No. 21 Mizzou used strong defense down the stretch to post an 85-73 win over Mississippi State on Thursday, advancing to the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals. With the win, the Tigers improve to 22-10.
Senior Tamar Bates led Mizzou with 25 points on the night, connecting on 8-of-12 field goals and 3-of-5 from 3-point range in addition to six free throws. Graduate student Tony Perkins chipped in a season-best 20 points in the winning effort, making six of his 10 attempts to go with a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Mizzou made its move late with the defense anchoring the stretch. Trailing by a point, 68-67, with 4:52 remaining, the Tigers did not allow the Bulldogs to make a field goal for over four minutes, forcing MSU into seven-straight misses from the field. A backdoor slam from Grill gave MU the lead for good as the Tigers went on a 12-2 run to seal the victory and advance in the tournament.
The Tigers made 49.1 percent of their field goals en route to the victory with an 8-of-24 mark from 3-point range and 23-of-28 from the charity stripe (82.1 percent). Mizzou also held the Bulldogs to just 36.4 percent shooting and 6-of-30 (20.0%) from beyond the arc.
The Tigers advance to their fifth SEC Quarterfinal in school history, playing second-seeded Florida on Friday night. Mizzou who defeated Florida, 83-82, during the regular season – is set to battle the Gators in a 6 p.m. tipoff on SEC Network.