Mizzou basketball defeats Vanderbilt for first SEC road win of season
The game wasn’t efficient, with plenty of missed shots, but the Missouri Tigers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 61-52 on Wednesday.
The Tigers (14-14, 6-9 SEC) won their first conference road game of the season, climbing back to the .500 mark. They handed the Commodores (9-19, 1-14) another loss in an ugly game at Vanderbilt Memorial Gymnasium.
After allowing Vanderbilt to build a nine-point lead in the first half, Mizzou fought back from there. The Tigers ended the first half on a 9-1 run. Then it was all Mizzou out of the break.
“It was one of those games where the guys were really uptight,” MU coach Cuonzo Martin said. “(The Commodores) haven’t been winning, but they’ve been very competitive.”
MU guard Xavier Pinson was his aggressive self, scoring a quick seven points in the opening minutes of the second half. The guard finished with 15 of his 17 total points in the second half, the Tigers relying on him to score down the stretch. The only thing keeping him off the court was foul trouble as he finished with four personal fouls and 20 minutes played.
Following a rough game in the loss at Arkansas, MU forward Reed Nikko bounced back. He scored 14 points on 5 of 5 shooting while grabbing five rebounds.
The Commodores stuck around near the end, but Mizzou kept them from stringing together an extended scoring run.
Both Jeremiah Tilmon (foot) and Mark Smith (lower back) played for the Tigers in the victory. It was the first time Mizzou was fully healthy since the SEC opener Jan. 4 at Kentucky. Tilmon scored two points while Mark Smith added five points.
Vandy guard Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 19 points.
The Tigers return home to face Mississippi State for a 2:30 p.m. Saturday game at Mizzou Arena.
“We’re going to keep winning, keep growing, keep getting better,” Martin said. “We were stagnant early. I thought (Pinson) was stagnant. Just had to settle him down. He did much better in the second half.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 10:02 PM.