Behind the best night shot of 58.3% of the season, the Missouri Tigers jumped into a quick lead and never looked back in their 81-70 victory over South Carolina on Tuesday night at the Mizzou Arena. A 10-0 run to the start of the game brought victory. Jeremiah Tilmon continued to lead offensively, ending with 19 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Tilmon now has four doubles in his last six games. Senior guard Mark Smith came out of his fall with three points from 3 on the way to 18 points.
As good as the offensive effort was, Cuonzo Martin preached the defense and the Tigers were solid on that side. Mizzou kept SEC top scorer AJ Lawson with five points from 2 of 9 shots. South Carolina made 13 losses and shot just 29 percent beyond the arc. Mizzou gave 16 assists as a team and ended up with 40 points in the painting and 20 points of fast attack while the attack buzzed for all 40 minutes.
The move that caught my attention and set the tone for the rest of the game came at the beginning of the second half, when Tilmon blocked a shot on the defensive end and ended with a dunk with one hand.
Excellent defense ✅
Total agitation ✅
Rock the Rim ✅# SCtop10 | @jeremiahtilmon_ pic.twitter.com/rEkEjrRV15
– Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) January 20, 2021