Missouri withstands furious comeback, earns bounce-back win over Vanderbilt
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Missouri basketball had to sweat out all 40 minutes it took to take down No. 19 Vanderbilt on Wednesday night, 81-80.
The Tigers jumped out to a big lead, but saw their advantage slowly trickle away as the second half wore on. Vanderbilt just refused to go away and ended up scoring 50 points in the second half. Even when the game finally seemed over, Vanderbilt hit a late three, stole the inbounds and missed a 60-foot shot to win it by mere inches. Check it out:
Keep in mind that Missouri led by 21 points with about 9 minutes remaining in the second half and 11 points with 5 minutes remaining. But despite this, a balanced scoring effort got it done for a Tigers team that has now won 4 of its last 5.
Jayden Stone, as he’s been doing all season, led the way for the Tigers on Wednesday night. The Detroit Mercy transfer dropped a team-high 19 points with 7 rebounds. TO Barrett and Trent Pierce added 16 points of their own, and Mark Mitchell wowed with a career-high 9 assists.
The Tigers needed this win badly. Missouri was sitting firmly on the bubble heading into this matchup, and while their work is far from over, this is a massive win for their resume against other bubble teams. As it currently stands, Kalshi gives Missouri a 54% chance to reach the tournament following last night’s game.
Missouri will be back in action on Saturday against No. 20 Arkansas.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
