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No. 18 Missouri holds off second-half surge to beat Kentucky

AP
Feb 03, 2021

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Dru Smith scored a season-high 26 points, Xavier Pinson added 14 and No. 18 Missouri withstood a second-half charge to beat Kentucky 75-70 on Wednesday night.

Smith also had seven rebounds and five assists to go along with 6-for-11 shooting. The senior went 12 of 14 from the free throw line, knocking down numerous key foul shots late to help the Tigers (12-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) hold on.

''He's an experienced guard who's battle tested,'' Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. ''He plays on both ends, he competes, he gets rebounds.''

Smith has scored in double figures in seven straight games and 12 overall, both team highs. Mark Smith tacked on 11 points for Missouri, hitting three 3-pointers.

Down 40-27 at halftime, Kentucky went on a 15-3 run to start the second half and cut Missouri's lead to one. But the Wildcats (5-11, 4-5) never got the lead, hurt by a scoring drought of more than three minutes, and couldn't rally after being down by four with the ball and 1:15 left.

Davion Mintz led Kentucky with 18 points and made four 3s. Keion Brooks Jr. and Brandon Boston Jr. tallied 10 apiece. Dontaie Allen, the Wildcats' top 3-point shooter at 46% entering Wednesday, didn't score in seven minutes as coach John Calipari elected not to play him for the entire second half.

''I just ran with the guys that were playing,'' Calipari said. ''If you watch what they were doing to Dontaie, they were going right at him defensively. Our biggest thing was that we were getting great stops and scoring so, you know, next game we may play him 25, 30 minutes. This game, it was my choice.''

In a foul-filled second half where both teams were in the bonus with 11:28 remaining, numerous players dealt with foul trouble late into the game. Kentucky big man Olivier Sarr fouled out with 5:32 to play while Boston did so with 1:01 left. Three other players (Kentucky's Devin Askew and Lance Ware, Missouri's Kobe Brown) were saddled with four fouls.

Missouri forward Jeremiah Tilmon, who had 33 points and 11 rebounds against TCU on Saturday, was often double-teamed down low and held to eight points and five boards. But the focus on Tilmon inside opened things up for the Tigers' backcourt to attack the rim for layups or kick it out to the wing for 3s.

''We've seen how (Tilmon's) been playing, they were sending two at him every time,'' Dru Smith said. ''A couple of times, it looked like he had three or four guys guarding him. I think just even giving a look into the post was getting guys open shots there, especially early.''

Missouri won its fifth game in sixth tries, while Kentucky has lost five of its last six. The game was held a day after its previously scheduled date due to COVID-19 protocols in the Wildcats' program, issues that forced the cancellation of their slated SEC/Big 12 Challenge game against Texas on Saturday.

LETTING IT FLY

Both teams shot well above their averages from 3-point range. Entering Wednesday shooting 30.1% for the season, Missouri went 7 of 11 (64%) from deep in the first half and 9 of 21 (42.9%) for the game. Kentucky, shooting at a 29% clip before its trip to Columbia, finished 9 of 20 (45%) from deep.

FLETCHER SUITS UP

Freshman guard Cam'Ron Fletcher - a St. Louis native - played in his home state for his first appearance since being suspended by Calipari following an emotional outburst on the bench in a loss to North Carolina on Dec. 19. His shift was brief; Fletcher played just a single minute and recorded no stats.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: Notched only its second win over the Wildcats, with the only other victory coming Feb. 3, 2018. The Tigers also improved to 7-1 this season when Dru Smith and Pinson each reach double figures in scoring.

Kentucky: Having dropped to 4-5 in SEC play, the Wildcats now have a losing conference record for the first time since February 2018.

UP NEXT

Missouri: Plays No. 10 Alabama at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at home.

Kentucky: Takes on No. 11 Tennessee at 7 p.m. Saturday at home.

