COLUMBIA, MO.— Mizzou Men’s Basketball earned an electric 72-70 road win over Florida on Wednesday night thanks to a Dru Smith game-winning layup with less than a second left. The victory marks the Tigers’ first win in Gainesville in program history and back-to-back wins over the Gators for the first time in school history.
Senior guard Dru Smith put together one of his best performances of the season with 17 points, nine assists and a season-high six steals. Redshirt senior Mitchell Smith scored a career high 14 points to go along with a team-high six rebounds and one steal. Junior guard Xavier Pinson added 14 points, including four made 3-pointers, two assists and a steal.
Mizzou’s defense forced 18 Florida turnovers, 15 of which came in the first half alone. The Tigers flipped that into 25 points off turnovers. Mizzou allowed just four second chance points, boasting an 11-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
Turning Point
The Tigers went into the second half up by seven after fighting off Florida’s quick 7-0 run to start the game. Mitchell Smith made a crucial three-pointer to increase Mizzou’s lead to 70-62 with two minutes left on the clock. Florida’s ensuing 8-0 run tied the score at 70 apiece with under a minute left in the game. Dru Smith’s reverse layup with just one second left in regulation pushed the Tigers ahead for their first road victory over Florida.
Top Tigers
- Dru Smith’s game winning layup added to his team-high 17 points. He notched a new season high in both assists and steals, with nine and six respectively.
- Mitchell Smith scored a career high 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting, including two from beyond-the-arc. He added six boards and a steal.
- Xavier Pinson chipped in 14 points, including four trifectas.
- Mark Smith contributed 11 points, a rebound and an assist on the night.
Game Notes
- Mizzou forced 18 Gator turnovers, the most since 3/7/2020 against Alabama.
- Dru Smith’s nine assists were not only a new season high, but his most since becoming a Tiger. This is also the most assists for a Tiger in a single game since Blake Harris also had nine dimes on 11/23/17 against Cal State Long Beach. His six steals marked the most by a Mizzou player since Wes Clark in 2014.
- Five Tigers reached double figures for the third time this season (Oregon, South Carolina), the most in a season since the 2017-18 Tigers accomplished the feat in six outings.
Up Next
Mizzou closes out the regular season, and honors five seniors, as LSU comes to town on Saturday afternoon at Mizzou arena. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
