Mizzou dominates Wofford defensively, but offense also finds its flow in victory
When the Missouri Tigers watched film in preparation for the Wofford Terriers, they were impressed. The Terriers cut without the ball often, using movement to put up a high volume of three-pointers.
It left members of Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin’s team wondering how to stop them. In formulating a game plan, Martin stuck to what he knows best: Grind them out defensively.
“We played the percentages,” Martin said. “We talked about getting to the legs, make those guys drive and it becomes a one-on-one game. We like our chances on one-on-one defense with the amount of hours we spend defending one-on-one.”
Those percentages led to Wofford failing to net a field goal for the final 14:35 of the game — a stretch of 15 straight missed field goals. It was part of a dominant defensive effort as the Tigers defeated Wofford 75-56 on Monday night at Mizzou Arena.
The victory was the perfect recipe for a Martin-coached team: Ride the defense until the offense figures it out.
“It was the first time all season we settled in offensively,” Martin said. “Our movement was better, we did a great job in our motion offense.”
Offense came easy for the Tigers (3-1), who used a balanced attack to slice Wofford. Mark Smith matched a season high with 19 points, shooting 4 for 8 from three. The guard was crucial in stretching the floor as he bounced back after a rough showing at Xavier.
Jeremiah Tilmon was his big-bodied self with 16 points, even hitting a three-pointer for the first time in his career. While Mizzou started off hitting five of its first six three-pointers, Tilmon’s post offense was key when the jump shots stopped falling.
Xavier Pinson also shined during the decisive 13-0 run Mizzou used to bury the Terriers. He made his marquee signature plays, hitting shots and finding shooters on the outside. Pinson finished with 10 points and four assists.
Of Mizzou’s nine players who saw the court Monday night, eight scored.
“I felt like everything just fell into place,” Pinson said of the offense. “When I drove, I found guys and people were open. We made the right decisions. The same basic decisions over and over again until they stopped them.”
The offense’s effectiveness came off the defensive effort. After hounding the Wofford guards early, it led to a lasting effect that carried over into the second half.
Martin said a significant part of the game plan was to keep the ball out of Wofford point guard Storm Murphy’s hands. By doing that with full court presses, it led to a stagnant offense that had to work harder to get efficient shots.
As Mizzou took a commanding lead, Wofford players stood around on offense. Instead of the guards initiating the offensive sets, they would walk it up the court, looking drained.
“You could tell when they were bringing the ball up, they weren’t in full mode,” Pinson said. “They were walking the ball up. Against other teams, they were pushing the ball up.”
The victory over a solid team like Wofford was what MU needed after an overtime loss to Xavier, Martin said. There also needed to be some “pride” for a team looking to be great defensively, which he said he saw Monday.
Martin said it was the right step during a stretch of nonconference games that should test the Tigers. That starts with a 7 p.m. tipoff Wednesday against Morehead State. Then next week it’s the Hall of Fame Classic at the Sprint Center. The Tigers play Butler in the Monday semifinal, then either Oklahoma or Stanford for the title or third place on Tuesday.
“That’s what we work for,” Pinson said of the defensive effort. “We try to get better every day. But we can’t sit around with the one. We got the (win) and can’t get right back tomorrow and work a lot harder.”