Mizzou’s Xavier Pinson leads comeback against Georgia after rough few weeks
Missouri Tigers guard Xavier Pinson’s night started rocky on Tuesday — just like the past few weeks. Pinson played just five minutes in the first half against Georgia, stuck on the bench and held scoreless.
After scoring 14 points in the Braggin’ Rights win over Illinois, it has been a grind for Pinson. He showed flashes against Florida, including a highlight dunk. But even when he scored 11 points against Alabama, he shot 1 for 8 on field goals. He was 9 for 9 on free throws.
Pinson exploding in the second half against the Bulldogs was exactly what the Tigers needed. They relied on him late as he drove to the basket often, creating for others and drawing fouls. The 6-foot-2 guard scored a season-high 16 points — all in the second half.
Pinson was a key catalyst as the Tigers completed a 20-point comeback over the Bulldogs for a 72-69 win.
“I just stayed calm, stayed humble,” Pinson said of the first half. “Then I came in the second half and I played like how I know I’m supposed to play. How I know my teammates and my coaches want me to play.”
Pinson’s bounce-back performance was boosted by the scouting report, which called for the Tigers to drive to the basket more, Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said. With the Bulldogs switching on defense between every position, it can lead to a stagnant offense, Martin added.
It’s why despite shooting 43.5% on three-pointers on Tuesday, Martin and his staff stressed to the team to continue driving to the basket. Mizzou guard Javon Pickett got the trend started on a pair of layups, paving the way for Pinson.
“You have to drive the ball and put pressure on them,” Martin said. “Teams switch, attack the closeout, get to the rim, put pressure on them. Make those guys block a shot. Make those guys take a charge.”
Pinson drove to the basket and drew fouls as he finished 6 for 8 from the free throw line. When the Bulldogs left him open, he hit a pair of three-pointers, the latter to cut the deficit to just five points with 4:14 remaining.
The exclamation point came late, with the score tied and less than a minute remaining. After it appeared Bulldogs guard Anthony Edwards rebounded a missed Mizzou shot, Pinson muscled the ball away and scored the game-winning layup. Despite Pinson facing Edwards — a future NBA Draft pick who scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds — the smaller of the two ended up with the ball and bucket.
“That’s just me,” Pinson said. “That’s just my heart. I never give up. When I see people go down, somebody needed to step up and do something.”
The Tigers also got scoring from two unlikely sources in Reed Nikko and Mitchell Smith. Nikko scored a career-high 13 points while Mitchell Smith had 12 points. Both were instrumental in the comeback alongside Pinson.
Of course, the next step for Tigers (10-10, 2-5 SEC) is consistency. They scored enough to win on Tuesday, but Georgia has one of the weaker defenses in the nation.
Mizzou’s next opponents, South Carolina and Texas A&M, boast solid-but-not-great defenses. Impressive showings can lead to a winning streak and breathe new life into what was a season slipping away.
“The experience of us fighting back like that, it’s going to give us a lot of experience going forward,” Nikko said. “Showed a lot of toughness. Obviously just not having that losing streak looming over our head anymore. It’s going to allow us to play a lot more freely.”
One Smith sits, the other limited
After tweaking his ankle at the end of the game at West Virginia, Dru Smith appeared limited on the court on Tuesday. He played 34 minutes, but there were flashes where he didn’t look 100%. After the West Virginia game, he said he should be fine moving forward.
Mark Smith didn’t play the entire second half against Georgia. He sat on the bench as the Tigers rallied. Martin said Mark Smith’s lower back was uncomfortable. His status going forward isn’t certain with back injuries tricky.
“Happened in the first half,” Martin said of Mark Smith. “He couldn’t go anymore.”