Knoxville, Tenn. – No. 15/16 University of Missouri men’s basketball couldn’t overcome the hot-shooting of No. 4/4 Tennessee, falling on the road by four points, 85-81.
The Volunteers, who made 10 of their first 13 from 3-point range, improve to 19-4 and 6-4 against SEC foes, while the Tigers fall to 17-5 and 6-3 in league play.
MIZZOU LEADERS
Senior Tamar Bates led the Tigers with 22 points – all coming in the second half – to pace the Mizzou attack. Graduate student Tony Perkins added 16 points, five assists and five rebounds, while classmate Caleb Grill also scored in double figures with 11 points on just five field goal attempts.
Josh Gray recorded his fifth game of the season with double-digit rebounds, collecting a game-high 10 on the night.
GAME RECAP
After a slow start from both teams, Perkins took over to give the Tigers the early lead. Trailing, 5-0, Perkins ignited a 13-2 run, scoring 11 points on his own during the stretch. He tallied a season-best three 3-pointers to go with another field goal and an assist in building a 13-7 lead for Mizzou.
It was then Marques Warrick’s chance to take over to extend the MU advantage. Leading by two, 23-21, Warrick scored the game’s next seven points as Mizzou went in front by nine, 30-21.
Tennessee would close the gap to six by the halftime break, 34-28, before the Tigers scored the first five points of the second frame for their largest lead of the night, 39-28, with 19 minutes remaining.
The Volunteers, however, would catch fire from the field to fight back into the game. Trailing by 10, 42-32, Tennessee used a 14-2 spurt to move in front for the first time in the second stanza, 46-44, with just over 15 minutes remaining. The contest remained tight before another 8-1 run pushed the UT advantage to double digits, 68-58, with over seven minutes left in the game.
The Tennessee lead reached as many as 14 points before a late spurt by the Tigers put the game in question for the hosts. Mizzou used a 9-0 run to pull within five, 75-70, with 1:40 left in the game. Tennessee, however, would make enough free throws to seal the four-point victory, 85-81.
TEAM STATS
The Volunteers shot 50.0 percent in the winning effort, including a 10-of-15 mark from 3-point range. Tennessee also won the battle on the boards, 38-30, on the night.
Mizzou made 41.7 percent of its field goals with a 12-of-30 mark from 3-point range (40.0 percent). The Tigers also committed only three turnovers, winning points off turnovers, 8-3, and fastbreak points, 16-0.
UP NEXT
The Tigers play their second-straight top-10 opponent on Saturday, welcoming No. 10/13 Texas A&M to Mizzou Arena. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network.
