Missouri Tigers Edged Out in High-Scoring Affair with Ole Miss Rebels
The Missouri Tigers, with a record of 0-0, faced off against the Ole Miss Rebels, also at 0-0, in a game that ended in a high-scoring affair of 79-76. The match took place at The Pavilion at Ole Miss and saw the home team secure a narrow victory.
The Missouri Tigers started strong with an initial half score of 33 points but found themselves trailing by three points as the final buzzer sounded. Despite their efforts, which included sinking five out of eleven three-point attempts for an impressive shooting rate of forty-six percent from beyond the arc and making twenty-five out of thirty free throws for an eighty-three percent completion rate, it wasn't enough to secure the win.
The Tigers' offensive rebounds stood at eight while they managed sixteen defensive rebounds. They fought hard in the paint scoring thirty points but were slightly less effective than usual from two-point range with eighteen baskets on thirty-eight attempts resulting in a forty-seven percent success rate. Their overall field goal percentage mirrored their two-point performance at forty-seven percent.
On defense, Missouri showed tenacity with seven steals and three blocks but committed twenty personal fouls over the course of play. The team's assist-to-turnover ratio was notable at 1.25; however, they turned over possession eight times which translated into nineteen points for their opponents off turnovers.
The Ole Miss Rebels capitalized on fast breaks scoring fourteen fast break points and displayed better ball distribution ending up with sixteen assists to their name. Their defensive effort resulted in six steals and four blocks while committing twenty-two personal fouls.
Despite being outrebounded by the Rebels who had thirty-five total rebounds to Missouri's twenty-seven, it was indeed a closely contested match that saw both teams exchange leads four times and tied thrice throughout its duration.
Looking ahead for the Missouri Tigers fans who are eager to see their team back on court will have that opportunity when they host Tennessee Volunteers at Mizzou Arena on February 20th at 7:00 PM local time (Columbia). This upcoming encounter can be watched live on SEC Network as both teams look forward to another intense conference game.