1st Half
UK
Wildcats
27
MIZZ
Tigers
40

Time		Play	Score
20:00		Isaiah Jackson vs. Jeremiah Tilmon (Davion Mintz gains possession)
19:53		Davion Mintz misses three point jump shot
19:51		Dru Smith defensive rebound
19:35	+3	Xavier Pinson makes three point jump shot (Dru Smith assists)	0-3
18:59		Devin Askew misses two point jump shot
18:57		Brandon Boston Jr. offensive rebound
18:54		Brandon Boston Jr. misses two point layup
18:52		Dru Smith defensive rebound
18:42		Jump ball. Javon Pickett vs. Devin Askew (Tigers gains possession)
18:38		Xavier Pinson misses two point jump shot
18:36		Brandon Boston Jr. defensive rebound
18:17	+2	Olivier Sarr makes two point jump shot	2-3
18:00		Jeremiah Tilmon turnover (lost ball) (Olivier Sarr steals)
17:57		Jeremiah Tilmon personal foul
17:41		Kobe Brown shooting foul (Isaiah Jackson draws the foul)
17:16		Javon Pickett misses two point jump shot
17:14		Olivier Sarr defensive rebound
17:07		Brandon Boston Jr. misses two point jump shot
16:54	+2	Jeremiah Tilmon makes two point layup (Xavier Pinson assists)	3-5
16:54		Isaiah Jackson shooting foul (Jeremiah Tilmon draws the foul)
16:54		Jeremiah Tilmon misses regular free throw 1 of 1
16:54		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
16:48		Xavier Pinson shooting foul (Devin Askew draws the foul)
16:48	+1	Devin Askew makes regular free throw 1 of 2	4-5
16:48		Devin Askew misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:48		Olivier Sarr offensive rebound
16:45		Jeremiah Tilmon blocks Olivier Sarr's two point jump shot
16:43		Dru Smith defensive rebound
16:29		Xavier Pinson misses two point jump shot
16:27		Mitchell Smith offensive rebound
16:14		Olivier Sarr personal foul (Jeremiah Tilmon draws the foul)
16:11		Mark Smith misses two point jump shot
16:09		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
15:59		Olivier Sarr misses two point jump shot
15:57		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
15:46		Jeremiah Tilmon turnover (traveling)
15:22		Isaiah Jackson misses two point jump shot
15:22		Isaiah Jackson misses two point jump shot
15:20		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
15:15	+3	Dru Smith makes three point jump shot	4-8
14:59		Parker Braun blocks Brandon Boston Jr.'s two point jump shot
14:57		Drew Buggs defensive rebound
14:57		Drew Buggs turnover (lost ball) (Brandon Boston Jr. steals)
14:39	+2	Devin Askew makes two point jump shot	6-8
14:31		Davion Mintz personal foul
14:23	+3	Parker Braun makes three point jump shot (Mark Smith assists)	6-11
14:12		Isaiah Jackson turnover (traveling)
13:58		Mitchell Smith misses three point jump shot
13:56		Lance Ware defensive rebound
13:47	+2	Devin Askew makes two point layup (Keion Brooks Jr. assists)	8-11
13:38	+2	Drew Buggs makes two point layup	8-13
13:28		Mitchell Smith personal foul (Lance Ware draws the foul)
13:22		Dontaie Allen misses three point jump shot
13:20		Javon Pickett defensive rebound
13:11		Mark Smith misses two point jump shot
13:09		Tigers offensive rebound
13:05	+2	Dru Smith makes two point layup	8-15
12:48		Davion Mintz turnover (lost ball) (Xavier Pinson steals)
12:39	+2	Xavier Pinson makes two point layup (Dru Smith assists)	8-17
12:15	+3	Keion Brooks Jr. makes three point jump shot (Olivier Sarr assists)	11-17
11:57		Jeremiah Tilmon turnover (traveling)
11:57		TV timeout
11:33	+2	Keion Brooks Jr. makes two point jump shot	13-17
10:59	+2	Javon Pickett makes two point jump shot	13-19
10:29		Devin Askew turnover (lost ball) (Kobe Brown steals)
10:25		Kobe Brown turnover (lost ball)
10:06		Keion Brooks Jr. misses two point jump shot
10:04		Dru Smith defensive rebound
10:01		Olivier Sarr personal foul
9:50		Xavier Pinson misses two point alley-oop layup
9:48		Jeremiah Tilmon offensive rebound
9:48		Davion Mintz blocks Jeremiah Tilmon's two point layup
9:46		Lance Ware defensive rebound
9:35		Brandon Boston Jr. misses two point layup
9:33		Javon Pickett defensive rebound
9:29		Xavier Pinson misses two point jump shot
9:27		Jeremiah Tilmon offensive rebound
9:24		Jeremiah Tilmon misses two point hook shot
