Tamar Bates shone with 25 points, leading No. 21 Missouri to a solid 85-73 victory over Mississippi State on Thursday night, propelling them into the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament.
Teammate Tony Perkins also made a significant impact, contributing a season-best 20 points for the seventh-seeded Tigers, who hold a 22-10 record. Their next challenge will come against No. 4 Florida on Friday night, marking the tournament debut for the Gators.
Mississippi State (21-12), the 10th seed in the SEC, saw strong performances from Josh Hubbard, who scored 24 points, and Keshawn Murphy, who added 18.
A pivotal moment came when Caleb Grill sank a 3-pointer just as the first half concluded, giving the Tigers a slight edge at 39-34.
Unlike their previous encounter, where the Tigers had a dominating 88-61 victory in Starkville, Thursday’s game proved much more competitive.
For Mississippi State, despite the defeat, the loss doesn’t heavily damage their chances of securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament — a respectable conclusion to their season being all but assured.
For Missouri, the encounter signified their first step in the SEC Tournament. They had to exert significant effort to maintain control in the latter half, as Mississippi State kept the score tight until the closing moments. Their upcoming face-off against the formidable Gators is expected to be an even tougher ordeal.
The match’s turning point was marked by a decisive play from Grill, who broke a 71-71 deadlock with a slam dunk, setting the score at 71-69 with just over four minutes left in the second half. That dunk, coupled with his buzzer-beater three-pointer, summed up his en-tire scoring output for the night.
Statistically, Missouri’s high shooting accuracy toward the end made a significant difference, as they connected on six of their final seven shot attempts, whereas Mississippi State only managed to convert one of their last nine field goal tries.
Looking forward, Missouri will be squaring off against the highly-ranked Florida Gators, while Mississippi State awaits to discover their post-season fate during Selection Sunday.
