Mississippi beats Missouri 75-65 to win fourth straight
AP
Feb 16, 2019
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) Mississippi keeps finding big-time contributors on its roster as it continues to make an unexpected push up the Southeastern Conference standings.
Bruce Stevens came off the bench to score 17 points, tying a season-high, to lead Ole Miss Rebels over Missouri Tigers 75-65 on Saturday for the team's fourth straight win. The Rebels' (18-7, 8-4) winning streak comes after a four-game losing skid that threated to derail the season.
KJ Buffen and Breein Tyree added 14 points apiece and Devontae Shuler scored 12.
''It just makes us more of a worthy SEC team,'' Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis said of Stevens' elevated play. ''That can help us play better in March because he's got a physical presence, but he can stretch it and go out and make a three. There's a lot of conventional (centers) out there and he's a hard matchup.''
Stevens made three 3-pointers and shot 5 of 11 from the field.
The Rebels never trailed after the opening minute despite a dominant rebounding effort from Missouri, which owned a 37-21 advantage on the glass.
The Tigers managed to stay close despite a rough night on offense, but the turnovers and poor first-half shooting were too much to overcome.
Missouri (12-12, 3-9) cut the lead to seven with less than three minutes remaining. The Rebels scored on their next three possessions to end the comeback threat.
''When (the lead) got to 19 we kind of let our guard down and they never stopped,'' Davis said. ''The biggest thing was we went to our 1-3-1 (zone defense) late just to kind of get time off the clock.''
The Rebels shot 23 of 50 from the field (46 percent) and Missouri went 24 of 51 (47 percent). Ole Miss scored 32 points off of 25 Missouri turnovers.
Jordan Geist led the Tigers with a game-high 23 points. Xavier Pinson added 11 points and nine rebounds.
''It just came down to the twenty-five turnovers,'' Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin said. ''Twenty-five turnovers, it's hard to win a ballgame like that. . If you got a big a guy that can make shots on the perimeter it opens everything up and you're hard to defend. That's the difference in (Ole Miss). When (Stevens) is making shots like that from the perimeter they are a different team.''
BIG PICTURE
Ole Miss: The Rebels' four-game winning streak has pushed the team back into the top half of the SEC standings. Ole Miss has a chance to solidify its NCAA Tournament resume with games against South Carolina and Georgia next week.
Missouri: Missouri couldn't build off the momentum of Tuesday's win against Arkansas. The Tigers did some good things, but the 25 turnovers were a huge problem. Things won't get any easier over the next three games when they face Kentucky, Florida and Mississippi State.
TRAVEL ISSUES
Missouri had an unconventional road trip to Mississippi, flying to Oxford on Saturday morning instead of Friday. The Tigers tried to leave early Friday to beat the winter weather that was coming to mid-Missouri but couldn't because of issues with the flight crew. They arrived in Oxford just hours before Saturday's game.
UP NEXT
Ole Miss: At South Carolina on Tuesday
Missouri: Hosts No. 5 Kentucky on Tuesday
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1st Half
MIZZ
Tigers
26
MISS
Rebels
35
Time
Team
Play
Score
20:00
Jumpball received by Missouri
19:44
Jeremiah Tilmon missed layup, blocked by Dominik Olejniczak
19:42
Offensive rebound by Missouri
19:28
Jordan Geist missed 3-pt. jump shot
19:26
Offensive rebound by Kevin Puryear
19:20
Kevin Puryear missed layup, blocked by Dominik Olejniczak
19:18
Offensive rebound by Kevin Puryear
19:11
+2
Kevin Puryear made layup
2-0
19:04
Dominik Olejniczak missed turnaround jump shot
19:02
Defensive rebound by Xavier Pinson
18:37
Jordan Geist missed 3-pt. jump shot
18:35