9:20		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
9:15		Kobe Brown personal foul (Davion Mintz draws the foul)
9:15		Davion Mintz misses regular free throw 1 of 2
9:11	+3	Dru Smith makes three point jump shot	14-22
9:15	+1	Davion Mintz makes regular free throw 2 of 2	14-19
9:11	+3	Dru Smith makes three point jump shot	14-22
9:07		Brandon Boston Jr. personal foul
9:02		Dru Smith misses two point jump shot
9:00		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
8:45	+3	Keion Brooks Jr. makes three point jump shot (Brandon Boston Jr. assists)	17-22
8:38	+2	Parker Braun makes two point layup (Drew Buggs assists)	17-24
8:12	+2	Lance Ware makes two point layup	19-24
7:55	+3	Mitchell Smith makes three point jump shot (Dru Smith assists)	19-27
7:40	+2	Lance Ware makes two point jump shot	21-27
7:28		Mitchell Smith turnover (back court violation)
7:28		TV timeout
7:16		Davion Mintz misses three point jump shot
7:14		Dontaie Allen offensive rebound
6:55		Devin Askew misses three point jump shot
6:52		Tigers defensive rebound
6:34		Drew Buggs misses three point jump shot
6:32		Mitchell Smith offensive rebound
6:29	+3	Mark Smith makes three point jump shot (Mitchell Smith assists)	21-30
5:51	+2	Brandon Boston Jr. makes two point jump shot	23-30
6:09		Keion Brooks Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Xavier Pinson steals)
6:02		Devin Askew blocks Xavier Pinson's two point layup
6:00		Brandon Boston Jr. defensive rebound
5:51	+2	Brandon Boston Jr. makes two point jump shot	23-30
5:37	+2	Jeremiah Tilmon makes two point layup	23-32
5:21		Isaiah Jackson misses two point jump shot
5:19		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
5:09		Xavier Pinson misses two point layup
5:07		Keion Brooks Jr. defensive rebound
5:01	+3	Davion Mintz makes three point jump shot (Devin Askew assists)	26-32
4:41		Dru Smith misses two point jump shot
4:39		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
4:19		Brandon Boston Jr. misses two point jump shot
4:17		Parker Braun defensive rebound
4:10	+2	Xavier Pinson makes two point layup	26-34
4:00		Keion Brooks Jr. misses three point jump shot
3:58		Parker Braun defensive rebound
3:58		Lance Ware personal foul (Parker Braun draws the foul)
3:58		TV timeout
3:45		Devin Askew personal foul (Xavier Pinson draws the foul)
3:45		Xavier Pinson misses regular free throw 1 of 1
3:45		Lance Ware defensive rebound
3:24		Keion Brooks Jr. misses two point jump shot
3:22		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
3:04		Mark Smith misses three point jump shot
3:02		Keion Brooks Jr. defensive rebound
2:49		Parker Braun shooting foul (Lance Ware draws the foul)
2:49		Lance Ware misses regular free throw 1 of 2
2:49	+1	Lance Ware makes regular free throw 2 of 2	27-34
2:33		Dru Smith turnover (bad pass) (Isaiah Jackson steals)
2:27		Lance Ware turnover (out of bounds)
2:10		Dru Smith misses two point jump shot
2:08		Dru Smith offensive rebound
2:04	+3	Mark Smith makes three point jump shot (Dru Smith assists)	27-37
1:35		Dontaie Allen turnover (lost ball)
1:23		Lance Ware blocks Jeremiah Tilmon's two point layup
1:21		Tigers offensive rebound
1:07		Dru Smith misses three point jump shot
1:05		Mitchell Smith offensive rebound
0:59		Isaiah Jackson personal foul (Jeremiah Tilmon draws the foul)
0:59	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 1 of 2	27-38
0:59		Jeremiah Tilmon misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:59		Keion Brooks Jr. defensive rebound
0:47		Dontaie Allen misses three point jump shot
0:45		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
0:12		Lance Ware turnover (bad pass) (Dru Smith steals)
0:26		Jeremiah Tilmon misses two point dunk
0:25		Keion Brooks Jr. defensive rebound
0:25		Dru Smith personal foul
0:23		Devin Askew misses regular free throw 1 of 1
0:23		Keion Brooks Jr. offensive rebound
0:12		Lance Ware turnover (bad pass) (Dru Smith steals)
0:07		Xavier Pinson misses two point layup
0:03		Dru Smith offensive rebound
0:02	+2	Dru Smith makes two point layup	27-40

