No. 20, Missouri dominates South Carolina, three consecutive games lost | Men’s Mizzou – Basketball

The only team playing worse than the Tigers at the Southeast Conference was the opponent on Saturday.

This was evident on Saturday in Missouri’s 93-78 victory in South Carolina.

Despite their recent struggles, the Tigers remain a projected team from the NCAA Tournament. Gamecocks are far from that. South Carolina’s defeat was the fifth in a row and provided Missouri with an ideal opponent to get back on track.

“Our attitude was definitely that we had to recover this one,” said Tigers guard Mark Smith. “We feel that we have won ourselves in the last two games. We had a meeting, we met and took care of it. We just got together and I feel like we’re even closer now. “

Efficiency was a topic for the Tigers (14-6, 7-6 MON), who got 5 out of 7 shots to start the game. Kobe Brown was a starting force, scoring 10 of Missouri’s first 20 points. Without Jeremiah Tilmon in the last two games, Brown took a bigger role on the scoreboard, setting a career record with 21 points on Tuesday against Georgia. Brown finished with 12 points against South Carolina.

Missouri had one of its best first halves of the season, scoring 45 points from 50% of the shots and leading 16 at halftime. As the game progressed, Missouri’s attack improved. The Tigers made six 3s in the first half and limited their spin.

“I thought the guys adapted and did what we needed to be successful,” said Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin.

While Missouri started to hit with the attack, South Carolina (5-11, 3-9 SEC) backed up. The Gamecocks were without guard Jermaine Couisnard (ankle), who averaged 9.7 points, and could have used it on Saturday, as they struggled to gather anything offensively.

Gamecocks had several bouts without field goals or points. South Carolina scorer AJ Lawson was the only Gamecock with some offensive success. Lawson was chased by Tiger defenders whenever he touched the ball, forcing him to fight from the start. He had three aerial balls in the first half, with only eight points in the break. Lawson adjusted in the second half and helped the Gamecocks reduce Missouri’s lead to seven, but it was as close as they got.

“In the time limit, we all got together and said we needed to nip it in the bud now,” said Smith. “We need to get going again and I think that’s exactly what we did. Dru (Smith) took a steal and an e-1, I think, and then we started playing from there. “

The Tigers managed to avoid a collapse in the second half, despite South Carolina’s initial push at halftime. Missouri fired even better in the second half, with 19 points out of 29 (65%). The Tigers ended the match with 57.6%, while South Carolina got 41.5%. After six games with double-digit turnovers, the Tigers had nine on Saturday.

Jeremiah Tilmon returned to the Tigers after losing two games due to a death in his family. Tilmon left the bench for the first time this season, just the eighth time in his four years in Missouri. Tilmon gave Missouri the presence of the post and a large body that he had disappeared last week. He hit all seven free throws and finished with 17 points.

“It was definitely good to have him back,” said Dru Smith.

Tigers’ 93 points were the second most scored this season and the maximum they scored in the league. South Carolina has 0-11 this year when it allows 75 or more points and 5-0 when it keeps opponents under 75. Missouri is 8-2 this season when it scores 75 or more points. The win gives Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin his 250th career win.

“I’m grateful,” said Martin. “I really appreciate them all because they are so hard to find.”

Dru Smith equaled Tilmon’s score with 17 points, leading the score for the Tigers. Xavier Pinson, Mark Smith and Brown were also in double digits.

“I think our balance comes from both sides of basketball,” said Martin. “When we defend and we are playing hard, then we can have balance.”