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Mizzou Survives Georgia to Reach the Quarterfinals of the SEC MBB Tournament

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Basketball

Mizzou Men's Basketball beat Georgia, 73-70, in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday night in Nashville, Tennessee. The Tigers advance to the quarterfinals to face Arkansas for the third time this season tomorrow night at 6 p.m.

Four of Mizzou's five starters scored in double digits on Thursday, starting with junior guard Xavier Pinson, who led all scorers with 17 points, finishing with three triples, three steals, five rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Kobe Brown added 16 points and seven rebounds, and tied his career high with four assists. 

Senior guard Dru Smith contributed 16 points, three steals, two assists and tied his season high with eight rebounds. Senior forward Jeremiah Tilmon posted 10 points and six boards in the paint.

Mizzou outrebounded the Bulldogs, 40-34, and got out in transition, scoring 19 points off of Georgia turnovers. After knocking down a pair of free throws, Mizzou got a defensive stop in the final seconds to seal the win.

Turning Point

Mizzou seized some momentum at the end of the first frame after Pinson drained a buzzer-beating trifecta. Georgia led by one at the break. With Brown leading the charge, scoring 12 of his 16 in the second half, Mizzou pushed out to a 12-point lead. Yet, the Bulldogs clawed back and cut it to one possession multiple times. After Dru Smith converted a pair of free throws to put Mizzou up 71-67 with less than a minute to go, Georgia countered with a 3-pointer, slicing its deficit to one. Pinson made two more freebies at the foul line to give Mizzou a 3-point edge, then the Tigers got the game-winning defensive stop on the ensuing Georgia possession.

Top Tigers

  • Xavier Pinson led the team with 17 points, including three trifectas, in addition to a dime and two steals.
  • Kobe Brown's 16 points came on 6-for-8 shooting and a 2-for-3 effort from beyond-the-arc. He added seven boards and four dimes.
  • Dru Smith tallied 16 points, eight boards, three steals and two dimes in another stellar all-around effort.
  • Jeremiah Tilmon chipped in 10 points, along with six boards, three swats, and two assists.

Game Notes

  • Thursday night's win marks Mizzou's fourth victory in the second round of the SEC Tournament, and its first since defeating Georgia in 2019.
  • The Tigers snagged 40 boards on the night, reaching that mark in a single game for the fifth time this season.
  • Mizzou's 73 points marked its most in an SEC Tournament game during the Cuonzo Martin era.
  • Kobe Brown has reached double figures six times in the last nine games after his 16-point outing vs. Arkansas.

Up Next

Mizzou advances to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament to face Arkansas on Friday night. Tip off between the Tigers and Razorbacks is slated for 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.