Mizzou basketball's efficient 3-point shooting, along with star performances from T.O. Barrett and Trent Pierce boosted the Tigers to a win over Mississippi State
Columbia, Mo. — Mizzou basketball could be put on tornado watch with its last week of hot-and-cold shooting.
The Tigers made four of their 21 3-pointers against Alabama on Tuesday night. They began the festivities against Mississippi State by sinking four of its first five deep balls.
T.O. Barrett knocked down his first two 3-pointers of the afternoon, making that back-to-back games with two makes from deep. He had made two 3-pointers in his entire collegiate career before his games against Alabama and Mississippi State — that number is now tripled.
Trent Pierce, who was making his first start of the season, also sunk his first two 3-pointers, the second of which was from a rather acrobatic shot from the left wing. His entrance to the starting lineup marks the second change in the last two weeks from head coach Dennis Gates, who previously inserted Barrett into the starting lineup after giving the team only a few minutes of notice — he did the same with Pierce.
"What I love about this team is they allow me to make the decisions," Gates said. "They trust me to be able to put them in certain spots, and they're as tough as they get... They go out and compete, give their very best regardless of the circumstance."
Jacob Crews, who swapped his spot in the starting lineup with Pierce, made each of his first two 3-pointers.
It did not take long for the cold front to return, though — Missouri made one 3-pointer in the final 27:00 of the game. Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard poured in 20 second-half points on 6-for-9 shooting, both of which allowed the Bulldogs to claw their way back into the game and cut the lead to 74-71 with less than three minutes remaining.
While the 3-point shooting fell off, Missouri kept its second-half lead by fixing a weakness — the Tigers shot 17-for-21 from the free-throw line in the second half and 25-for-33 on the game.
"That's good coaching," Gates joked. "I was able to telepathically get into their brain right there on the line, start whispering to them, 'Calm down, calm down'. And you just saw swish."
Perhaps the most energetic play of the afternoon was Annor Boateng's monster put-back dunk with 11:03 remaining in the second half. That energy was sucked out of the arena on Missouri's next offensive possession, as Boateng slipped and hit the ground hard on his way up for a second dunk.
He laid on the ground for minutes with Gates at his side before eventually standing up, boarding a stretcher and being wheeled off the court, saluting fans with a thumbs-up and a heart-shaped hands during his exit — a good sign within a concerning sequence.
"Speedy recovery to Annor Boateng," Gates said. "Don't know the specifics yet, but nine times out of 10, he'll be out for the remainder of the season."
The injury affected his teammates, but they pushed through for him.
"I know me personally, kind of messed with me a little bit mentally," Barrett said. "Just seeing my brother go down like that — you can see the pain on his face, like the facial expressions he made. But ultimately, we kept pushing through. We stayed together and kept it up for him."
Barrett finished with 16 points, marking his third consecutive game scoring in double figures. Pierce scored 13 of his own, while Mark Mitchell led the Tigers with 19 points.
Despite the late-game scare, Missouri picked up the win and now sits at 15-7 on the season and 5-4 in conference play. The Tigers now have a week-long break before beginning a road trip against South Carolina on Feb. 7 and Texas A&M on Feb. 11.