
Crews picked up his highest ever total as a Tiger and gave Mizzou its first 10-game winning streak since 2013.
The Missouri Tigers (10-1) rallied behind hot three-point shooting and tightening of their defenses in the second half to an 83-72 victory over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (6-5).
Jacksonville State’s scouting report had one glaring player on it—Jaron Pierre Jr.— who was the country’s fourth leading scorer at 23.2 points-per-game coming into this tilt. However, it was the Gamecocks’ sixth man Michael Houge who did damage early.
Houge matched his season average of 10 points before reaching the halfway mark of the first half, as the Gamecocks raced to an early 19-12 lead. During this timespan, no Tiger other than Tony Perkins even made a field goal, a drought that was broken by a bucket from Josh Gray with 9:41 remaining in the opening frame.
A significant aspect of the early going was the visitors’ ability to pickup offensive rebounds directly leading to an advantage in second chance points. Akin to the kU game, the Tigers were able to steer the course thanks to proactive play on the defensive side of the ball. Missouri picked up five steals to the Gamecocks’ zero in the first half.
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Karen Steger Professional Phone Photography
Trent Pierce looked to carry on his good fortune after picking up a career-high 24 points in his previous outing, and he was on track to do exactly that early. Pierce hit two shots from beyond the arc and added two free throws for eight points, tying him for the team lead at the half.
After being limited early on thanks to Houge’s hot-scoring, Pierre came into his own and hit a three to cut the Tigers’ lead to one point at halftime. The deficit came after the Tigers were unable to create separation by getting to the free throw line, as they attempted just one more free throw make than the Gamecocks on four more attempts.
Mark Mitchell made a living in the paint throughout the game, shooting six-of-12 from the field and six-of-nine from the line. Mitchell’s ability to play through contact and still make high percentage shots has been invaluable to this team thus far this season.
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Mark Mitchell (25) shoots free throws with under 3 minutes remaining in Mizzou’s matchup against Jax State on December 17, 2024. (Karen Steger, Rock M)
While the Gamecocks have had Pierre’s prowess all season, their inability to get production outside of him has been the catalyst to most of their losses. Jamar Franklin put those issues to bed hitting his first four attempts from downtown. Franklin finished the night shooting five-of-eight with 15 points.
More often than not heavily favored teams that keep things close at the half will find ways to pull away in the second half but the Gamecocks refused to go away in this game. A second three from Jao Ituka put head coach Ray Harpers squad up three with 11:36 left in the game, causing some unrest in Mizzou Arena as an all too familiar story seemed to be unfolding in front of fans scarred by seasons passed.
Lots of eyes were on Tamar Bates heading into this tilt, after he picked up SEC player of the week honors for his performance against kansas, but the Tigers’ leader was held to no points by the halfway mark of the second half. Bates’ poor performance was marred by uncharacteristic shot selection mixed with poor turnovers. Bates’ first bucket of the game came with 8:33 left in the game while in transition, tying the game at 63 after JSU took a four-point lead late.
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Mizzou’s Marques Warrick (1) & Jacob Crews (35) attempt to stop the offensive efforts of Quel’Ron House (2) / Karen Steger Professional Phone Photography
Jacob Crews—who has often been seen practicing jump shots after games at Mizzou Arena—saw practice pay off as he shot a season-high six-of-nine from three-point land and totaling 19 points overall, his season high. Crews breaking is even more important considering the absence of Caleb Grill which has left a significant hole in the Tigers’ three-point shooting. Crews helped spark an 8-0 run which brought the Tigers from down one to leading 75-68, their largest lead of the night up to that point.
After scoring 40 points in the first half, the Missouri Tigers defense tightened down and had the largest effect on the outcome of this game. Head coach Dennis Gates switched through a variety of zone defenses causing confusion amongst the Gamecocks, leading to an over three-minute scoring drought which proved to be the difference. This led to a massive turnover disparity which the Tigers utilized to their advantage similar to previous wins this season.
Overall, Missouri shot 50% from the field and 48% from three-point land. Jax State shot 45% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. Missouri was out-rebounded by the Gamecocks 39-28 while the visitors had 12 turnovers to the Tigers’ three.
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Dennis Gates meets with his team after a technical foul is called against the Tigers in the second half of Mizzou’s game against Jax State on December 17, 2024. (Karen Steger Professional Phone Photography)
Next up for the Tigers will be their annual trek to St. Louis for the McBride Homes Braggin’ Rights game vs. rival Illinois. The game is at noon and will be televised on ESPN.
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