COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball dropped its SEC road opener to South Carolina, 85-75, on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers fell to 9-5 (0-2) on the season. Mizzou shot 44.4 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from beyond the arc, but committed 20 turnovers in the loss.
Freshman Javon Pickett led Mizzou with a career-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Pickett, senior Jordan Geist and sophomore Mark Smith combined for 49 of Mizzou’s 75 points. Smith and Pickett were a perfect 9-for-9 combined from the charity stripe.
TURNING POINT
With Mizzou trailing 73-67, Geist rocketed a pass to Pickett, who drained a corner triple to cut the deficit to just three with 3:13 remaining in the contest. South Carolina responded though, sinking a 3-pointer of its own just 29 seconds later to make it a two-possession game.
The Gamecocks would go on a 10-2 run in the final minutes to seize an 11-point advantage. Mizzou was unable to get within seven for the rest of the game.
TOP TIGERS
- Freshman Javon Pickett reached double figures for the fourth time in his career, finishing with a career-high 21 points. It marked the first game of his career with 20+ points. He made 7-of-11 shots from the field and a career-high four free throws. He matched his career-high with two steals.
- Mark Smith continued his lights out shooting, making 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. He wound up with 14 points behind a season-high five made free throws.
- Senior guard Jordan Geist has now reached double figures in six consecutive games, the longest streak of his career. He posted 14 points and five assists against South Carolina on Sunday.
GAME NOTES
- Mizzou made 10 3-pointers on Sunday. The Tigers have drained double-digit treys in a game six times this season.
- Mizzou won the battle on the glass, outrebounding South Carolina, 31-27. Mizzou has outrebounded its opponent 11 times in 14 games this season.
- With his 3-of-6 performance from deep, Mark Smith kept his SEC-best shooting percentage up. He now is shooting 47.3 percent from three this season.
- With his 14 points against the Gamecocks, Geist has now scored in double figures in 10 of his last 11 games.
