Matthew Murrell scored 21 points and Jaemyn Brakefield scored 19 as the Ole Miss Rebels held off the Missouri Tigers 84-78 Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
Jaylen Murray added 16 points as the Rebels (20-9, 7-9 Southeastern Conference) withstood a fierce Missouri rally to earn a must-have victory to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Sean East II scored 27 points for the Tigers (8-21, 0-16), who suffered their 19th loss in their last 20 games. Tamar Bates and Aidan Shaw each scored 13 points for the Tigers and Nick Honor added 12.
After leading by as many as 21 points in the first half, the Rebels saw their lead shrink to two points late in the second half.
The Tigers broke out to a quick 10-5 lead in the first four minutes with East hitting a pair of 3-point jumpers. But Ole Miss seized control of the game by outscoring Missouri 40-16 for the rest of the half.
Murrell and Murray hit 3-point jumpers to get the Rebels going. After TJ Caldwell hit a jumper to put them up 16-15 with 12:37 left in the first half, Ole Miss never trailed again.
Follow shots by centers Jamarion Sharp and Moussa Cisse triggered on a 14-1 run that put the Rebels up 35-18. Murray and Murrell hit 3-point jumpers in the final minute of the half to push the margin to 21.
The Rebels forced 11 turnovers in the first half and scored 19 points off them. They blocked five shots, outrebounded the Tigers 20-12 and scored 12 second-chance points.
Missouri opened the second half with 6-for-7 shooting to cut its deficit to 51-39. Anthony Robinson II scored five points and Shaw scored four to spark the rally.
After staying within 12 to 15 points for most of the half, the Tigers went on a 10-1 run to cut their deficit to 71-65 with 3:34 left.
Honor hit three free throws with 50.4 seconds left to cut the lead to 76-74, but the Tigers got no closer.
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