MIZZOU

Smiths lead No. 20 Missouri to 93-78 win over South Carolina

AP
Feb 20, 2021

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Dru Smith hopes all of Missouri Tigers's players-only meetings lead to this.

Smith said the 20th-ranked Tigers met without coaches heading into Saturday's game against South Carolina Gamecocks simply to make sure they were all of one mind heading down the season's final stretch.

Missouri certainly looked in synch, with Smith scoring 17 and Mark Smith 13 as the Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 93-78 victory over struggling South Carolina.

''You want to get everything out there,'' said Dru Smith, the redshirt senior. ''Anything that's going to help us, we want to get it out in the air.''

The result was a hot-shooting, defensive-minded performance, with Missouri playing as it has for most of the season.

''It was great for our guys to get that win,'' coach Cuonzo Martin said.

The Tigers (14-6, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) opened up a 19-point lead in the first half and stayed comfortably in front the rest of the way to sweep the Gamecocks (5-11, 3-9), who lost their fifth consecutive game.

The Smiths, unrelated senior starters, were a big reason for that as they powered Missouri's game-changing 25-12 run in the opening half.

After Trae Hannibal's second straight 3-pointer drew South Carolina to within 20-17 with 11 minutes left in the half, Mark Smith started the surge with 3 and Dru Smith followed with another from long distance.

By the time Dru Smith hit another 3 six minutes later, the Tigers were up 38-23 and cruising.

South Carolina rallied in the second half to slice its deficit to 59-52 on Justin Minaya's basket with 10 minutes left.

Then the Smiths got going again, with Mark scoring seven points and Dru four as the Tigers stretched the margin back to 73-56.

''We told ourselves, `We've got to nip this in the bud,' and that's exactly what we did,'' Mark Smith said.

The Gamecocks could not respond. Missouri shot 57.6%, the second time this season it has torched South Carolina after making a season-high 58.3% of its shots in an 81-70 victory last month.

''We continue to search for somebody to take ownership defensively. Defensively we're really bad,'' South Carolina coach Frank Martin said.

Missouri finished with five players in double figures. Jeremiah Tilmon had 17 points off a perfect shooting performance (5 of 5 from the field, 7 of 7 from the foul line), Xavier Pinson had 16 points and Kobe Brown 12, all in the opening half.

AJ Lawson had a game-high 22 points to lead South Carolina.

Missouri was contending for one of the top seeds - and the double-bye that comes with it - in the SEC Tournament before its three-game losing streak.

The Tigers' defense played a big role early on as South Carolina, 12th in league shooting percentage, went 1 of 12 during one stretch. The Gamecocks had missed seven straight when Lawson nailed a 30-footer at the buzzer to give Missouri a 45-29 lead at the half.

THE BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers had been one of the SEC's strongest teams before their losing streak. They played that way again. If the Smiths can continue hitting from the outside while Tilmon and Brown control the middle, they'll be difficult to beat.

South Carolina: It's been a true struggle for the Gamecocks to find consistency. Beyond Lawson and Keyshawn Bryant, South Carolina hasn't had a third scoring option to count on. It hasn't helped that point guard Jermaine Couisnard was out for a second straight game.

CUONZO MILESTONE

The victory was the 250th in Martin's career. The Tigers' fourth-year coach said he's grateful he's accomplished that many because wins ''are so hard to come by. I'll keep plugging along.''

TILMON RETURN

Jeremiah Tilmon had missed the past two games due to a death in his family. His return was a boost to the Tigers. ''Just to have him back, have his presence back, you could really feel it on the court,'' Mark Smith said.

UP NEXT

Missouri will face Mississippi at home Tuesday night.

South Carolina heads to Mississippi State on Wednesday night.

