Mizzou gives up double-digit lead, loses 12th straight SEC game

OXFORD, Miss. (KMIZ)

After building a 10-point advantage with 12:32 left in the second half, Mizzou Men's Basketball fumbled its lead and left the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss without the team's first SEC victory. The Rebels protected their home court, narrowly escaping with a 79-76 win. The Tigers are now 0-12 in conference play.

Ole Miss led by as many as nine points in the first half, but the Tigers clawed their way back into the game with Sean East leading the way. East scored 15 points in the first half alone and was a key contributor in an 11-0 scoring run that gave Mizzou a two-point lead midway through the first half.

The Tigers did not face another deficit before halftime and managed to extend that lead to 10 points in the second half, but the Rebels strung together a 14-2 scoring run to take a three-point lead with 7:46 remaining in regulation. While Mizzou pulled within a point of Ole Miss' lead twice in the final 10 seconds, the Rebels handled business from the charity stripe to seal another Tiger loss.

Ole Miss drained 22 of its 30 free throw attempts in this contest. The Rebels had zero trips to the free throw line in the first half.

Sean East returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two games due to a knee contusion. In his first game back in action, East dropped a team-high 25 points while shooting 66% from the field and a perfect 12/12 from the free throw line. Tamar Bates, Jordan Butler and Aidan Shaw also scored in double figures.

Up next - The Tigers will welcome No. 8 Tennessee to Mizzou Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.