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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
12-7, 3-4
Missouri
5-13, 0-6
Rebels Down Missouri On The Road
1/21/2017 | Men's Basketball
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)- Senior Sebastian Saiz picked up his 13th double-double of the year with 19 points and 10 rebounds and sophomore Terence Davis added 18 points and 11 rebounds as Ole Miss downed Missouri on the road 75-71 Saturday.
It's the 22nd career double-double for Saiz, who is the Southeastern Conference's active rebounding leader and the only player in the conference averaging a double-double at 15.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
Deandre Burnett added 14 points, shooting 3-for-6 from 3-point ranges.
Missouri coach Kim Anderson said double-teaming Saiz was the Tigers' primary game plan.
"We did a decent job, but there were probably five times where we were late doubling him," Anderson said. "So, consequently, when you don't get a good double, (Saiz) did a pretty good job of clearing the double, making the pass, and then you've got to scamper back and they make one extra pass and they've got a wide open shot. I thought that burned us a few times."
Ole Miss (12-7, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) assumed an early double-digit lead following a peculiar start, in which Saiz was assessed a flagrant foul in the first 16 seconds for elbowing Missouri's Russell Woods while going after a loose ball. The Rebels were up 22-10 within 6 minutes of play, but Missouri steadily closed the gap behind 11-point first halves from Russell Woods and Kevin Puryear, and trailed 39-33 at halftime.
The Tigers (5-13, 0-6) put on arguably their best offensive performance of the season in the second half, shooting 9-for-17 from 3-point range - including 4 of 5 to start - and eventually taking a one-point lead following a 3-pointer by Cullen Van Leer with 7:34 remaining.
Following that sequence, Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy called timeout and the Rebels responded with an 11-1 run that seemed to halt any remaining momentum for Missouri.
However, 3-pointers by Jordan Barnett and Van Leer in the final minute made for an interesting finish, as Van Leer was fouled on a made shot with 6 seconds remaining, but missed the free-throw to make it a one-point deficit. The Rebels were 17-for-23 from the free-throw line, including 4 for 6 in the final minute.
"I told our team, I just told them and I challenged them throughout the course of the game, I thought, from an approach standpoint, we were fairly locked in," Kennedy said. "We obviously have issues as it relates to personnel.But, we had to make some plays. If you want to win SEC games, you've got to make SEC plays."
Barnett finished with 11 points and five rebounds, and Van Leer had nine points, making 3 of 6 3-pointers.
Ole Miss guard Rasheed Brooks did not play after suffering a seizure during a timeout of the Rebels' 80-69 win over Tennessee on Tuesday. Brooks was carted off the court on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital. He was released Thursday night, and no timeline has been announced for his return.
Ole Miss hosts Texas A&M (10-8, 2-5 SEC) at The Pavilion Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CST (ESPN2).
