Mizzou Tigers Lose to Stefan Moody, Ole Miss 76-73

Feb 3, 2016; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Terrence Phillips (1) drives the ball up the court against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at Mizzou Arena. The Mississippi Rebels defeat the Missouri Tigers 76-73. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 3, 2016; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Terrence Phillips (1) drives the ball up the court against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half at Mizzou Arena. The Mississippi Rebels defeat the Missouri Tigers 76-73. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mizzou Tigers lose despite having lead within last minute.

Perhaps Mizzou played above its level. Maybe Sebastian Siaz would have blown the game open. Yeah, Stefan Moody had an off night. But you have to give the Mizzou Tigers credit. They played hard, despite having lost six in a row. The Tigers gave it their all, and kept the Ole Miss Rebels on their toes the entire night.

Ole Miss’s Stefan Moody began the night running all round the floor. He spent the first half being, well, Stefan Moody. He dropped 14 points, going 5-13 from the floor and 4-9 from three. Moody also grabbed seven rebounds and two steals. Rasheed Brooks and Tomasz Gielo formed the other heads of Ole Miss’s three-pronged attack. Brooks grabbed nine points in the first half, and Gielo had six.

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But something changed in the second half. Terrence Phillips began guarding Moody well, keeping him off balance the rest of the game. Moody only had nine points the rest of the game, and Moody was not the same player that he was in the first half. The Tigers then began to hammer the defensive end, going after every rebound and playing the half court press very well.

The Rebels also provided the Tigers some help. Tomasz Gielo ran into foul trouble in the second half, and with one part of the three-headed monster on the bench, the Rebels ran cold, prompting the Tigers to go on a 6-0 run. This brought them within four points after being down by 10. Then the Tigers ran the floor, clamping down on the defensive end, grabbing rebounds and forcing the Rebels into bad shots and into bad steals.

The Rebels came out in the end, though. Tomasz Gielo hit two threes within a minute to make it a one point game and Wes Clark took a bad shot that could have iced the Rebels. Then the Rebels took a series of free throws that put the Tigers down. But you have to give them credit. They tried.

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