D’Moi Hodge had 24 points and Isiaih Mosley scored 20 as Missouri earned its first Southeastern Conference road victory of the season, beating Ole Miss 89-77 on Tuesday night in Oxford, Miss.
Hodge and Mosley combined for 10 of Missouri’s 16 3-pointers, with the total tying the Tigers’ season high.
Hodge, who averaged 14 points entering the game but totaled 18 in the previous three games, hit a season-best six treys as Missouri won its first league road contest in four tries.
After missing Missouri’s 85-64 loss to No. 4 Alabama on Saturday due to an ankle issue, Kobe Brown returned to score 18 for the Tigers (15-5, 4-4 SEC), who shot 55.4 percent overall.
Daeshun Ruffin had 18 points and Jaemyn Brakefield added 15 for Ole Miss (9-11, 1-7), which allowed its highest point total of the season. However, the Rebels were competitive while matching a season high with 10 3-pointers despite playing without injured leading scorer Matthew Murrell (14.9 points per game).
The Rebels lost their fifth consecutive home game.
Missouri made 15 of its 25 shots in the first half, including 9 of 15 from 3-point range. Hodge and Mosley combined for seven treys. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Hodge highlighted an 11-0 surge that gave the Tigers a 16-9 lead. After Ole Miss got within 26-24, Missouri scored the next 10 points, a run that included a Mosley 3-pointer.
Two consecutive Mosley 3-pointers concluded an 8-0 run that left the Tigers ahead 44-28 with 4:09 remaining in the first. However, Ruffin scored all eight of his first-half points as the Rebels closed on a 13-3 surge to trail 47-41 at the break.
Thanks to back-to-back baskets from Mosley, Missouri scored seven of the first nine points in the second half to regain a double-digit advantage. The Tigers led by as many as 17 with 7:37 left in regulation, but 3-pointers by Ruffin and Brakefield highlighted a late 8-0 run that got Ole Miss within 79-71 with 3:43 to play.
A Hodge basket ended that Ole Miss surge and helped Missouri secure a fourth straight victory in the series.
–Field Level Media
