Mizzou loses SEC game to Ole Miss: One issue was self-inflicted. Another was not
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Free-throw struggles cost Missouri in Oxford: 12-for-24, season 67.4%.
- Three-point drought hurt Missouri — 7-for-24 overall, 1-for-10 after halftime.
- Former KU guard AJ Storr led Ole Miss with 26 points; Missouri hosts Auburn next.
In a tight contest against Ole Miss, the Missouri Tigers were, at times, their own worst enemy.
Most notably at the free-throw line.
In fact, when asked in his postgame radio interview what the biggest lesson from Saturday’s loss was, coach Dennis Gates simply responded: “Make free throws.”
While Saturday night’s game was frequently too close for comfort, the Tigers went 12-for-24 on their free-throw opportunities. They certainly could’ve used those points as they fell 76-69 in Oxford, Mississippi.
A former rival played a major hand in the defeat, too. More on that in a moment.
Regarding the Tigers’ free-throw woes, they were both costly and not entirely out of character for a Missouri team that entered Saturday with the worst free-throw percentage in the SEC (67.4%). The season-long trend this time cost Missouri (12-4, 2-1 SEC) in a conference game.
“We’ve just got to come away with our free-throw execution,” Gates said.
Three-point shooting also hurt the Tigers, who went 7-for-24 from 3, including 1-for-10 in the second half. (Ole Miss went 9-for-22 from 3.)
Nearly half of MU’s made 3s came from Jayden Stone, who went 3-for-5 from the outside. He finished with 16 points and four assists. Mark Mitchell added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Mitchell (5-for-8 FT) and Stone (5-for-7) also made five free throws apiece. Anthony Robinson (2-for-4) made the other two for Missouri.
Another issue for the Tigers was former KU guard AJ Storr. He led the Rebels with 26 points on 8-for-16 shooting. He went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and also grabbed five rebounds.
“Hats off to AJ Storr,” Gates said.
Next up, the Tigers return to Columbia to face Auburn on Wednesday, Jan. 14. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
This story was originally published January 10, 2026 at 7:49 PM.