Defensive rebound by Devontae Shuler
18:25
Blake Hinson missed 3-pt. jump shot
18:23
Defensive rebound by Jordan Geist
18:11
Xavier Pinson missed driving layup
18:09
Defensive rebound by Dominik Olejniczak
17:58
Personal foul on Jeremiah Tilmon
17:57
Breein Tyree missed jump shot
17:55
Defensive rebound by Jeremiah Tilmon
17:44
Lost ball turnover on Xavier Pinson, stolen by Devontae Shuler
17:40
+2
Devontae Shuler made layup
2-2
17:11
Lost ball turnover on Mitchell Smith, stolen by Breein Tyree
17:05
Offensive foul on Breein Tyree
17:05
Turnover on Breein Tyree
16:47
Xavier Pinson missed 3-pt. jump shot
16:45
Defensive rebound by Terence Davis
16:29
+3
Breein Tyree made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Terence Davis
2-5
15:54
Mark Smith missed 3-pt. jump shot
15:52
Defensive rebound by KJ Buffen
15:38
+3
Bruce Stevens made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by KJ Buffen
2-8
15:07
+2
Jordan Geist made turnaround jump shot
4-8
14:42
+2
Bruce Stevens made layup, assist by KJ Buffen
4-10
14:22
Reed Nikko missed turnaround jump shot
14:20
Defensive rebound by Bruce Stevens
14:03
Bruce Stevens missed 3-pt. jump shot
14:01
Defensive rebound by Jordan Geist
13:58
Personal foul on Bruce Stevens
13:46
Torrence Watson missed 3-pt. jump shot
13:44
Offensive rebound by Xavier Pinson
13:36
+3
Xavier Pinson made 3-pt. jump shot
7-10
13:18
Breein Tyree missed 3-pt. jump shot
13:16
Defensive rebound by Jeremiah Tilmon
13:02
Personal foul on Blake Hinson
12:49
Bad pass turnover on Kevin Puryear, stolen by KJ Buffen
12:39
Shooting foul on Jeremiah Tilmon
12:39
+1
KJ Buffen made 1st of 2 free throws
7-11
12:39
+1
KJ Buffen made 2nd of 2 free throws
7-12
12:16
Personal foul on Blake Hinson
12:06
Mark Smith missed 3-pt. jump shot
12:04
Offensive rebound by Missouri
11:57
Kevin Puryear missed layup, blocked by Bruce Stevens
11:55
Defensive rebound by Luis Rodriguez
11:56
Traveling violation turnover on Luis Rodriguez
11:54
Bad pass turnover on Javon Pickett, stolen by Terence Davis
11:45
+3
Devontae Shuler made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Terence Davis
7-15
11:28
Personal foul on Bruce Stevens
11:21
+3
Javon Pickett made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Kevin Puryear
10-15
10:51
+2
Dominik Olejniczak made jump shot, assist by KJ Buffen
10-17
10:33
Jumpball received by Ole Miss
10:33
Lost ball turnover on Xavier Pinson, stolen by Devontae Shuler
10:18
Devontae Shuler missed jump shot
10:16
Defensive rebound by Xavier Pinson
10:09
Javon Pickett missed jump shot
10:07
Defensive rebound by Terence Davis
10:00
+2
Devontae Shuler made jump shot
10-19
9:47
Jordan Geist missed jump shot
9:45
Offensive rebound by K.J. Santos
9:36
Javon Pickett missed jump shot
9:34
Offensive rebound by Javon Pickett
9:31
Traveling violation turnover on Javon Pickett
9:24
Bad pass turnover on Zach Naylor, stolen by Mark Smith
8:58
+2
Jordan Geist made layup
12-19
8:58
Shooting foul on Devontae Shuler
8:57
Jordan Geist missed free throw
8:57
Offensive rebound by K.J. Santos
8:52
+3
Kevin Puryear made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by K.J. Santos
15-19
8:36
Personal foul on Mark Smith
8:31
Terence Davis missed 3-pt. jump shot
8:28
Defensive rebound by Missouri
8:15
K.J. Santos missed jump shot
8:13
Defensive rebound by KJ Buffen
7:59
Shooting foul on Kevin Puryear
7:59
+1
Dominik Olejniczak made 1st of 2 free throws
15-20
7:59
+1
Dominik Olejniczak made 2nd of 2 free throws
15-21
7:47
Bad pass turnover on Jordan Geist, stolen by Terence Davis
7:41
+3
Terence Davis made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by KJ Buffen
15-24
7:26
Mark Smith missed jump shot
7:24
Offensive rebound by Mark Smith
7:12
Traveling violation turnover on K.J. Santos
6:56
Dominik Olejniczak missed jump shot
6:54
Defensive rebound by Xavier Pinson
6:43
Bad pass turnover on Xavier Pinson, stolen by KJ Buffen
6:32
+3
