Coming off a tough loss at Tennessee this past Wednesday, Missouri basketball’s next task was to defend home court against the No. 10 ranked Texas A&M Aggies.
Texas A&M is undoubtedly one of the top teams in the country, and they jumped out to a 12-0 lead, forcing the Tigers to make some early adjustments. Jacob Crews checked into the game with 11:21 remaining in the first half to help shift momentum.
When Crews entered the game, the Tigers trailed 18-7 and were in need of a spark. Crews provided that off the bench, knocking down 3 three-pointers in his first 2 minutes, suddenly igniting a fire within Mizzou Arena.
Throughout the first half, Crews was a key factor, finishing with 10 points and 2 steals while leading the Tigers in plus-minus with +8. Crews was by far the best player on the floor for Mizzou, single-handedly bringing them back into the game.
In addition to Crews, another unlikely hero in the contest was freshman forward Marcus Allen. He checked into the game and gave head coach Dennis Gates 13 valuable minutes of gritty basketball. While Allen only scored 2 points, he grabbed 6 rebounds and played a significant portion of the second half.
Marques Warrick’s minutes have been inconsistent, but he played a majority of the game down the stretch for the Tigers after Anthony Robinson struggled to provide an offensive spark.
All season long, Dennis Gates has utilized a majority of his bench, making this one of the deepest units in the nation. Every game has its standout player when talking about the Missouri Tigers, and tonight, it was Crews. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and his play early in the first half completely electrified Mizzou Arena.
Mizzou’s next contest will be on Wednesday, as the Oklahoma Sooners come into town at 8 p.m.