Mizzou basketball blows 10-point second-half lead. The losing streak reaches 12

Missouri basketball led by as many as 10 points in the second half against Ole Miss on Saturday, but saw its lead diminish over the final 12 minutes of play.

That included a costly nine-minute drought without a made field goal.

The result: Missouri basketball lost its 12th straight game. The Tigers are 1-15 in their last 16 contests after a 79-76 loss at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.

The Tigers (8-17, 0-12 SEC) looked rejuvenated after falling to both Texas A&M and Mississippi State at home by double digits. Missouri outscored the Rebels (19-6, 6-6) in the paint by a 30-20 margin and recorded more bench points than the home team. But the Rebels knocked down 11 3-pointers, and the Tigers weren’t able to keep pace down the stretch.

Missouri returns home to face No. 8 Tennessee on Tuesday. The game will be shown on the SEC Network at 6 p.m. Central. Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt on Saturday, 88-53, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ 12th consecutive loss...

Tale of two halves at the free throw line

In the first half, Missouri played clean basketball. The Tigers turned the ball over just twice. When both teams went into the locker room, Mississippi had zero free-throw attempts compared to MU’s 11.

That shifted in the second half, as the Rebels got to the charity stripe 30 times, compared to Missouri’s 19, and knocked down 22 of them.

Both Jordan Butler and Noah Carter ended in foul trouble in the second half, resulting in just 14 minutes for Carter over the final 20 minutes of play. Butler fouled out with four seconds left.

Sean East II has effective return

Missouri lost its previous two games by a combined 43 points. Both games were without leading scorer Sean East II.

Due to a knee contusion, East was questionable heading into Saturday’s matchup, but he made his return and put together one of his best 20 minutes of the season. He scored 15 of MU’s 33 first-half points — around 45% — on 5-of-6 shooting (4-for-4 on free throws). He also had four first-half assists.

East finished with a season-high 25 points and six assists. He finished perfect from the foul line, going 12-of-12.

Big days from Aidan Shaw and Jordan Butler

Even in a loss, Missouri got positive performances from a couple underclassmen.

Aidan Shaw finished with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting with five rebounds and two steals. It was his second double-digit scoring performance in SEC play and third of the season.

Butler, making his seventh start, added 10 points and four rebounds before fouling out. It was the freshman’s first double-digit scoring performance of his college career.

In a season full of lows, it was a promising sign to see the Tigers’ young players have productive nights.

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.