---

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

1st Half
MIZZ
Tigers
45
SCAR
Gamecocks
29

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Mitchell Smith vs. Wildens Leveque (Xavier Pinson gains possession)
19:41		Dru Smith turnover (bad pass)
19:28	+2	Keyshawn Bryant makes two point pullup jump shot	0-2
19:28		Mark Smith shooting foul (Keyshawn Bryant draws the foul)
19:28		Keyshawn Bryant misses regular free throw 1 of 1
19:28		Kobe Brown defensive rebound
19:15		Nathan Nelson shooting foul (Kobe Brown draws the foul)
19:15		Kobe Brown misses regular free throw 1 of 2
19:15	+1	Kobe Brown makes regular free throw 2 of 2	1-2
18:55	+2	Wildens Leveque makes two point layup	1-4
18:40	+2	Kobe Brown makes two point driving layup	3-4
18:27	+2	AJ Lawson makes two point layup (Keyshawn Bryant assists)	3-6
18:05	+2	Kobe Brown makes two point layup	5-6
17:53		Seventh Woods misses two point jump shot
17:51		Xavier Pinson defensive rebound
17:33	+3	Xavier Pinson makes three point jump shot (Dru Smith assists)	8-6
17:19		Keyshawn Bryant misses three point jump shot
17:12		Tigers defensive rebound
17:01		Kobe Brown misses two point jump shot
16:59		Wildens Leveque defensive rebound
16:48		AJ Lawson misses three point jump shot
16:46		Nathan Nelson offensive rebound
16:43		Mitchell Smith shooting foul (Keyshawn Bryant draws the foul)
16:43		Keyshawn Bryant misses regular free throw 1 of 2
16:43	+1	Keyshawn Bryant makes regular free throw 2 of 2	8-7
16:30	+3	Mark Smith makes three point jump shot (Dru Smith assists)	11-7
16:12		Seventh Woods misses three point jump shot
16:10		Xavier Pinson defensive rebound
16:04		Kobe Brown misses two point layup
16:02		Kobe Brown offensive rebound
16:01	+2	Kobe Brown makes two point putback layup	13-7
16:01		Nathan Nelson shooting foul (Kobe Brown draws the foul)
16:01		Kobe Brown misses regular free throw 1 of 1
16:01		Justin Minaya defensive rebound
15:53		Mark Smith personal foul
15:53		TV timeout
15:50	+2	Keyshawn Bryant makes two point jump shot	13-9
15:22		Torrence Watson misses three point jump shot
15:20		AJ Lawson defensive rebound
15:13		AJ Lawson turnover (bad pass) (Xavier Pinson steals)
15:08		Jalyn McCreary shooting foul (Jeremiah Tilmon draws the foul)
15:08	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 1 of 2	14-9
15:08	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 2 of 2	15-9
15:01		AJ Lawson misses three point jump shot
14:59		Tigers defensive rebound
14:31		Torrence Watson misses three point jump shot
14:29		Seventh Woods defensive rebound
14:12	+2	Seventh Woods makes two point driving layup	15-11
13:58		Seventh Woods shooting foul (Torrence Watson draws the foul)
13:58	+1	Torrence Watson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	16-11
13:58	+1	Torrence Watson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	17-11
13:43		Keyshawn Bryant misses two point jump shot
13:41		Jeremiah Tilmon defensive rebound
13:30	+3	Kobe Brown makes three point jump shot (Drew Buggs assists)	20-11
13:20		TJ Moss misses three point jump shot
13:18		Keyshawn Bryant offensive rebound
13:07	+3	Trae Hannibal makes three point jump shot (Justin Minaya assists)	20-14
12:34		Jeremiah Tilmon turnover (lost ball)
12:25		Dru Smith personal foul (TJ Moss draws the foul)
12:24		Jalyn McCreary misses two point jump shot
12:22		Keyshawn Bryant offensive rebound
12:03	+3	Trae Hannibal makes three point jump shot (TJ Moss assists)	20-17
11:38		Xavier Pinson misses three point jump shot
11:36		Trae Hannibal defensive rebound
11:27		TJ Moss turnover (lost ball) (Kobe Brown steals)
11:27		TV timeout
11:09	+3	Mark Smith makes three point jump shot (Dru Smith assists)	23-17
10:48		AJ Lawson misses two point jump shot
10:46		Tigers defensive rebound
10:25	+3	Dru Smith makes three point jump shot	26-17
10:11		Jalyn McCreary misses two point jump shot
10:09		Mark Smith defensive rebound
10:03	+2	Dru Smith makes two point layup (Mark Smith assists)	28-17
9:43		Keyshawn Bryant misses two point jump shot
9:41		Mark Smith defensive rebound
9:35		Mark Smith misses three point jump shot
9:33		Keyshawn Bryant defensive rebound
9:26		Kobe Brown shooting foul (Justin Minaya draws the foul)
9:26	+1	Justin Minaya makes regular free throw 1 of 2	28-18
