Mizzou torments Mississippi State, earns top-15 road win
STARKVILLE, Miss. (KMIZ)
No. 20 Mizzou Men's Basketball has posted its largest road win over a ranked opponent in program history.
The Tigers (17-4) thumped No. 14 Mississippi State (16-6) 88-61 on the road, defeating their fourth ranked opponent of the 2024-25 season. With Saturday's win, Mizzou maintained its spot in the top four of the SEC standings, improving its record to 6-2 in conference play.
Mizzou hit a season-high 15 three-pointers in the contest, shooting 46.9% from beyond the arc and 55% from the field.
MU quickly put Mississippi State's back against the wall in the first half. The Tigers began the game on a 10-2 scoring run, a rally ignited by back-to-back three-pointers from Tony Perkins and Mark Mitchell to start the contest. However, the Bulldogs did respond to the pressure. Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard sparked an 11-2 scoring run with the first of his six triples to give his team its first and only lead of the game.
Once Mizzou regained the lead with one of Jacob Crews' trio of three-pointers, the Tigers and Bulldogs were locked in a two-possession battle for the majority of the first half. However, MU strung together 10 straight points in the final three minutes before halftime to secure a 45-31 lead at the break.
From there, the Tigers held a double-digit advantage for the entire second half and extended its lead to 25 points with a 15-0 scoring run, ending with another triple from Grill. The 6-foot-3 guard hit six three-pointers in the contest and recorded his second straight 20-point performance.
Josh Gray left Starkville with his first double-double with the Tigers, scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Tamar Bates, who was one of 11 players to score for Mizzou in this contest, also tallied 14 points.
Defensively, MU held Mississippi State to a .364 field goal percentage, forced 11 turnovers and out-rebounded the Bulldogs by a 39-31 margin.
Up next - Mizzou closes out its two-game road trip with a visit to Thompson-Boling Arena to face No. 8 Tennessee. Tipoff is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m.