KJ Buffen made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Breein Tyree
15-27
6:12
Traveling violation turnover on Jordan Geist
5:58
Traveling violation turnover on KJ Buffen
5:47
Personal foul on Dominik Olejniczak
5:47
+1
Xavier Pinson made 1st of 2 free throws
16-27
5:47
+1
Xavier Pinson made 2nd of 2 free throws
17-27
5:33
+2
Terence Davis made jump shot, assist by Dominik Olejniczak
17-29
5:16
+2
Jeremiah Tilmon made dunk, assist by Xavier Pinson
19-29
4:52
Terence Davis missed 3-pt. jump shot
4:50
Defensive rebound by Xavier Pinson
4:46
+3
Mark Smith made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Javon Pickett
22-29
4:26
+2
KJ Buffen made floating jump shot
22-31
4:14
Bad pass turnover on Mark Smith
3:50
Devontae Shuler missed 3-pt. jump shot
3:48
Defensive rebound by Mark Smith
3:39
Personal foul on Dominik Olejniczak
3:38
+1
Xavier Pinson made 1st of 2 free throws
23-31
3:38
+1
Xavier Pinson made 2nd of 2 free throws
24-31
3:24
Traveling violation turnover on KJ Buffen
3:07
Offensive foul on Mark Smith
3:07
Turnover on Mark Smith
2:59
Terence Davis missed alley-oop shot
2:57
Defensive rebound by Javon Pickett
2:31
Offensive foul on K.J. Santos
2:31
Turnover on K.J. Santos
2:15
Blake Hinson missed 3-pt. jump shot
2:13
Offensive rebound by Bruce Stevens
1:53
Terence Davis missed 3-pt. jump shot
1:51
Defensive rebound by Xavier Pinson
1:45
Personal foul on Bruce Stevens
1:45
+1
Reed Nikko made 1st of 2 free throws
25-31
1:45
+1
Reed Nikko made 2nd of 2 free throws
26-31
1:30
+2
KJ Buffen made layup, assist by Blake Hinson
26-33
1:15
Traveling violation turnover on Kevin Puryear
57.0
Devontae Shuler missed jump shot
55.0
Defensive rebound by Mark Smith
29.0
Offensive foul on Mark Smith
29.0
Turnover on Mark Smith
4.0
Shooting foul on Ronnie Suggs
4.0
+1
Breein Tyree made 1st of 2 free throws
26-34
4.0
+1
Breein Tyree made 2nd of 2 free throws
26-35
0.0
End of period
2nd Half
MIZZ
Tigers
39
MISS
Rebels
40
Time
Team
Play
Score
19:35
Jordan Geist missed 3-pt. jump shot
19:33
Defensive rebound by Terence Davis
19:18
Devontae Shuler missed 3-pt. jump shot
19:16
Defensive rebound by Xavier Pinson
19:06
Bad pass turnover on Kevin Puryear, stolen by Devontae Shuler
19:01
Shooting foul on Kevin Puryear
19:01
+1
Terence Davis made 1st of 2 free throws
26-36
19:01
+1
Terence Davis made 2nd of 2 free throws
26-37
18:47
Javon Pickett missed floating jump shot
18:45
Defensive rebound by Blake Hinson
18:38
Jumpball received by Ole Miss
18:26
Traveling violation turnover on Breein Tyree
18:05
Jordan Geist missed layup
18:03
Offensive rebound by Missouri
18:03
Personal foul on Dominik Olejniczak
18:03
Personal foul on Dominik Olejniczak
18:03
Personal foul on Blake Hinson
17:56
Javon Pickett missed jump shot
17:54
Defensive rebound by Bruce Stevens
17:35
+3
Breein Tyree made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Devontae Shuler
26-40
17:19
+2
Jeremiah Tilmon made driving layup, assist by Xavier Pinson
28-40
17:19
Shooting foul on KJ Buffen
17:19
Jeremiah Tilmon missed free throw
17:19
Defensive rebound by Devontae Shuler
17:06
+2
KJ Buffen made layup, assist by Terence Davis
28-42
16:45
Offensive foul on Jeremiah Tilmon
16:45
Turnover on Jeremiah Tilmon
16:36
+2
Bruce Stevens made jump shot, assist by Breein Tyree
28-44
16:27
Bad pass turnover on Torrence Watson, stolen by Devontae Shuler
16:16
Personal foul on Jeremiah Tilmon
16:11
Bruce Stevens missed jump shot
16:09
Offensive rebound by Bruce Stevens
16:08
Personal foul on Reed Nikko
16:08
Personal foul on Torrence Watson
15:59
+3
Bruce Stevens made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Terence Davis
28-47
15:47
Lost ball turnover on K.J. Santos, stolen by Bruce Stevens
15:35
Bruce Stevens missed 3-pt. jump shot
15:33
Defensive rebound by Xavier Pinson
15:35
Personal foul on KJ Buffen
15:24
+3
Torrence Watson made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Jordan Geist
31-47
15:05
