Missouri defeats Vanderbilt 77-67 behind Jeremiah Tilmon, snaps three-game losing streak

Rhyan Loos remains unbeaten.

Missouri (11-9, 2-6 SEC) snapped its three-game losing streak with a 77-67 win over Vanderbilt (9-12, 0-8 SEC) in its fourth annual Rally for Rhyan game. The game is in honor of Loos, the 8-year-old daughter of former MU assistant Brad Loos. Rhyan is a survivor of pediatric cancer. The Tigers are 4-0 in Rally for Rhyan games. The game raised approximately $55,000 for pediatric cancer.

The Tigers’ underclassmen did the heavy lifting against Vanderbilt as Jeremiah Tilmon, Torrence Watson, Javon Pickett and Xavier Pinson combined for 52 of Missouri’s 77 points. Tilmon led MU with 19 points and also had eight rebounds and was one of four Tigers in double-figures.

“We haven’t been able to put two halves together, and when you turn the ball over it takes a lot out of you,” MU coach Cuonzo Martin said.

Sophomore Mark Smith missed his third straight game with a left ankle sprain. Martin said Smith didn’t even go through shootaround on Saturday and instead just rested.

Missouri got off to a hot start courtesy of Tilmon and Pickett. The duo combined for 19 points in the first half, with Pickett scoring the Tigers’ first six points of the game. The Tigers took tremendous care of the ball, by their standards, committing just four turnovers in the first half. The team didn’t commit a turnover for the first 14 minutes of the game, which didn’t give Vanderbilt any free points.

The Commodores trimmed Missouri’s lead to as little as two with an 8-0 run toward the end of the first half, but MU responded with eight consecutive points of its own. Walk-on Ronnie Suggs was fouled on a fastbreak layup and converted the free throw to extend Missouri’s lead back to 10 at 34-24. The Tigers went into halftime up 37-28 despite just one point from seniors Jordan Geist and Kevin Puryear combined.

Pickett picked up where he left off after halftime, opening the half with a layup to pour it on for MU. Puryear continued to struggle scoring, but had a good game defensively with 10 rebounds. After a pair of missed shots early in the second half, Puryear clapped his hands in frustration as he got set on defense.

Geist hadn’t scored a basket more than five minutes into the half until he drilled a three with 14:40 left. A minute later, Geist caught a 90-foot pass from Mitchell Smith and converted on acrobatic layup while getting fouled. Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew became the latest Southeastern Conference coach to praise Geist after the game.

“He makes a lot of winning plays,” Drew said. “As long as he’s on the floor, they’re going to have a lot of chances to win games the rest of the season.”

Vanderbilt crept back into the game with another 8-0 run to cut MU’s lead to three before Mitchell Smith’s three gave the Tigers some room. The Commodores were able to stay within striking distance, thanks to threes by freshman Aaron Nesmith and senior Joseph Toye. Nesmith led Vanderbilt with 19 points.

Geist and Tilmon continued to play off each other as Geist had five of his six assists in the second half. Missouri had 11 offensive rebounds for the game, an impressive number given the Tigers’ struggles on the boards, but Martin said the goal was 15. Late in the second half, Watson hit a three from NBA range with the shot clock expiring, and Geist followed with one of his own to put the game out of reach. Watson tied his career-high with 12 points.

“I knew it was going in before it touched my hands,” Watson said. “I kept calling for it, and it went in.”

Vanderbilt was within two possessions late in the game but elected not to press before Watson’s shot. Drew said the last time he tried a press it ended in points for the opposing team.

“We thought if we could get a stop there it would be a lot of pressure on Missouri that next possession to make a shot,” Drew said.

Missouri’s next game is at No. 1 Tennessee on Tuesday. Martin coached the Volunteers from 2011-2014. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. on ESPN.

This story was originally published February 2, 2019 at 9:46 PM.