Mizzou falters late as Tennessee pulls away and beats Tigers in their SEC home opener
While the Missouri Tigers hung around, the Tennessee Volunteers pulled away.
With the score tied late in the second half, Vols guard Santiago Vescovi produced eight straight points and that proved to be too much for the Tigers in a 69-59 loss Tuesday at Mizzou Arena. It was the second straight defeat for Mizzou (8-6, 0-2 SEC).
The Vols (9-5, 1-1) played well against the stout Mizzou defense. They shot 53.5% (23 for 43), including 45.8% on three-pointers. While the Tigers forced 21 Tennessee turnovers, they couldn’t stop the Vols.
“They made shots,” Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said. “They made big threes. We normally do a great job defending the three-point line, it just didn’t happen tonight. They made plays and they won the ball game.”
The Tigers hit 36% of their three-pointers Tuesday, one of their better outings of the season. But they couldn’t convert from the field, shooting 35.2% (19 for 54) with no source of consistent offense. Freshman Tray Jackson led Mizzou with 11 points.
It was another sloppy effort for Mizzou. They were again careless with the ball, turning it over 13 times Tuesday.
The Tigers played without forward Jeremiah Tilmon, who is out indefinitely because of a stress fracture in his left foot. Mizzou forward Reed Nikko took Tilmon’s place as a starter for the third straight game.
After the Vols opened a 10-point lead early in the second half, Mizzou fought back, using a 12-2 run to tie the score. But the Vols pulled away on back-to-back three-pointers from Vescovi.
Tennessee finished with six different players in double figure scoring. Jordan Bowden led the way with 13 points for the Vols.
Mizzou next plays host to Florida at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Mizzou Arena.
“I put a lot on the defense,” Martin said of the Vols’ offensive success. “I don’t think we had our hands up and extended it aggressively. They made shots, they got their heads up as well. But I think it had a lot to do with us not doing a great job.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 8:16 PM.