3 Takeaways From Mizzou's Narrow Victory Over Jacksonville State

Three thoughts from a closer-than-expected Missouri Tigers win that helped place a 10 in the win column.

Dec 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Anthony Robinson II (0) dunks the ball as LIU Sharks guard Blake Lander (2) looks on during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It wasn't the prettiest Missouri Tigers victory, but after pulling away late in the second half, Dennis Gates and his Tiger squad secured an 83-72 victory over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.

Forward Mark Mitchell propelled the Tigers ahead of the Gamecocks with 6:05 remaining in the second and after a few minutes of back-and-forth scoring, Missouri pulled away. Jacksonville State did nearly everything right against Missouri, shooting well from the perimeter and winning the rebounding battle. Despite losing in some of those statistical categories, the Tigers gritted a win out against a surprisingly challenging non-conference opponent.

With this victory, Missouri improved to 10-1 on the season, having won all 10 of those games consecutively. Its next matchup is on a neutral court in St. Louis on Dec. 22 against the Illinois Fighting Illini. It will be its fourth challenging road matchup in the non-conference slate of its schedule and an important one to boost its resume for a potential NCAA Tournament birth.

Here are three quick takeaways from Missouri's tenth win on the season.

Resiliency

Point blank, Missouri looked awful for most of this matchup. If it weren't for some help off the bench and some made shots late down the stretch, the Tigers might have suffered a catastrophic second loss. They didn't, mainly due to Gates' team's ability to punch back when Jacksonville State went on a run.

To open the game, the Gamecocks went on a 7-0 run. Jamar Franklin hit the first bucket from the perimeter and the rest were scored by Jacksonville State's leading scorer, Jaron Pierre. Shortly after, Missouri guard Tony Perkins scored the next eight points for the Tigers, quickly putting them back in the game. The rest of the battle would go the exact same way, with Jacksonville State going on a run and Missouri finding a response. A pair of free throws from Mitchell slotted Missouri ahead of the Gamecocks by three midway through the first half, giving the Gamecocks a chance to respond. Franklin hit a triple shortly after.

The second half went the exact same way. Missouri's ability to stay connected, whether they were ahead or behind, is a testament to this team's mindset and coaching. It would be easy to give up in a game like the one that occurred, especially against a team Missouri was supposed to beat on paper. Though it was only a 6-5 opponent and not a team with a better record, the Tigers now have a game they can look back on and say that they were tested and battled through.

Bench Production

The Tigers scored 83 points in this win, 40 of which came off the bench. Even more impressive, those 40 points came from the same three players. This wasn't its best performance from the bench talent this season but it was arguably the most impactful of any game so far, outside of the 66 bench points against Mississippi Valley State.

Senior guard Jacob Crews led the way for Missouri, finishing the game with 19 points. He did almost all of his work from the perimeter, making six triples on nine attempts while going one-for-two from the free-throw line. Crews efficiently hit big shot after big shot in the second half, making four of his six then. He made two of those in an important stretch of the game when the Tigers were battling to take the lead, doing just that.

Missouri's other two bench contributors, forward Trent Pierce and guard Marques Warrick, also helped with the three-point barrage. Pierce made two triples and finished with 12 points, with Warrick making one and finishing with nine. Both were efficient scorers as well, shooting above 50% from the field and the three-point line. Without those bench contributions, who knows how this game goes for the Tigers. This is yet another example of Missouri's effective reserves, which will prove useful in SEC play.

Rebounding Lapse

For the most part this season, Missouri has won the rebounding battle against its opponents. They've won the rebounding competition in six of its eleven games so far, three of which came against Kansas, California and Memphis. They lost another against Jacksonville State, a team littered with size and physicality. It was a perfect nightmare for the Tigers to handle. Jacksonville State grabbed 39 total rebounds to Missouri's 28, tied for the largest margin in a game where the Tigers were outrebounded.

The offensive glass was clearly an emphasis for Jacksonville State, securing 16 offensive rebounds to Missouri's nine. Forward Michael Houge grabbed five and Franklin grabbed three. All of Jacksonville State's forwards weighed more than 200 pounds, matching up well with forwards like Pierce. Center Mason Nicholson grabbed nine total rebounds, being one of three to tally nine boards.

Pierre, despite his shorter stature and guard tendencies, also grabbed nine boards. Houge secured nine himself off the bench as well. Mitchell and center Josh Gray led the way for the Tigers in the rebounding department, which hasn't been an issue for either player this season. They struggled more in this battle and Gray found a challenging match against Nicholson, who matched his physicality nearly perfectly.

Playing physical basketball hasn't been much of an issue for the Tigers, but tonight Missouri looked a little weaker in this victory. In a game where there was little flow and momentum and a smaller winter-break crowd trying to make themselves a part of the game, the conditions weren't normal. Missouri will play stronger and tougher teams than Jacksonville State and either winning or keeping the rebounding margin close together will be important to rack up victories.

More Missouri Tigers News:

Bench Performances Help Lift Mizzou Tigers Ahead of Jacksonville State
Everything Dennis Gates Said After Close Win Over Jacksonville State
Dennis Gates Eager to See Development of Mizzou Freshman in Winter Stretch