Mark Mitchell scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Missouri held off Vanderbilt 75-66 Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
Anthony Robinson II scored 15 points and dished eight assists and Caleb Grill added 13 points as the Tigers (13-3, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) extended their home winning streak to 13 games.
Jason Edwards led the Commodores (13-3, 1-2) with 20 points. MJ Collins added 13 points with five rebounds and Chris Manon scored 10.
The Commodores trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half, but they rallied to close within 61-60 on Manon’s 3-pointer with 5:32 left in the game.
Three free throws by Edwards left Vanderbilt down 68-66 with 2:11 remaining before Missouri closed it out, with Grill and Mitchell combining to score the game’s final seven points.
The Commodores missed their final five shots and finished the game shooting 40.4 percent from the floor.
The Tigers surged ahead early. Tamar Bates hit a 3-point jumper and Robinson followed a step-back three with a scoop shot in the lane to help propel Missouri to a 14-2 lead.
Vanderbilt cut its deficit to 15-10 with 3-pointers by Manon and Collins, followed by Devin McGlockton’s dunk off an inbounds play.
The Tigers pushed out to a 29-14 margin with a 12-2 run sparked by Mitchell, who dunked off a cut to the basket and converted a fastbreak layup.
The Commodores answered with eight straight points from Edwards. He first notched a layup following a steal, then added three-point play and a 3-point jumper to trim the deficit to 29-22.
Missouri scored the next 10 points, capped by Trent Pierce’s 3-pointer that pushed the lead to 39-22 with 4:49 left in the first half. Vanderbilt cut the halftime margin to 41-32, using a 10-2 run that featured treys from Tyler Nickel and Collins.
Manon scored two transition baskets during a 9-0 run early in the second half as Vanderbilt trimmed its deficit to 49-46.
Bates and Grill stabilized Missouri with 3-point jumpers to push the lead to 61-52. After Manon’s corner 3-pointer capped an 8-0 Vanderbilt surge, Bates stemmed the tide with a transition dunk to boost the Tigers ahead 63-60.
–Field Level Media