9:26		Justin Minaya misses regular free throw 2 of 2
9:26		Tigers defensive rebound
9:18	+2	Xavier Pinson makes two point layup (Dru Smith assists)	30-18
9:06		TJ Moss misses three point jump shot
9:04		Mark Smith defensive rebound
8:48		Dru Smith turnover (bad pass)
8:28		Seventh Woods misses two point jump shot
8:26		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
8:20		Wildens Leveque personal foul
8:07		Keyshawn Bryant blocks Mitchell Smith's two point jump shot
8:05		AJ Lawson defensive rebound
7:59	+3	TJ Moss makes three point jump shot (AJ Lawson assists)	30-21
7:34		Drew Buggs turnover (bad pass)
7:34		TV timeout
7:19		Seventh Woods turnover (lost ball) (Kobe Brown steals)
7:13	+2	Kobe Brown makes two point driving dunk	32-21
7:01		TJ Moss misses three point jump shot
6:59		Kobe Brown defensive rebound
6:41		Wildens Leveque shooting foul (Drew Buggs draws the foul)
6:41		Drew Buggs misses regular free throw 1 of 2
6:41	+1	Drew Buggs makes regular free throw 2 of 2	33-21
6:26		Kobe Brown shooting foul (Justin Minaya draws the foul)
6:25	+1	Justin Minaya makes regular free throw 1 of 2	33-22
6:25	+1	Justin Minaya makes regular free throw 2 of 2	33-23
6:08		Javon Pickett misses two point layup
6:06		Justin Minaya defensive rebound
5:57		Seventh Woods misses two point layup
5:55		Torrence Watson defensive rebound
5:30		Tre-Vaughn Minott blocks Xavier Pinson's two point layup
5:28		Keyshawn Bryant defensive rebound
5:24		Javon Pickett personal foul (Keyshawn Bryant draws the foul)
5:24		Keyshawn Bryant misses regular free throw 1 of 1
5:24		Tre-Vaughn Minott offensive rebound
5:24		Tre-Vaughn Minott misses two point layup
5:22		Torrence Watson defensive rebound
5:04	+2	Parker Braun makes two point hook shot (Dru Smith assists)	35-23
4:54		Justin Minaya misses three point jump shot
4:52		Parker Braun defensive rebound
4:44		Xavier Pinson misses three point jump shot
4:42		Keyshawn Bryant defensive rebound
4:27		AJ Lawson offensive foul (Torrence Watson draws the foul)
4:27		AJ Lawson turnover
4:13	+3	Dru Smith makes three point jump shot	38-23
4:04		AJ Lawson misses three point jump shot
4:02		Tre-Vaughn Minott offensive rebound
3:57		Keyshawn Bryant misses two point dunk
3:55		Tigers defensive rebound
3:55		TV timeout
3:43		Justin Minaya personal foul (Torrence Watson draws the foul)
3:43	+1	Torrence Watson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	39-23
3:43	+1	Torrence Watson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	40-23
3:32	+3	AJ Lawson makes three point jump shot (Trae Hannibal assists)	40-26
3:10		Jalyn McCreary blocks Xavier Pinson's two point layup
3:08		Jalyn McCreary defensive rebound
3:04		Justin Minaya misses two point layup
3:02		Jeremiah Tilmon defensive rebound
2:51	+2	Jeremiah Tilmon makes two point layup (Xavier Pinson assists)	42-26
2:51		Trae Hannibal shooting foul (Jeremiah Tilmon draws the foul)
2:51	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 1 of 1	43-26
2:47		Trae Hannibal turnover (lost ball) (Xavier Pinson steals)
2:43	+2	Xavier Pinson makes two point layup	45-26
2:28		AJ Lawson misses two point layup
2:26		Jalyn McCreary offensive rebound
2:24		Dru Smith personal foul (Jalyn McCreary draws the foul)
2:24		Jalyn McCreary misses regular free throw 1 of 1
2:24		Javon Pickett defensive rebound
2:10		Drew Buggs misses two point jump shot
2:08		Trae Hannibal defensive rebound
1:57		Justin Minaya misses three point jump shot
1:55		Jalyn McCreary offensive rebound
1:55		Jalyn McCreary misses two point jump shot
1:53		Javon Pickett defensive rebound
1:33		Xavier Pinson misses two point jump shot
1:31		AJ Lawson defensive rebound
1:18		AJ Lawson misses three point jump shot
1:16		Tigers defensive rebound
0:45		Xavier Pinson misses three point jump shot
0:43		Jalyn McCreary defensive rebound
0:37		AJ Lawson misses three point jump shot
0:35		Justin Minaya offensive rebound
0:35		Jeremiah Tilmon blocks Justin Minaya's two point layup
0:33		Gamecocks offensive rebound
0:29		Keyshawn Bryant turnover (lost ball) (Drew Buggs steals)
0:26		Tigers 30 second timeout
0:08		Dru Smith misses three point jump shot
0:06		Jalyn McCreary defensive rebound
0:01	+3	AJ Lawson makes three point pullup jump shot	45-29
0:00		End of period