2nd Half
UK
Wildcats
43
MIZZ
Tigers
35

Time		Play	Score
0:00		End of period
19:47		Olivier Sarr personal foul
19:44		Xavier Pinson misses three point jump shot
19:42		Wildcats defensive rebound
19:42		Jeremiah Tilmon personal foul
19:29	+2	Olivier Sarr makes two point jump shot	29-40
19:16		Kobe Brown misses three point jump shot
19:14		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
19:06		Jeremiah Tilmon personal foul
18:55	+2	Davion Mintz makes two point floating jump shot	31-40
18:55		Kobe Brown shooting foul (Davion Mintz draws the foul)
18:55	+1	Davion Mintz makes regular free throw 1 of 1	32-40
18:34		Javon Pickett misses two point jump shot
18:32		Lance Ware defensive rebound
18:21		Mitchell Smith shooting foul (Isaiah Jackson draws the foul)
18:21		Isaiah Jackson misses regular free throw 1 of 2
18:21	+1	Isaiah Jackson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	33-40
18:21	+1	Isaiah Jackson makes regular free throw 2 of 2	33-40
18:11		Lance Ware blocks Dru Smith's two point jump shot
18:09		Devin Askew defensive rebound
18:04	+2	Brandon Boston Jr. makes two point driving layup (Devin Askew assists)	35-40
17:58		TV timeout
17:58		TV timeout
17:45		Xavier Pinson turnover (bad pass)
17:35		Mitchell Smith personal foul (Brandon Boston Jr. draws the foul)
17:24		Devin Askew misses two point jump shot
17:22		Dru Smith defensive rebound
17:11		Mitchell Smith misses two point jump shot
17:09		Parker Braun offensive rebound
17:09		Lance Ware personal foul (Parker Braun draws the foul)
16:58		Brandon Boston Jr. personal foul (Parker Braun draws the foul)
16:54		Isaiah Jackson blocks Mark Smith's two point layup
16:52		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
16:44		Davion Mintz misses three point jump shot
16:42		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
16:36		Lance Ware blocks Mark Smith's two point layup
16:34		Devin Askew defensive rebound
16:13		Keion Brooks Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Mark Smith steals)
16:07		Devin Askew shooting foul (Dru Smith draws the foul)
16:07		Dru Smith misses regular free throw 1 of 2
16:07	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2	35-41
16:07	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2	35-41
15:55	+2	Isaiah Jackson makes two point driving hook shot	37-41
15:31		Lance Ware shooting foul (Mitchell Smith draws the foul)
15:31		TV timeout
15:31	+1	Mitchell Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 2	37-42
15:31	+1	Mitchell Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2	37-43
15:14		Dru Smith personal foul (Devin Askew draws the foul)
15:02		Parker Braun blocks Devin Askew's two point layup
15:00		Lance Ware offensive rebound
14:58	+2	Lance Ware makes two point layup	39-43
14:43		Mark Smith misses three point jump shot
14:41		Devin Askew defensive rebound
14:37	+3	Brandon Boston Jr. makes three point jump shot (Devin Askew assists)	42-43
14:30		Keion Brooks Jr. personal foul
14:21		Xavier Pinson turnover (bad pass) (Davion Mintz steals)
14:07		Lance Ware turnover (traveling)
13:50	+2	Dru Smith makes two point driving layup	42-45
13:34		Isaiah Jackson turnover (lost ball) (Xavier Pinson steals)
13:08		Isaiah Jackson blocks Kobe Brown's three point jump shot
13:06		Lance Ware defensive rebound
13:06		Kobe Brown personal foul (Lance Ware draws the foul)
13:06	+1	Lance Ware makes regular free throw 1 of 2	43-45
13:06		Lance Ware misses regular free throw 2 of 2
13:04		Tigers defensive rebound
12:55	+2	Xavier Pinson makes two point driving layup	43-47
12:38		Xavier Pinson personal foul (Devin Askew draws the foul)
12:38	+1	Devin Askew makes regular free throw 1 of 2	44-47
12:38	+1	Devin Askew makes regular free throw 2 of 2	45-47
12:12	+2	Jeremiah Tilmon makes two point alley-oop dunk (Xavier Pinson assists)	45-49
11:53		Devin Askew misses two point jump shot
11:51		Jeremiah Tilmon defensive rebound
11:44	+2	Dru Smith makes two point floating jump shot (Xavier Pinson assists)	45-51
11:37		TV timeout
11:37		TV timeout
11:28		Olivier Sarr turnover (lost ball) (Dru Smith steals)
11:28		Olivier Sarr personal foul (Dru Smith draws the foul)
11:28	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 2	45-52
11:28	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2	45-53
11:12	+3	Davion Mintz makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Jackson assists)	48-53
10:57		Mitchell Smith misses three point jump shot
10:55		Lance Ware defensive rebound
