Jeremiah Tilmon had a double-double against Temple. Mizzou needs more of those

Just as Jeremiah Tilmon seemed destined for another foul-riddled season, the 6-foot-11 sophomore showed reasons for hope in Missouri’s 79-77 loss to Temple on Tuesday night.

After having just four points and zero rebounds in the first half, the East St. Louis, Ill. native responded in the second half with 10 points and 10 rebounds, finishing with his first double-double of the season.

“We talk to him all the time,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. “You have to rebound the ball. You have to control that area. To be assertive.”

Tilmon’s play was a large reason why Missouri was able to erase a double-digit deficit in the second half and come within a basket of the Owls. He went 4-for-6 from the free-throw line and got most of his points off tip-ins from his teammates’ missed shots.

With three minutes remaining in the second half, Tilmon cleaned up a missed three from Kevin Puryear that cut the Owls’ lead to 71-67. Forty seconds later his dunk got Missouri to within two points before De’Vondre Perry’s three the following possession ultimately sealed the game.

Most importantly for Tilmon, he stayed out of foul trouble and only had the whistle blown at him three times against Temple. He logged 30 minutes, which is only second to his 34-minute run against Kennesaw State in the Paradise Jam this season.

During his freshman season, foul trouble plagued Tilmon regularly, limiting him to only 20 minutes, 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Through six games, Tilmon is averaging 25 minutes a game and his scoring and rebounding averages are both up to 9.2 and 6.2.

“This is a better team when me and him are productive,” Puryear said. “Jeremiah did a good job of staying in the game tonight.”

Martin has said before that maximizing Tilmon’s production is two-fold. First he has to stay on the floor, and then he can’t let up on his aggression when he’s on it. Tilmon had no foul issues in Missouri’s loss at Iowa State and played 24 minutes, but only took four shots and finished with five points.

While Martin liked Tilmon’s play on offense against Temple, he thought there could have been more from him defensively.

“His strength is being vocal, being active, running the ball,” Martin said. “He scores the ball, great. Those are things I think we need to count on from him. Those other elements helps us and I thought he wasn’t as good as far as defending that ball screen.”

With Missouri’s offense struggling, the Tigers are going to need Tuesday’s performance to be regular for Tilmon.

Missouri’s next opponent is Central Florida, who has 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall. In the Tigers’ 62-59 win over the Knights in Orlando last year, the two centers had a strong matchup, with Tilmon finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds to Fall’s 12 points and six rebounds.

Martin thought Tuesday’s performance was a step in the right direction for Tilmon. Now he needs more from him, starting on Sunday.

“My fingers are crossed to see it again,” Martin said.

Alex Schiffer

Alex Schiffer covers University of Missouri athletics for The Star.