Despite another "lowly" opponent, Mizzou basketball was tested in a big way on Tuesday evening against Jacksonville State, narrowly hanging on for a 83-72 victory at Mizzou Arena.
The Tigers improved to 10-1 overall and a flawless 10-0 at home after their win over the Gamecocks. Not only is Mizzou perfect at home, but Tuesday's victory marked the program's tenth straight victory.
Senior forward Caleb Grill, who’s been arguably Mizzou's best player this season, didn’t play again tonight with a neck injury. He’s missed the last four contests after suffering a scary injury against Lindenwood on November 27th. While an initial report suggested Grill would target a Dec. 22nd return against Illinois, coach Dennis Gates shut those rumors down, stating that there was no timetable for his return.
From the jump, Jacksonville State brought a certain intensity to the game, playing with more physicality than Mizzou. Gates had expected this and was proud of his team's resilience late in the game.
The Tigers committed just three turnovers on the evening, putting themselves in a great position by taking care of the ball.
With Mizzou needing a basket down the stretch, Jacob Crews stepped up in a major way, draining two 3-pointers late in the contest to help secure the win. Crews did it all for Mizzou Tuesday night, as he finished with 19 points, shooting 6-9 from beyond the arc, tying his career high with six 3-pointers made.
Turn us up Jacob Crews (@JacobCrews0) 👀⤵️
— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) December 18, 2024
13 second half points from Crews helped lift #Mizzou to a close win (the team's 10th-straight) over Jacksonville State.
The man hit six triples, four of which came in big moments in the second half. pic.twitter.com/DIgP9Iy45G
The first half was a struggle for Mizzou, getting out-rebounded 20-12, while allowing the Gamecocks eight offensive rebounds.
Things turned around in the second half, but not thanks to the rebounding battle. Gates was quick to harp on this after the game.
"It was not an easy team to play against, but for the most part, we lost the rebounding war, and that's something we got to fix," Gates said.
After falling behind early in the second half, the Tigers worked to fight back and eventually win the game late.
After shooting 56% from 3-point land in the first half, Jacksonville State came down to earth from beyond the arc in the second half, shooting 31% from deep. The misses, especially late in the game, gave Mizzou an opportunity to pull away within the final ten minutes.
Mark Mitchell played a good second half as well, finishing with 18 points, adding six rebounds and six assists.
Mizzou outscored the Gamecocks by 10 in the second half, which was enough to close out the contest and escape with another win.
With many difficult games on the horizon, the Tigers getting tested like this early in the season isn't the worst thing in the world. Especially with a huge matchup scheduled for Sunday, it's good to see what a team is made of early in the season, even if it happens to be against inferior opponents.
Last season (8-24, 0-18 within the conference) came as a huge disappointment for not only the fans, but for the staff and players alike. Getting the Tigers to where they are now, riding their first ten game win streak since 2013, is a step in the right direction for Gates.
The road continues at noon on Sunday, when Mizzou hosts Illinois in a massive power-5 matchup.