Jayden Stone scored 22 points and Mark Mitchell added 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists as Missouri used strong starts at the beginning of each half in a 78-59 victory over South Carolina on Saturday in Columbia, S.C.
T.O. Barrett added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Tigers (16-7, 6-4 Southeastern Conference), who handed the Gamecocks (11-13, 2-9) their fifth straight loss.
The win improves Missouri’s chances of advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years. The team squarely is on the bubble right now.
Meechie Johnson, coming off a career-high 35 points against Texas on Tuesday, shot just 2-for-13 from the field, including 1-for-7 from beyond the arc. He made 8 of 10 free throw attempts and still led South Carolina with 13 points.
Kobe Knox and Elijah Strong had 12 points apiece and Eli Ellis came off the bench to contribute 11 points and six rebounds.
Mitchell had 10 points and eight rebounds in the game’s first seven minutes as the Tigers dominated the glass offensively en route to seizing a 21-8 lead. Missouri’s 12 offensive rebounds in the first half were the most it has had in a half this season.
Strong came off the bench to spark the Gamecocks, scoring eight points to get South Carolina within four points at 34-30 at the break.
Mike Sharavjamts scored on a layup to open the second half, but the Tigers went on a 17-5 run to again take control of the game. Stone scored 14 of his game-high 22 in the second half, including a series of high-flying dunks.
Missouri, the worst free-throw shooting team in the SEC, came into the game shooting 58% from the charity stripe on the road in conference play. The team made 70% (21 for 30) of its shots to help seal the win.
Trent Pierce added eight points and five rebounds for Missouri, which held a commanding 44-28 advantage on the boards.
Sharavjamts added nine points and five rebounds for the Gamecocks.
