| The Associated Press
COLOMBIA, Missouri – Jeremiah Tilmon had 19 points and 10 rebounds in another efficient performance, and Missouri’s number 19 defeated South Carolina 81-70 on Tuesday night.
Tilmon, who entered the SEC with a 74% advantage, hit 8 against 11. With the exception of a nine-point game against No. 6 Tennessee on December 30, Tilmon scored at least 14 points in all games in the conference.
“I just kept letting the game come to me,” said Tilmon. “I’m still not pushing anything. I am the same player since the beginning of the season, I would say. Things are just getting better for me, I think. “
Missouri (9-2, 3-2 SEC) had its best overall shooting performance at 58%. Mark Smith scored 18 points and hit 3 out of 7 in the 3-point range for Tigers. Dru Smith made 16 points in the 5 out of 6 shot.
Missouri jumped to a 10-0 lead and did not allow South Carolina to come close to five points the rest of the way. A 45-34 lead at halftime, the Tigers failed to turn the match into a rout, but were never seriously threatened.
The Tigers led by 18 points in the second half, and the 81 points allowed by the Gamecocks were a record of the season. Missouri also surpassed South Carolina by 20-7 in the transition.
“You want to go up and down and play, you want to have some excitement,” said Tigers coach Cuonzo Martin. “The key is that you have to keep growing in that role and how you play that way, at that rate that you play. But you still have to be strong defensively to be able to stop. “
Reserve Keyshawn Bryant scored 19 points for South Carolina (3-4, 1-2), and Trey Anderson scored 17, also off the bench, as 45 of the Gamecocks’ points came from reserves. South Carolina scorers AJ Lawson and Jermaine Cousinard added 11 points out of 4 out of 20 shots.
The Tigers made 19 turnovers, but the Gamecocks scored only 18 points. South Carolina tied their record this season with 70 field shots, but made 38.6% of the shots. Gamecocks also had difficulties in the free throw line, going from 8 to 19 (42.1%).
“If you’re not going to defend, it’s better to take offensive shots,” said South Carolina coach Frank Martin. “Our defense… it wasn’t a good one against LSU the other day, and it definitely wasn’t a good one today. You are not overcoming good teams on the road. You better defend yourself. “
Man in the middle
Tilmon has become one of the SEC’s biggest bosses. The 1.80 m senior entered the game with a career-high average on points (16) and rebounds (7.8) during the league game. The duo Tuesday was fourth in six games.
Big picture
South Carolina: Martin returned to the sideline for the first time since his second positive COVID-19 test – he had already contracted the virus last summer. Assistant Bruce Shingler took over as head coach during Martin’s absence. Tuesday was South Carolina’s second game in four days, after playing two games in 41 days because of a litany of COVID-19 problems.
Missouri: Since an 11-day break due to problems with the COVID-19, the Tigers have recorded two consecutive double-digit wins. Missouri also broke the 80-point barrier for the fourth time this season, improving its record to 4-0 by doing so.
Next: South Carolina receives Auburn at 12 noon on Saturday. The game is scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN2.