COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball fell to Ole Miss in a close contest on Saturday afternoon, 73-68, in the Tigers' regular season finale. The Rebels went 19-for-21 at the free throw line and used a late-game spurt to edge Mizzou. 

With freshman Javon Pickett out nursing a back injury, fellow freshman Xavier Pinson led the way for the Tigers with a career-best 20 points. Freshman Torrence Watson added 14 points, draining three triples, and sophomore Jeremiah Tilmon and senior Jordan Geist added 11 points and 12 points, respectively.

In back-and forth second half, Ole Miss took the lead following their eighth-3 pointer of the afternoon with just under five minutes in the game. Watson tied the game with a clutch 3-pointer with 3:35 remaining, but the Rebels again took the lead following a 3-point play. Geist pulled the Tigers within two points after sinking a pair of free throws, but Ole Miss held off a late push to seal the victory.

TURNING POINT

With Mizzou up 66-63 after a Watson triple and two free throws from Pinson, Ole Miss used a 3-point play to knot the score at 66-66. That launched a 7-0 Ole Miss run, punctuated with a clutch jumper from Devontae Shuler, who scored 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting. The Rebels would go on to outscore the Tigers 10-2 in the final 2:35.

TOP TIGERS

• Xavier Pinson poured in a career-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field. He added six assists in 29 electric minutes.
• Torrence Watson scored 14 points in the contest, marking his fourth consecutive game in double-figures. He's averaging 15.7 points per game in that span.
• Jeremiah Tilmon registered 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds, as he reached double figures for the 15th time this season.
• Senior Jordan Geist scored 12 points and was in double-figures for the 23^rd time in the last 27 games.

GAME NOTES

• Xavier Pinson, Jeremiah Tilmon, Torrence Watson and Jordan Geist all scored in double-figures Saturday afternoon, the first time four Tigers scored 10+ points in the same game since Feb. 2 vs. Vanderbilt.

• Mizzou shot 48 percent from the field Saturday afternoon, just the fourth time this season the Tigers have matched that mark or higher.
• The Tigers also shot 47 percent from 3-point range for the fifth time this season.
• The Tigers outrebounded the Rebels 30-25. Mizzou has won the battle on the glass 23 times in 30 games this season.
• Senior Kevin Puryear scored six points, moving his career total to 1,230 points, just one point shy of Leo Lyons for 27^th on Mizzou's all-time scoring list.
• Mizzou is now 2-12 all-time vs Ole Miss, and the Rebels have won five straight contests in Columbia.

UP NEXT

Mizzou travels to Nashville, Tenn., for the opening round of the 2019 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament. The Tigers will take on the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday night.

For all the latest on Mizzou Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouHoops).