TAMPA, Fla. - Behind a 16-point scoring effort by Kobe Brown, the University of Missouri men's basketball team claimed a 72-60 first-round win in the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Wednesday evening against Ole Miss in Amalie Arena.

The Tigers' 12-point victory tied for the largest in program history at the SEC Tournament and set up a second-round meeting with LSU, Thursday afternoon.

"Great win for our guys," said head coach Cuonzo Martin. "It's not easy beating a team three games in a row. A tremendous amount of focus. We held them to 60 points in three games, which is impressive with a team that scores and moves the way they move."

Brown added nine boards and four assists to his team-best point total, recording 15 or more points for the third-consecutive game. It was a balanced scoring attack for Mizzou as Ronnie DeGray III contributed 14 first-half points and four other Tigers scored nine points each. As a team, Mizzou shot 54 percent from the floor.

TURNING POINT

Tied at 32 coming out of halftime, Mizzou exploded for a 13-2 run where the Tigers made five straight field goals. The Tigers further extended their lead to 14, 52-48, and shut down Ole Miss from there. Ole Miss had its best opportunity to make a run when they held Mizzou without a field goal for over two minutes, but the Rebels made just two free throws before a second-chance layup by Coleman kept the lead at double-digits.

GAME NOTES

• Wednesday was the Tigers' third-win against Ole Miss this season, making it the first time Mizzou has beat a team three times in the same season since 2012.
• The Tigers move to 6-7 all-time in the SEC Tournament and have won at least one game in the last four-straight tournaments held.
• Mizzou's 12-point margin of victory, tied the largest for an SEC Tournament win in program history. It matched the 2013, 62-50, win over Texas A&M.
• Three of Mizzou's four highest shooting percentages this season have come against Ole Miss. The Tigers' shot 54 percent from the floor Wednesday night.
• Wednesday was Kobe Brown's 30th double-digit scoring game of his career.
• Trevon Brazile had another near double-double with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.
• Brazile tied a school SEC Tournament record with three blocks, matching Jeremiah Tilmon's number against Georgia last year.

UP NEXT

Missouri continues action in the SEC Tournament with a second-round matchup against LSU. The Tigers will face off against fifth-seeded LSU at approximately 1:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Tiger Radio Network.