10:36	+3	Davion Mintz makes three point jump shot (Devin Askew assists)	51-53
10:12	+3	Xavier Pinson makes three point jump shot (Mitchell Smith assists)	51-56
9:49		Davion Mintz misses three point jump shot
9:47		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
9:41	+2	Javon Pickett makes two point layup (Dru Smith assists)	51-58
9:14		Devin Askew misses two point jump shot
9:12		Javon Pickett defensive rebound
9:12		Devin Askew technical foul
9:12	+1	Xavier Pinson makes technical free throw 1 of 2	51-59
9:12	+1	Xavier Pinson makes technical free throw 2 of 2	51-60
8:57		Mitchell Smith misses three point jump shot
8:55		Keion Brooks Jr. defensive rebound
8:50		Keion Brooks Jr. turnover (out of bounds)
8:35		Javon Pickett misses two point floating jump shot
8:33		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
8:24	+2	Keion Brooks Jr. makes two point layup (Brandon Boston Jr. assists)	53-60
8:05		Mitchell Smith misses three point jump shot
8:03		Lance Ware defensive rebound
7:56	+3	Brandon Boston Jr. makes three point jump shot (Davion Mintz assists)	56-60
7:43	+3	Mark Smith makes three point jump shot (Xavier Pinson assists)	56-63
7:41		TV timeout
7:41		TV timeout
7:24	+2	Isaiah Jackson makes two point dunk (Olivier Sarr assists)	58-63
7:06		Isaiah Jackson blocks Jeremiah Tilmon's two point layup
7:04		Wildcats defensive rebound
6:44	+2	Olivier Sarr makes two point jump shot	60-63
6:28		Brandon Boston Jr. personal foul (Dru Smith draws the foul)
6:28	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 2	60-64
6:28	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2	60-65
6:18		Davion Mintz misses three point jump shot
6:16		Mark Smith defensive rebound
6:00		Brandon Boston Jr. personal foul (Dru Smith draws the foul)
6:00	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 2	60-66
6:00	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2	60-67
5:51	+3	Olivier Sarr makes three point jump shot (Davion Mintz assists)	63-67
5:32		Olivier Sarr personal foul (Jeremiah Tilmon draws the foul)
5:32	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 1 of 2	63-68
5:32	+1	Jeremiah Tilmon makes regular free throw 1 of 2	63-68
5:32		Jeremiah Tilmon misses regular free throw 2 of 2
5:32		Lance Ware defensive rebound
5:30		Jump ball. Jeremiah Tilmon vs. Lance Ware (Wildcats gains possession)
5:17		Isaiah Jackson misses two point jump shot
5:15		Jeremiah Tilmon defensive rebound
4:58		Mitchell Smith turnover (bad pass) (Davion Mintz steals)
4:55	+2	Davion Mintz makes two point dunk	65-68
4:26		Davion Mintz offensive foul (Xavier Pinson draws the foul)
4:26		Davion Mintz turnover
4:12		Isaiah Jackson blocks Xavier Pinson's two point layup
4:10		Lance Ware defensive rebound
4:04		Dru Smith personal foul (Isaiah Jackson draws the foul)
4:04		Mark Smith defensive rebound
3:49		Parker Braun turnover (lost ball) (Isaiah Jackson steals)
3:47		Keion Brooks Jr. turnover (out of bounds)
3:47		TV timeout
3:29	+2	Mark Smith makes two point pullup jump shot	65-70
3:12		Davion Mintz turnover (bad pass) (Mitchell Smith steals)
2:48		Isaiah Jackson shooting foul (Dru Smith draws the foul)
2:48	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 2	65-71
2:48	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2	65-72
2:21		Devin Askew turnover (bad pass)
2:05		Devin Askew personal foul (Dru Smith draws the foul)
2:05	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 2	65-73
2:05	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2	65-74
1:50	+2	Isaiah Jackson makes two point dunk	67-74
1:25		Mitchell Smith misses three point jump shot
1:23		Davion Mintz defensive rebound
1:17	+3	Davion Mintz makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Jackson assists)	70-74
1:15		Wildcats 30 second timeout
1:01		Brandon Boston Jr. personal foul (Jeremiah Tilmon draws the foul)
1:01		Jeremiah Tilmon misses regular free throw 1 of 2
1:01		Jeremiah Tilmon misses regular free throw 2 of 2
1:01		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
0:49		Keion Brooks Jr. misses three point jump shot
0:47		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound
0:32		Lance Ware personal foul (Dru Smith draws the foul)
0:32	+1	Dru Smith makes regular free throw 1 of 2	70-75
0:32		Dru Smith misses regular free throw 2 of 2
0:32		Isaiah Jackson defensive rebound
0:15		Davion Mintz misses two point layup
0:13		Lance Ware offensive rebound
0:13		Lance Ware misses two point layup
0:00		Mitchell Smith defensive rebound

Mitchell Smith defensive rebound