Mizzou basketball survives Bradley’s upset bid, Tilmon comes up huge down the stretch
The Missouri men’s basketball team looked like it was done. Bradley was headed to the line with a chance to seal the game, but a miss on the front end of a one-and-one had the Tigers scrambling downcourt.
That sent MU guard Xavier Pinson sprinting toward the paint, where he found forward Jeremiah Tilmon, who was nearly underneath the basket.
Tilmon fought through contact, making the crucial and-1 layup to tie the score. The senior forward sank the pressure-packed free throw, delivering a last-second 54-53 comeback win for the No. 14-ranked Tigers on Tuesday at Mizzou Arena.
“Thankful to get the win,” MU coach Cuonzo Martin said after the game. “I thought they had a great game plan. They did a great job protecting the paint.”
Bradley looked it was under control when it took an eight-point lead with less than four minutes remaining. The Tigers, sluggish all night, had been grinding and didn’t appear to have the offensive firepower to spark a comeback.
But the Tigers (6-0) found a way to get it done against the Braves (6-3), preserving their undefeated record.
While Mizzou had a slim halftime lead, the Braves were unwilling to back down. Bradley came out hot in the second half to take the lead. After some back-and-forth, the Braves built their largest lead of the night. The Tigers had to battle back from there, finishing the game on a 12-3 run.
Pinson led the Tigers with 15 points, but it was Tilmon who shouldered the burden down the stretch. He finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Mizzou hadn’t played in a game since Dec. 12, the Braggin’ Rights victory over Illinois. A canceled game against Prairie View A&M because of COVID-19 considerations forced a longer-than-expected stretch of practice.
The Tigers are back in action at 8 p.m. Dec. 30 against No. 8 Tennessee at Mizzou Arena in the SEC opener.
“We knew it would be a grinder,” Martin said. “Like I said to our guys today during shootaround. We can’t have one foot out the door for the holidays. We gotta finish this mission and it won’t be an easy one just because of the mental part of a game like this. We found a way to win.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 8:12 PM.