Missouri
16-7,6-4SEC
South Carolina
11-13,2-9SEC
Strong Defensive Effort Lifts Men's Basketball to SEC Win
2/7/2026 2:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Mizzou men's basketball team put together its best defensive effort of the season in earning a 78-59 victory at South Carolina on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers improve to 16-7 on the year and 6-4 in SEC contests, while the Gamecocks drop to an 11-13 overall mark and 2-9 against league foes.
MIZZOU LEADERS
Graduate Jayden Stone led the Tigers with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, a 3-of-4 clip from beyond-the-arch and 5-of-6 at the charity stripe. His stat line also included three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Senior Mark Mitchell registered his 10th 20-point performance and third double-double of the season, tallying 20 points and game-high marks in rebounds (11) and assists (five).
Sophomore T.O. Barrett rounded out Missouri's trio of double-digit scorers, chipping in 14 to the Tigers' total. He added seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
GAME RECAP
The stout Missouri defense allowed the Tigers to race out to a 10-2 lead. A pair of Mitchell triples contributed to a 13-point, 21-8 advantage at the 10-minute mark as the visitors held the hosts to just 3-of-18 shooting to start the game.
A 13-3 Gamecock run erased the double-digit advantage, coming within three. The teams traded blows in the waning moments of the half as Mizzou led by four heading to the locker room.
The Tigers were quick out of the gates in the second half, using a 15-3 run in the opening seven minutes to reach a 14-point lead, 49-35. The teams traded scores through the second half, with the Gamecocks closing within seven.
Missouri, however, assembled a 19-5 run, including a pair of threes from Stone, to put the game out of reach and seal the victory, 78-59.
TEAM STATS
Missouri shot 46.3 percent in the winning effort with a 21-of-30 clip (70.0 percent) from the free-throw line, while collecting 44 rebounds and 16 assists as a team.
The Tigers held the Gamecocks to 17-of-55 (30.9 percent) from the field and a 3-of-22 mark (13.6 percent) from beyond the arch, with six team blocks. Both marks are season-bests for the Mizzou defense, while the 59 points allowed also ties its season low.
UP NEXT
Missouri travels to College Station, Texas, this Wednesday for a late-evening matchup with Texas A&M. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. and is broadcast live on SEC Network.
