Mizzou basketball stuns Georgia with massive second-half comeback, snaps losing streak
The Missouri Tigers stunned the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday night, coming back from a double-digit deficit in a 72-69 win.
The Tigers (10-10, 2-5 SEC) were down by as many as 20 points in the second half to the Bulldogs (11-9, 1-6). A 27-6 run turned the game in the Tigers’ favor at Mizzou Arena.
Missouri snapped a four-game losing streak.
“I needed that to sleep a little bit better,” Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said. “I love these moments. It’s adversity, it’s life stuff. Even though you’re on the floor, playing the game, you have to learn to fight through stuff. Don’t give up. Understanding the task at hand.”
Tigers guard Xavier Pinson was big down the stretch, creating for his teammates and scoring on his own. The sophomore finished with 16 points after a rough few weeks.
Typical of Martin’s Tigers, the comeback started on the defensive end. MU held Georgia scoreless for 5 minutes, 22 seconds in the second half when it looked like the Bulldogs were about to run away with the game. The Bulldogs led 42-30 at halftime following a 17-1 run.
In a rare change of pace, the Mizzou offense showed some positive signs. The Tigers shot 43.5% from three-point range. Mizzou’s starting forwards, Reed Nikko and Mitchell Smith, scored 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Dru Smith was back to his do-it-all self, scoring 16 points. Javon Pickett added 11. Five Tigers scored in double-figures.
Bulldogs guard Anthony Edwards was exactly as advertised. The future NBA Draft pick scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer.
Mizzou next plays South Carolina at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina.
“It’s surreal,” Mitchell Smith said. “Being out there, we were just playing hard. We didn’t look at the scoreboard. At the end of the day, I just wanted to play hard to see where it got us. All of us played hard together.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 9:48 PM.