Mizzou’s second half rally falls short, losing skid reaches 16 straight games

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Despite trailing by as many as 21 points, Mizzou Men's Basketball cut that deficit all the way down to 73-71 in the second half but were unable to complete the comeback. The Tigers lost to Ole Miss 84-78 on Saturday night in the ninth-annual Rally For Rhyan game. Mizzou's losing streak has now reached 16 straight games.

You can watch the full postgame press conference with head coach Dennis Gates and guard Sean East in the video player below.

A 29-9 Ole Miss scoring run gave the Rebels a 45-24 lead in the final minute of the first half. During that stretch, which lasted about 13 minutes, the Tigers only hit two field goals, leading to a 19-point deficit at halftime.

After the break, Mizzou proceeded to outscore Ole Miss 52-39 in the second half and trailed by just two points with just 50 seconds left in the game. However, the Rebels forced some defensive stops and handled business from the free throw line to hold on for a six-point win.

East was the game's top scorer, finishing with 27 points after draining 10 of his 12 shots from the field and four free throws. This is the fifth consecutive game that he has scored at least 20 points. Three other Tigers finished the game in double figures.

Up next - Mizzou will honor its seniors in the team's final home game of the season. The Tigers are set to face No. 11 Auburn on Tuesday, March 5 at 8 p.m.