Shooting foul on K.J. Santos
15:05
KJ Buffen missed 1st of 2 free throws
15:05
+1
KJ Buffen made 2nd of 2 free throws
31-48
14:48
Reed Nikko missed jump shot
14:46
Offensive rebound by Reed Nikko
14:46
+2
Reed Nikko made dunk
33-48
14:26
Terence Davis missed layup
14:24
Defensive rebound by Mark Smith
14:19
Torrence Watson missed jump shot
14:17
Defensive rebound by Devontae Shuler
13:56
Bruce Stevens missed 3-pt. jump shot
13:54
Defensive rebound by Jordan Geist
13:48
Lost ball turnover on Jordan Geist
13:33
Personal foul on Jordan Geist
13:33
+1
Bruce Stevens made 1st of 2 free throws
33-49
13:33
+1
Bruce Stevens made 2nd of 2 free throws
33-50
13:14
+2
Reed Nikko made hook shot, assist by Javon Pickett
35-50
12:58
Bad pass turnover on Terence Davis, stolen by Jordan Geist
12:51
+3
Jordan Geist made 3-pt. jump shot
38-50
12:20
KJ Buffen missed 3-pt. jump shot
12:18
Defensive rebound by Jordan Geist
12:09
+2
Jordan Geist made driving layup
40-50
11:42
Bad pass turnover on KJ Buffen, stolen by Javon Pickett
11:25
Reed Nikko missed jump shot
11:23
Defensive rebound by Terence Davis
10:57
Terence Davis missed 3-pt. jump shot
10:55
Offensive rebound by KJ Buffen
10:51
Bruce Stevens missed 3-pt. jump shot
10:49
Offensive rebound by KJ Buffen
10:48
+2
KJ Buffen made dunk
40-52
10:23
+3
Jordan Geist made 3-pt. jump shot
43-52
10:10
+3
Blake Hinson made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Breein Tyree
43-55
9:50
+2
Jordan Geist made driving layup
45-55
9:30
+2
Dominik Olejniczak made hook shot, assist by Blake Hinson
45-57
9:12
Offensive foul on K.J. Santos
9:12
Turnover on K.J. Santos
8:46
Breein Tyree missed jump shot, blocked by Jeremiah Tilmon
8:44
Defensive rebound by Jeremiah Tilmon
8:27
Jordan Geist missed 3-pt. jump shot
8:25
Offensive rebound by Missouri
8:23
Personal foul on Blake Hinson
8:04
Jeremiah Tilmon missed layup
8:02
Defensive rebound by Breein Tyree
7:36
Lost ball turnover on KJ Buffen, stolen by Jordan Geist
7:30
+2
Jordan Geist made layup
47-57
7:06
Offensive foul on Dominik Olejniczak
7:06
Turnover on Dominik Olejniczak
6:41
Lost ball turnover on Jordan Geist, stolen by Terence Davis
6:34
+2
Terence Davis made driving layup
47-59
6:23
+3
Javon Pickett made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Jeremiah Tilmon
50-59
5:55
Devontae Shuler missed 3-pt. jump shot
5:53
Defensive rebound by Jeremiah Tilmon
5:41
Lost ball turnover on Jeremiah Tilmon
5:30
Personal foul on Jeremiah Tilmon
5:30
+1
Breein Tyree made 1st of 2 free throws
50-60
5:30
Breein Tyree missed 2nd of 2 free throws
5:30
Defensive rebound by Javon Pickett
5:18
+2
Xavier Pinson made driving layup
52-60
4:59
Shooting foul on K.J. Santos
4:59
+1
Bruce Stevens made 1st of 2 free throws
52-61
4:59
+1
Bruce Stevens made 2nd of 2 free throws
52-62
4:42
Personal foul on Terence Davis
4:42
Javon Pickett missed free throw
4:42
Defensive rebound by Breein Tyree
4:27
KJ Buffen missed jump shot
4:25
Defensive rebound by Xavier Pinson
4:03
+2
Jordan Geist made jump shot
54-62
4:03
Shooting foul on Terence Davis
4:03
+1
Jordan Geist made free throw
55-62
3:47
Bruce Stevens missed driving layup
3:45
Defensive rebound by Javon Pickett
3:25
Reed Nikko missed jump shot
3:21
Defensive rebound by Ole Miss
3:12
+2
Breein Tyree made jump shot, assist by Devontae Shuler
55-64
2:48
+2
Xavier Pinson made jump shot
57-64
2:18
+2
Devontae Shuler made running Jump Shot
57-66
2:18
Shooting foul on Reed Nikko
2:18
+1
Devontae Shuler made free throw
57-67
2:08
Bad pass turnover on Xavier Pinson, stolen by KJ Buffen
2:03
Shooting foul on Xavier Pinson
2:02
+1
Devontae Shuler made 1st of 2 free throws
57-68
2:02
+1
Devontae Shuler made 2nd of 2 free throws
57-69
1:55
Bad pass turnover on Xavier Pinson, stolen by Devontae Shuler
1:30
+3
Bruce Stevens made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Devontae Shuler
57-72
1:15
+2
Jordan Geist made driving layup, assist by Javon Pickett