After an unusual 6-day break in college basketball, the No. 22 Missouri Tigers faced a tough task of knocking off the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road in Starkville.
To open the game, the Tigers got off to a hot start, knocking down 2 quick threes and opening with a commanding 10-2 run. However, an 11-2 Bulldog run countered that, putting them ahead 13-12, and the game looked like it was going to be a thriller.
Despite the Bulldog run, Jacob Crews knocked down a big three for the Tigers, and they never lost their lead from that point on.
The story of the first half for the Tigers was their ability to knock down shots from 3-point range. As a team, they made nine from beyond the arc, with Grill hitting four of them. He finished the half with 12 points, and the Tigers led by a commanding 14 points.
For the Bulldogs, Josh Hubbard was their top scorer, finishing the game with 24 points. Despite Anthony Robinson II recording two steals, he had the tough assignment of guarding arguably the best player on the floor and found himself in foul trouble in the first half with three fouls.
When the Tigers have led at halftime, they’ve been known to let teams back into the game. Today was not one of those instances, as the Tigers added another 43 points in the second half.
Tamar Bates scored 10 points in the second half as the Tigers cruised to a 27-point victory, defeating Mississippi State 88-61.
All year, the Tigers have gotten their scoring from Grill and Bates, and today was no exception as they contributed 20 and 14 points, respectively, in the dominant win.
Josh Gray had one of his best games as a Tiger, recording his third career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the winning effort.
The Tigers’ next contest is a road game in Knoxville, Tennessee, where they will face Tennessee on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CST.