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Post-Game Report: Mizzou protects its lead, snaps skid at South Carolina

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For a brief period during the second half, Missouri fans must have felt an unpleasant sense of deja vu. The Tigers, who saw a 13-point second-half lead turn into a 10-point loss at Georgia on Tuesday, had led South Carolina by as many as 19 points late in the first half but saw the Gamecocks cut the gap to seven with about 10 minutes to play.

But this time, with Jeremiah Tilmon back on the floor after missing the past two games, Missouri regained control. Two free throws from Tilmon and a fastbreak and-one for Dru Smith sparked a 14-4 run, and the Tigers never looked back from there, cruising to a 93-78 victory. The win lifted Missouri back above .500 in conference play and marked the team's first two-game sweep of an opponent since the 2013-14 season.

Here's our recap of the win, including what we learned.

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Jeremiah TIlmon made all five of his field goals and all seven free throws in his return from a two-game leave of absence.
Jeremiah TIlmon made all five of his field goals and all seven free throws in his return from a two-game leave of absence. (Zach Bland/Mizzou Athletics)

* It didn't take long for a familiar script to emerge during the second half. South Carolina scored seven quick points to Missouri's four, and head coach Cuonzo Martin sensed the momentum shift, calling a timeout just 2:07 into the half. The Gamecocks would later use a pair of transition layups off missed Tiger shots to cut their deficit to seven points with 10:32 to play.

But unlike the loss at Georgia, as well as a few other second-half collapses this season, Missouri settled down and took the momentum back. Tilmon drew a foul on the team's next possession and made both free throws. Dru Smith then stripped South Carolina's TJ Moss, drove the length of the court, scored and drew a foul. The two scores started a 14-4 run that returned control of the game to Missouri.

"We were just kind of able to settle ourselves down, get back into the groove of the game, kind of take control of everything," Smith said of the sequence. "So yeah, I think that was a big turning point for us.”

Martin said after the game he didn't mind being in another situation where his team had to fight to keep a sizable second-half lead from unraveling, saying it builds character. Tiger fans might not have been as thrilled to see the gap close. But Saturday's script unfolded differently than the team's losses to Georgia and Mississippi State because the offense executed almost flawlessly down the stretch.

Missouri turned the ball over four times during the first 6:30 of the second half. The Tigers wouldn't give the ball away again until a shot clock violation in the final minute. Starting with Smith's steal and layup, the team made six straight shots and 13 out of its next 16, as well as all seven of its free throw attempts in the second half.

Mark Smith, who chipped in 13 points, including seven in a row during the 14-4 run, said the offensive execution resulted from a renewed emphasis on moving the ball and not letting the offense get stagnant.

"I felt like we were moving a lot," he said. "We’ve been working on that in practice, not being so stagnant, and I thought it showed today. We did a great job.”

Martin said he was proud of his team for remaining poised when South Carolina got within single digits. Rather than panicking, the Tigers played some of their best basketball of the season in the final 10 minutes.

“That was great for our guys to get that win because we’ve been in those situations before and they kind of went south on us," Martin said. "And we’ve won our share, but some went south on us. But just to regroup, settle down, let’s lock in on what we need to do and find a way to win the game, because again, you don’t want to be in that situation, but it will help you down the road because you’ve been there."

* Martin said he could see the impact of Tilmon's return before the team ever took the floor Saturday. His presence was certainly visible once he was on it. After taking a two-game leave of absence following the death of his grandmother last week, Tilmon came off the bench Saturday and played just 21 minutes, but he certainly made the most of them.

Tilmon didn't miss a shot, converting all five of his field goal attempts and all seven free throws. He finished the game with 17 points, four rebounds and zero fouls.

"Jeremiah’s presence alone — I felt like he was, if you had to pick four guys in our conference, MVP level guys, he was that guy before he left," Martin said, "and if he’s making free throws like that, it’s extremely hard (to defend him)."

Tilmon's production aside, his sheer presence on the roster helped Missouri. Martin noted that seeing a player battle grief had affected the locker room over the past week. On the floor, Tilmon demanded attention from South Carolina, who he lit up for 19 points and 10 rebounds in the first meeting between the two teams this season, which opened up scoring opportunities for his teammates.

"Just having him out there, just having that presence in the post gets other guys open looks," Dru Smith said of Tilmon. "We saw several times where he had it in the post, dumped it off and either we got a layup, he got an assist and got a layup or it was a one-more (pass), but from him posted up. So just having his presence on the floor is something that you can’t really replace, so it was definitely nice to have him back, and obviously we’re all happy and energy’s lifted a little bit just to get him back in the locker room and just have him around.”

* Tilmon may have been the headliner, but he was far from the only Missouri player to come through with a big game Saturday. Missouri had nine players score and six contribute at least a dozen points. Dru Smith tied Tilmon with 17, Xavier Pinson had 16, Mark Smith had 13 and Kobe Brown chipped in 12.

