Mizzou’s second half push leads team to road win at Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. (KMIZ)

No. 21 Mizzou Men's Basketball handled business at Georgia to complete a perfect week.

The Tigers (19-6) outscored the Bulldogs (16-10) by 16 points in the second half to earn a 87-74 win on the road at Stegeman Coliseum. With Saturday's win, the Tigers improved their SEC record to 8-4 on the season and returned to the top five in the conference standings, following an Ole Miss loss to Mississippi State.

MU and UGA were locked in a back-and-forth battle throughout the first half. Mizzou's largest lead in the first 20 minutes was just six points, following a three-pointer from Tamar Bates to end a 7-0 scoring run with about eight minutes left before halftime. However, both teams were separated by just a one-possession margin for the majority of the first half, and Georgia rode five straight points in the final minute to a 41-38 halftime lead.

However, the Tigers rallied twice in the second half to take control of the game. MU rebuilt a six-point advantage with a 10-2 scoring run ahead of the first media timeout, featuring a combined eight points from Anthony Robinson and Mark Mitchell and a slam dunk from Bates to end it. Then, Mizzou sprinted away with its lead, using a 15-0 scoring run that lasted more than three minutes. During that stretch, Robinson scored seven of his 15 points while Mitchell added four more points to his final tally.

Mizzou's second half effort was excellent. The Tigers connected on nearly 60% of their attempts from the field and committed no turnovers for the final 20 minutes of action.

Robinson and Caleb Grill finished the game with a team-high 15 points and four steals each. Mitchell and Bates also reached double figures, scoring 14 points and 13 points respectively, and four other players scored at least seven points for the Tigers, including Trent Pierce (8), Jacob Crews (8), Tony Perkins (7) and Josh Gray (7).

While Georgia finished with a higher field goal percentage than Mizzou, the Tigers forced nine turnovers and turned those takeaways into 18 points. MU also out-rebounded UGA by a 36-27 margin, behind a complete team effort on the boards with five different players grabbing at least four rebounds.

Up next - The Tigers return to Mizzou Arena for a massive game against No. 2 Alabama. Tipoff is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m.