2nd Half
MIZZ
Tigers
48
SCAR
Gamecocks
49

Time		Play	Score
19:36		Mark Smith shooting foul (Keyshawn Bryant draws the foul)
19:36	+1	Keyshawn Bryant makes regular free throw 1 of 2	45-30
19:36	+1	Keyshawn Bryant makes regular free throw 2 of 2	45-31
19:16	+2	Xavier Pinson makes two point reverse layup	47-31
18:53	+2	Seventh Woods makes two point jump shot	47-33
18:36	+2	Xavier Pinson makes two point jump shot	49-33
18:21		Dru Smith shooting foul (AJ Lawson draws the foul)
18:21		AJ Lawson misses regular free throw 1 of 2
18:21	+1	AJ Lawson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	49-34
18:01		Kobe Brown turnover (bad pass) (Seventh Woods steals)
17:55	+2	Seventh Woods makes two point layup	49-36
17:51		Tigers 30 second timeout
17:51		TV timeout
17:39		Nathan Nelson shooting foul (Jeremiah Tilmon draws the foul)
17:39	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 1 of 2	50-36
17:39	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 2 of 2	51-36
17:24	+3	AJ Lawson makes three point jump shot (Keyshawn Bryant assists)	51-39
16:56		Kobe Brown turnover (Keyshawn Bryant steals)
16:48	+2	Keyshawn Bryant makes two point layup	51-41
16:34		Kobe Brown misses two point jump shot
16:32		Seventh Woods defensive rebound
16:16		Keyshawn Bryant misses two point jump shot
16:14		Kobe Brown defensive rebound
16:05		Kobe Brown turnover (bad pass) (AJ Lawson steals)
16:00		Drew Buggs shooting foul (AJ Lawson draws the foul)
16:00		TV timeout
16:00	+1	AJ Lawson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	51-42
16:00	+1	AJ Lawson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	51-43
15:44	+2	Javon Pickett makes two point layup (Parker Braun assists)	53-43
15:28		Nathan Nelson misses two point layup
15:26		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
15:16		Keyshawn Bryant personal foul (Javon Pickett draws the foul)
15:04		Wildens Leveque personal foul (Drew Buggs draws the foul)
14:46	+2	Drew Buggs makes two point fadeaway jump shot	55-43
14:34	+3	AJ Lawson makes three point jump shot (Seventh Woods assists)	55-46
14:09	+2	Javon Pickett makes two point jump shot	57-46
13:52		Keyshawn Bryant misses two point jump shot
13:50		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
13:35		Drew Buggs offensive foul
13:35		Drew Buggs turnover
13:17		AJ Lawson misses three point jump shot
13:15		Xavier Pinson defensive rebound
13:15		Trae Hannibal personal foul (Xavier Pinson draws the foul)
12:54		Justin Minaya blocks Javon Pickett's two point jump shot
12:52		AJ Lawson defensive rebound
12:53		AJ Lawson misses two point layup
12:51		Wildens Leveque offensive rebound
12:46	+2	Wildens Leveque makes two point putback layup	57-48
12:24		TJ Moss personal foul (Mark Smith draws the foul)
12:04	+2	Jeremiah Tilmon makes two point layup	59-48
11:56		Trae Hannibal turnover (bad pass) (Dru Smith steals)
11:51		Mark Smith misses three point jump shot
11:49		Kobe Brown offensive rebound
11:44		AJ Lawson personal foul
11:44		TV timeout
11:37		Kobe Brown misses three point jump shot
11:35		Wildens Leveque defensive rebound
11:28	+2	Trae Hannibal makes two point layup	59-50
11:20		Xavier Pinson misses two point layup
11:18		Wildens Leveque defensive rebound
10:54		Keyshawn Bryant turnover (lost ball) (Kobe Brown steals)
10:48		Kobe Brown misses two point layup
10:46		Wildens Leveque defensive rebound
10:40		Keyshawn Bryant misses two point layup
10:38		Justin Minaya offensive rebound
10:38	+2	Justin Minaya makes two point layup	59-52
10:16		Wildens Leveque personal foul (Jeremiah Tilmon draws the foul)
10:16	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 1 of 2	60-52
10:16	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 2 of 2	61-52
10:02		TJ Moss turnover (lost ball) (Dru Smith steals)
9:59	+2	Dru Smith makes two point layup	63-52
