Field Level Media
Mar 4, 2023
Noah Carter and Kobe Brown scored 17 points each as Missouri held off Ole Miss 82-77 on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
DeAndre Gholston scored 15 points and D'Moi Hodge added 14 for the Tigers (23-8, 11-7 Southeastern Conference). Missouri earned the No. 4 seed and a double-bye at next week's SEC tournament with the victory.
The Tigers finished their season 16-3 at home. They are 8-0 in games decided by five points or fewer this season.
Jaemyn Brakefield scored 18 points for the Rebels (11-20, 3-15), James White 14 and Matthew Murrell 12. Myles Burns had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Ole Miss.
The game featured 11 ties and 18 lead changes. Ole Miss hung tough despite missing 17 of 22 shots from 3-point range and turning the ball over 16 times.
The Rebels used a 7-0 run, triggered by two driving layups by White, to seize an early 14-9 lead. Missouri responded with a 14-4 surge started by Aidan Shaw's put-back basket and furthered by three Gholston jumpers.
The Tigers pushed their lead to 11 points, 35-24, on Carter's 3-point jumper from beyond the key.
But Ole Miss outscored Missouri 8-2 during the last 2:36 of the first half to reduce its deficit to 41-36. Burns started that Rebels run with a 3-point jumper and he also scored a basket in the lane.
The Rebels started fast in the second half while using a 12-4 surge, started by Robert Allen's 3-pointer, to move ahead 48-45.
Carter's desperate 3-pointer as the shot clock expired tied the game at 48 with 15:15 to play and stabilized the Tigers.
From there, the teams remained within four points of each other until Carter's three-point play off an inbounds play with 28 seconds left put Missouri up 79-74.
Murrell answered with a 3-point play off an offensive rebound with 20 seconds left. But Nick Honor hit two free throws and Hodge hit one to close out the victory.
--Field Level Media