"I think our balance comes in on both sides of the basketball," Martin said. "When we’re defending and we’re playing hard, then we can have balance. We get those live-ball turnovers, they’re scoring the ball, bad shots because the ball isn’t moving, that’s where we struggle as a team. We keep that ball flying through the air, keep eyes moving, we’re a different team.”

Brown played a key role in building Missouri's lead. He picked up where he left off when he scored a career-high 21 points at Georgia, scoring all 12 of his points during the first 14 minutes of the game. His coach and teammates were happy to see his aggressive mindset continue even with Tilmon back on the floor.

"I think Kobe gives us a huge lift, and I think that he’s just playing more aggressive," Dru Smith said. "I don’t think he’s doing a lot of things differently, I just think whenever he has the ball in his hands and he’s getting those touches, he’s making plays and he’s looking to get to the basket, get fouled and knock shots down. So I think just playing confidently and playing aggressive is the only thing that’s really changed for him.”

Mark Smith reached double figures for the second game in a row, as well. The senior went through a rough patch that lasted much of conference play, as he failed to score more than seven points in seven of Missouri's last 11 games entering Saturday. Against South Carolina, however, he made three of five three-pointers and grabbed five rebounds to go along with his 13 points. He didn't turn the ball over.

Martin said the team did a good job of getting Mark Smith open looks in rhythm. As usual with the streaky shooter, his draining his first three of the game was a sign of things to come.

"Mark needs to have the ball to be able to make shots and make plays, and once he’s doing that, he’s getting out and running the passing lanes, he’s a very effective basketball player," Martin said. "But if he’s not getting shots, he’s standing, that makes it very hard, now all of a sudden, you’re talking about a guy that wants to shoot the ball, now he’s rushing, forcing opportunities."

* The most important of the above group of players to Missouri's win was probably Pinson. The junior point guard struggled during Missouri's losses to Ole Miss and Georgia, averaging 8.5 points, three assists and four turnovers in those two games.

Against South Carolina, he looked much more controlled and played a key role in keeping the Tiger offense moving. Pinson finished the game with 16 points and no turnovers in 24 minutes. But Martin came away even more impressed with his defense, an area he has criticized a few times in recent weeks.

“Well that was a good day," Martin said of Pinson's performance. "I thought this was one of his best efforts in a long time on the defensive side of the ball. ... I think with him, when he takes pride in playing defense and doing those things, he’s a different player and we’re a different team. That’s what we need from him, and he can’t compromise that part. He has to take pride on the defensive side of the ball."

* The Missouri players recognized the importance of ending their losing streak at three games. Mark Smith revealed that, before the team left for South Carolina, it held a players-only meeting to "make sure we were all on the same page." Both Smith and Martin said the team felt like it beat itself with issues like poor shot selection and defensive execution against Arkansas and Georgia, and the players wanted to make sure they addressed those issues.

“You just hope that you get everything out there," Dru Smith said of the meeting. "Anything that’s on your chest, anything that’s been bugging anyone, anything that anyone has to say that they think can help. Anything that’s going to help us, we want to get it out in the air. Just try to understand where we’re struggling and what we can get better at and just figure out ways that we as a team without the coaches think that we can fix that and correct it.”

Mark Smith attributed the team's ability to withstand South Carolina's second-half charge and execute down the stretch to the meeting.

"I feel like we’re even closer now," he said. "We were really a close group before this, but now we had that meeting, I feel like we’re even closer and I feel like you could definitely feel the differences out there on the court, how we were.”

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: One of the themes of Missouri's problematic second halves this season has been racking up fouls quickly and giving opponents plentiful trips to the free throw line. It didn't bite the Tigers, but that trend continued Saturday. Thanks to 12 Missouri fouls, South Carolina shot 16 free throws in the final 20 minutes compared to seven for the Tigers. Missouri benefited from the Gamecocks shooting 68 percent from the line, 17-25, on the game.

STAR OF THE GAME: Lots of players contributed to the Missouri win, but Tilmon's performance stands out. The big man showed impressive levels of patience and poise, coming off the bench and making the most of his limited touches. The past week has provided a stark illustration of his importance to the Tiger team.

"Just to have him back and his presence back, you can definitely feel it today out on the court," Mark Smith said. "He did a great job coming back, not playing for two games, and he did a great job, he looked really good. Looked like he didn’t miss a beat.”

WHAT IT MEANS: This isn't a win that's going to stand out on Missouri's resume, but the Tigers desperately needed to end their three-game skid before the wheels fell completely off. They accomplished just that. Missouri now finds itself a half-game back of Florida for fourth place in the SEC standings. The Tigers should have an NCAA Tournament berth all but wrapped up, assuming they can at least manage to beat Texas A&M at home next weekend. The win also marked the 250th career victory for Martin.

QUOTABLE: “Truthfully, I just found out after the game. ... I’m grateful. I want to be clear, I know there are more important things in life than me winning ball games. But I truly appreciate all of them because they’re so hard to come by, and we just keep plugging along.” -- Cuonzo Martin on his 250th victory

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