After a dominating first half and a holding a 14-point lead early into the second, things unraveled for the 13th ranked Missouri men’s basketball as they fell at Mississippi State 78-63 loss on Tuesday at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. The Bulldogs used a 15-0 run and outscored the Tigers 51-24 in the second half to end their seven-game losing streak against ranked teams.
Mizzou came out firing, shooting 50% in the first half and holding a tired looking Bulldogs team to 35%. Mississippi State was led D.J. Stewart, Jr., who drained 10-of-14 shots and finished with 24 points. The Bulldogs made 19-of-28 field goals in the second half. Mississippi State outrebounded Mizzou, 37-22, and got to the line 15 more times than the Tigers.
Jeremiah Tilmon paced the Tigers on offense, scoring 16 points on an efficient 8-for-10 shooting from the floor, while grabbing six boards. Xavier Pinson dished out a career-high eight assists on the night and also tallied 13 points, reaching double figures for a sixth straight game. Dru Smith shot 5-for-9 from the floor, scoring 11 points, and dished out two assists and tallied one steal.
Mizzou returns home to host LSU, kicking off a 2-game home stand on Saturday evening. Tipoff from Mizzou Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
