Many coaches will tell you that most games can be summed up in a five minute stretch. The same held true for Missouri in their 83-75 win over Mississippi State Tuesday night. The Tigers opened the game with a 13-0 run only to have MSU respond with a 13-0 run of their own. The Bulldogs proceeded to go up by 10 before MU head coach Mike Anderson had seen enough. Coming out of the timeout, Mizzou was a different team. They went back-and-forth with the Bulldogs for awhile before closing out the last five minutes of the half with 16 unanswered points and a 43-37 lead at the break.
“What I did is I substituted,” said Anderson. “I brought some more guys in there and they brought energy and it just changed the whole complexity of the game.”
It was the Tigers pressure defense and ability to rebound that wore down the Bulldogs in the second half. Mizzou forced 24 turnovers and won the rebound battle 42-32.
“When I look at one stat and that stands out because it’s effort, it’s the rebounding,” added Anderson.
Not only did Mizzou out hustle the Bulldogs, but Stefhon Hannah absolutely took over the game. The junior point guard scored 10 of his game-high 27 points in the second half. He also recorded five rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Matt Lawrence was the only other Tiger to score in double-digits with 17.
Mizzou opens Big 12 Conference play against Iowa State Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
