COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou and Oklahoma renewed an old Big-12 rivalry on Wednesday night in Columbia and it was the Tigers who came out on top 82-58.
With the Tigers 40 total points in the first half, the game was a slow and methodical one with both teams combining for 19 total fouls in the first half. The pace was slowed and the Tigers and Dennis Gates adapted to the game style throughout.
From the jump, Mizzou (17-6, 7-4 SEC) wasn’t afraid to attack the Sooners inside, as Tamar Bates and Josh Gray both drove hard to the cup and finished with strong dunks.
Mark Mitchell scored 19 inside the first half, with all of his points coming from inside the paint or the midrange. This point total marked his eclipse of the 1000 point total for his collegiate career.
If Mizzou gets this version of his scoring, the Tigers will continue to be a tough matchup for their opponents come March.
“Mark Mitchell was coming off a game that I wasn’t happy about at Texas A&M,” Tigers coach Dennis Gates said. “I was not happy with his performance at all, and sitting on the bench, I think he got the message to be able to come out and respond how he responded with 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists and going 13-18 from the line. I saw the focus, and I saw his behavior change as it relates to me, getting his attention, so I’m proud of him.”
Oklahoma’s (17-6, 3-8 SEC) reliance on the 3-pointer proved to be their downfall in the first half. The Sooners shot 3-of-13 from the 3-point arc by halftime and 7-of-32 from the floor. Oklahoma ranked top six in 3-point percentage and in the bottom half in offensive rebounding nationally. The opposite was true for them in this matchup against Missouri.
“It’s a combination of their length, effort and athleticism,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. “They’re constantly denying you, going for turnovers, and I thought it affected our guards.”
The second-chance points were where the Sooners found their scoring, besting Mizzou 11-2 in that category. 13 turnovers and an inability to provide an answer for Mark Mitchell ultimately doomed Oklahoma. Jalon Moore and the Sooners’ other traditional centers provided little resistance to the Kansas City native who bullied his way inside for multiple dunks in the first half.
The beginning of the second half brought less scoring for both teams. Around the under-16 timeout, both teams were in a scoring drought, Mizzou for 2:10, Oklahoma for 2:30. At the 12:49 mark, fouls became a factor as Oklahoma sat at 7 personals and Mizzou at 5.
Tony Perkins was the Tiger churning out most of his points on the scoresheet in the final frame. Eight of his 10 points came in the second-half on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor.
“[My Big Ten experience] helps a lot because when it gets late in the season, you want teams to stay together and not fade apart,” Perkins said. “Having that experience allows me to bring everyone together, stay straight headed and not lean to left and to right.”
In the half, Oklahoma outscored Mizzou inside the paint 16-14, but the deficit was too great for the Sooners to mount a second-half comeback.
Mizzou will look to keep up the momentum at Georgia (16-9, 4-8 SEC) 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Oklahoma aims to bounce back at home vs. LSU (12-11, 1-9 SEC) 5 p.m. Saturday.