10:01		TJ Moss shooting foul (Dru Smith draws the foul)
10:01	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 1	64-52
9:44	+2	TJ Moss makes two point jump shot	64-54
9:15		TJ Moss personal foul (Dru Smith draws the foul)
9:15	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 2	65-54
9:15	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2	66-54
9:09		TJ Moss misses three point jump shot
9:07		Jeremiah Tilmon defensive rebound
9:02	+2	Mark Smith makes two point layup (Dru Smith assists)	68-54
8:55		Drew Buggs personal foul
8:54		Dru Smith personal foul (AJ Lawson draws the foul)
8:50	+2	TJ Moss makes two point jump shot	68-56
8:22	+2	Mark Smith makes two point jump shot	70-56
8:10		AJ Lawson misses two point jump shot
8:08		Mark Smith defensive rebound
7:55	+3	Mark Smith makes three point jump shot (Mitchell Smith assists)	73-56
7:52		Gamecocks 30 second timeout
7:52		TV timeout
7:32		Seventh Woods misses two point jump shot
7:30		Jalyn McCreary offensive rebound
7:22	+2	Jalyn McCreary makes two point jump shot	73-58
7:04	+2	Jeremiah Tilmon makes two point layup	75-58
6:49		Keyshawn Bryant misses two point jump shot
6:47		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
6:35	+3	Torrence Watson makes three point jump shot (Drew Buggs assists)	78-58
6:20		Mitchell Smith shooting foul (Seventh Woods draws the foul)
6:19	+1	Seventh Woods makes regular free throw 1 of 2	78-59
6:19	+1	Seventh Woods makes regular free throw 2 of 2	78-60
6:09		Mark Smith misses two point jump shot
6:07		Justin Minaya defensive rebound
5:55	+2	Keyshawn Bryant makes two point dunk (Jalyn McCreary assists)	78-62
5:34	+2	Parker Braun makes two point layup (Drew Buggs assists)	80-62
5:21		Drew Buggs shooting foul (AJ Lawson draws the foul)
5:21		AJ Lawson misses regular free throw 1 of 2
5:21	+1	AJ Lawson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	80-63
5:07	+2	Xavier Pinson makes two point layup	82-63
4:59		Mitchell Smith shooting foul (AJ Lawson draws the foul)
4:59	+1	AJ Lawson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	82-64
4:59	+1	AJ Lawson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	82-65
4:35		Torrence Watson misses three point jump shot
4:33		Gamecocks defensive rebound
4:19		Torrence Watson shooting foul (AJ Lawson draws the foul)
4:19	+1	AJ Lawson makes regular free throw 1 of 2	82-66
4:19	+1	AJ Lawson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	82-67
4:06	+2	Jeremiah Tilmon makes two point jump shot (Kobe Brown assists)	84-67
3:56	+2	Trae Hannibal makes two point dunk	84-69
3:48	+3	Xavier Pinson makes three point jump shot (Dru Smith assists)	87-69
3:47		Tigers 30 second timeout
3:47		TV timeout
3:34	+2	Trae Hannibal makes two point driving layup	87-71
3:33		Xavier Pinson shooting foul (Trae Hannibal draws the foul)
3:33	+1	Trae Hannibal makes regular free throw 1 of 1	87-72
3:13	+2	Jeremiah Tilmon makes two point layup	89-72
3:08		AJ Lawson misses three point jump shot
3:06		Mark Smith defensive rebound
2:35		Xavier Pinson misses three point jump shot
2:33		Jeremiah Tilmon offensive rebound
2:18	+2	Dru Smith makes two point driving layup	91-72
2:05	+2	Keyshawn Bryant makes two point layup	91-74
2:05		Xavier Pinson personal foul (Keyshawn Bryant draws the foul)
2:05		Keyshawn Bryant misses regular free throw 1 of 1
2:05		Kobe Brown defensive rebound
1:43	+2	Dru Smith makes two point jump shot	93-74
1:30	+2	Keyshawn Bryant makes two point jump shot	93-76
0:56		Dru Smith misses two point jump shot
0:54		Wildens Leveque defensive rebound
0:46		Keyshawn Bryant misses three point jump shot
0:44		Dru Smith defensive rebound
0:14		Tigers turnover (shot clock violation)
0:09	+2	Trae Hannibal makes two point jump shot	93-78
0:00		End of period

+ 2

Trae Hannibal makes two point jump shot