Matthew Murrell paces Ole Miss in comeback win over Mizzou

Matthew Murrell scored 26 points as Ole Miss rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to edge visiting Missouri 79-76 on Saturday in Oxford, Miss.

Allen Flanigan had 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Rebels (19-6, 6-6 Southeastern Conference) snapped their three-game losing streak. Jaylen Murray scored 16 points and Jaemyn Brakefield added 14.

Ole Miss avoided a costly Quad 4 loss and kept its candidacy for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament alive.

Sean East II returned after missing two games with a knee contusion to score a season-high 25 points and collect six assists for Missouri (8-17, 0-12).

Tamar Bates scored 12 points, and Jordan Butler and Aidan Shaw had 10 each for the Tigers, who have lost 15 of their last 16 games.

Missouri opened in a zone defense and Murrell knocked down his first three shots from 3-point range as Ole Miss broke out to a 17-8 lead.

Attacking off the dribble, East rallied Missouri while starting 5-for-5 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He led the Tigers on a 15-2 run as they surged ahead 23-19. East finished 12-for-12 from the foul line.

Murray finally stabilized Ole Miss with a pair of 3-point jumpers, but Bates' 3-point jumper gave Missouri a 33-30 halftime lead.

The Tigers outscored the Rebels 16-4 in the paint and 7-0 at the foul line during the first half.

Missouri extended its lead to 54-44 with 12:32 left, with Nick Honor hitting two 3-pointers sandwiched around a steal and dunk by Bates.

Ole Miss responded with a 17-4 run to move ahead 61-58 with 7:46 left. Murrell triggered the run with two 3-pointers and Flanigan extended it with four points attacking the basket.

The Rebels pushed out to a 69-60 lead with five minutes left, but the Tigers cut the margin to 77-76 with 2.9 seconds left before Murrell's two free throws iced the game.

—Field Level Media