Turnovers, 3-pointers continue to haunt Ole Miss basketball in 89-77 loss vs. Missouri
Stefan Krajisnik
Ole Miss basketball hadn't scored more than 73 points in SEC play entering Tuesday night's matchup with Missouri. So when the Tigers already had 73 points at the under-eight-minute media timeout, it was a sign of another poor night for the Rebels.
Missouri (15-5, 4-4) took it to Ole Miss (9-11, 1-7 SEC), securing a 89-77 victory. In a season filled with road struggles across the SEC, coach Kermit Davis' squad has yet to secure a home win in conference play.
Turnovers and 3-point shooting continued to be the root of the Rebels' issues. Ole Miss turned the ball over 16 times, which resulted in 20 points for Mizzou. According to KenPom, the Rebels ranked 264th out of 363 teams in the nation with a turnover rate of 19.8% entering the game.
Ole Miss' 3-point percentage ranked 330th entering the contest, and a 10-of-26 clip vs. Missouri actually helped a bit. However, it was a bad recipe for a night where Missouri shot 16-for-30 from beyond the arc.
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D'Moi Hodge hot start
Before fans had a chance to settle into their seats at the SJB Pavilion, Missouri's D'Moi Hodge was on fire. Hodge, who played under Missouri coach Dennis Gates at Cleveland State, hit his first four 3-point attempts in the opening seven minutes of the game.
Hodge finished with 24 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Ole Miss weathers first half storm
Behind Hodge, Missouri built a lead as large as 16 in the first half − highlighted by an 18-4 run in six minutes. However, the Rebels closed the half on a 13-3 run in the final four minutes to cut the deficit to six entering the break.
Daeshun Ruffin, behind a pair of 3-pointers, scored all eight of his first half points in that late run.
Ole Miss without Matthew Murrell, Malique Ewin
Ole Miss was without leading scorer Matthew Murrell due to a knee injury he sustained in Saturday's loss at Arkansas.
The Rebels continue to be without freshman Malique Ewin who hasn't play since Jan. 10. Reports surfaced Tuesday morning linking Ewin to an ongoing investigation regarding a one-car incident that resulted in the death of a campus visitor.
The Rebels hit the road for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Ole Miss takes on Oklahoma State on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN2).