Mizzou Tigers rebound from shorthanded home loss to Alabama with road win at Ole Miss
Dennis Gates’ rebuild of the Missouri men’s basketball program had been shockingly successful thus far. The Tigers, who won just 12 games last season, and their revamped roster had won 14 games entering Tuesday night’s matchup at Ole Miss.
Of those 14 wins, however, none was a victory in a conference road game. That cold streak came to an end against the Rebels, with MU winning 89-77 in Oxford.
Missouri had previously lost conference road games at Arkansas, Florida and Texas A&M. The victory moved the Tigers to 15-5, 4-4 in the SEC.
The victory continued to showcase the talents of two Tigers who were barely seen until just a few games ago.
Isiaih Mosley, who returned to action against Arkansas after not playing since the Central Florida game on Dec. 17, finished with 20 points and five assists.
Mo Diarra, who had played a grand total of 18 minutes less than two weeks ago, had a career day, scoring 11 and pulling down six rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
The Tigers shot 31 of 56 from the field.
Shooting stroke
The Tigers came in struggling from the field. Poor accuracy damaged MU’s chances in losses against Texas A&M, Florida and Alabama.
Even MU players known for their shooting prowess were missing. But on Tuesday, the cold streak came to an end early.
D’Moi Hodge, who had been throwing up bricks for Missouri, came out looking sharp against the Rebels. Hodge starting taking shots from three-point range early on, and they finally started to go in.
Hodge finished the first half having hit four of his six attempts from three. He led all scorers in the first half with 14 points and finished the game still leading everyone else with 24.
Isiaih Mosley also found his shot again in the first half against Ole Miss. After missing most of the season so far for unspecified personal reasons, he had returned to be one of Missouri’s best offensive players against Alabama, but hadn’t quite returned to form from deep.
That issue got solved early on, and he hit three of his six tries from three-point range. Mosley, in his first start as a Tiger, finished the half with 13 points, second among all scorers.
He hit one more attempt from three in the second half, going 8-for-15 from the field by night’s end.
The Tigers finished the first half on top 47-41. They made 15 of 25 from the field, nine of 15 from beyond the arc.
The Tigers hit 16 threes as a team, tying their season-high.
Kobe’s back
Missouri had the services of one of its best players again during Tuesday’s game. Kobe Brown had been a game-time decision with an ankle injury that had kept him out of the Alabama game.
After going through warmups Tuesday, Brown returned to the starting lineup. Throughout the game, the forward who was named to a national player of the year watchlist following the Arkansas game, made his presence known.
In a Missouri lineup lacking height, Brown is always a key piece. He had five rebounds in Tuesday’s contest.
Brown also showed off the offensive skills that made him the centerpiece of a MU team that lacked for other options last season. He even joined in the three-point shooting barrage, hitting four of his six attempts from deep.
The forward finished with 18 points and made six of his nine shots from the field. He also chipped in five assists and a steal.
Tre Gomillion, meanwhile, missed the game with a groin injury. He was listed as day-to-day in a news release issued by the MU program.
Missouri will be back in action on Saturday against Iowa State at Mizzou Arena. That game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN2.
The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.
This story was originally published January 24, 2023 at 8:27 PM with the headline "Mizzou Tigers rebound from shorthanded home loss to Alabama with road win at Ole Miss."