds of overtime, but his shot was blocked by Davis to set up Crawford's free throws. Geist's attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer to force another OT came up short at the horn blared.
Ole Miss controlled most of the first half, leading for the final 17:28. The formula was a simple one -- convert off turnovers and make Missouri earn whatever it got.
Davis canned a 3-pointer at the 9:35 mark to give the Rebels their first double-figure lead at 24-14. His dunk with 5:45 remaining in the half capped a 6-0 burst that upped the margin to a game-high 13 at 34-21.
From there, the Tigers found some traction and worked their way closer to contention. Sparked by a 3-pointer and a three-point play from Robertson, they crawled within five points before a layup by Dominik Olejniczak pushed Ole Miss ahead 42-35 at the half.
--Field Level Media