KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee marked its return to the Top 25 by producing a dominant fourth-quarter performance.

DeShields scored 22 points Thursday as the 24th-ranked Lady Volunteers pulled away in the final period of a 77-66 victory over Missouri. Tennessee (16-8, 7-4 SEC) was playing its first game since returning to the rankings Monday after an eight-week absence.

The Lady Vols said they weren’t concerned about the rankings as much as improving their position in the Southeastern Conference standings and in potential NCAA Tournament seeding. Tennessee and Missouri (16-9, 6-5) entered the night tied for fifth in the SEC.

“This was a must-win for us and them,” DeShields said. “It was going to be a battle. We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We’re trying to put ourselves in position for March.”

Tennessee (16-8, 7-4 SEC) won for the fifth time in its last six games and bounced back from Sunday’s 81-78 double-overtime loss at Georgia. Missouri (16-9, 6-5) has dropped two straight but had won five consecutive games before this skid.

The game was tied 54-all after three quarters, but Tennessee opened the final period with a 17-4 run that was capped by a pair of DeShields 3-pointers. DeShields scored 18 of her 22 points in the second half.

“In the fourth quarter, we really hunkered down on defense,” said Tennessee’s Jaime Nared, who scored 18 points. “I think in the first three quarters, they were just getting easy layups.”

Jordan Reynolds’ 3-pointer with 9:40 left put Tennessee ahead for good. Missouri missed 10 of its first 11 shots in the fourth quarter.

“We had some really good looks,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said. “I was really pleased with the looks that we got. It felt like there were probably four or five really somewhat uncontested layups, and we just didn’t convert on them. Other than that, I thought we shot the ball pretty well throughout the course of the game, but those were big-moment shots.”

Before that fourth-quarter run, this was a back-and-forth game. The third quarter alone had seven lead changes and four ties.

Cierra Porter had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Missouri. Sierra Michaelis scored 17 points and Sophie Cunningham added 16.

Reynolds and Mercedes Russell added 12 points each. Reynolds also had eight assists with only one turnover.

“It was a great night for Jordan,” Tennessee coach Holly Warlick said. “She was a great leader for us, and we need that all the time.”

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: Although Missouri entered the night averaging 6.5 3-pointers per game to rank second in the SEC, outside shooting proved costly for the Tigers on Thursday. Missouri was just 2 for 13 while Tennessee was 9 of 17 on 3-pointers.

For the first three quarters, Missouri compensated with its accuracy from two-point range. But the Tigers cooled off considerably in the final period.

Tennessee: The Lady Vols altered their lineup by having guard Alexa Middleton start for the first time since Dec. 29 against UNC Wilmington. Middleton replaced Meme Jackson, who had started Tennessee’s last 18 games.

Middleton ended up with six points and four assists in 34 minutes. Jackson played 14 minutes and scored five points.

KEY STATS

DeShields shot 4 of 6 from 3-point range. She had been shooting just 32.3 percent from beyond the arc this season. … Tennessee outscored Missouri 23-12 in the fourth quarter. Tennessee shot 6 of 8 and Missouri shot 5 of 16 in that final period.

UP NEXT

Missouri hosts Arkansas on Sunday.

Tennessee hosts Texas A&M on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The long list of preseason accolades for Mizzou Baseball junior RHP Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) just got longer as he was named Preseason All-SEC Second Team on Thursday (Feb. 9), as announced by the league office. The 24-man team, broken up into a 12-man first and second team, were selected by the league’s 14 coaches. The coaches were not able to vote for their own athletes. This is the second consecutive year that Houck has landed on the All-SEC Season Team in the preseason.

Houck’s All-SEC nod comes on the heels of earning three first team All-America honors and another third team distinction already this year. The junior righty, who is expected to be a high first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Frist Year Player Draft this summer, is coming off of a sophomore season during which he posted a 2.99 ERA in a career-best 105.1 innings pitched, striking out 106 while walking just 27. He limited batters to .209 hitting a year ago and was twice named SEC Pitcher of the Week, earning Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week following his start against Vanderbilt. In that start against the Commodores, Houck tossed 9.0 shutout innings, scattering just two hits while fanning a career-best 14. Both hits he allowed were infield hits as just one batted ball left the infield in the entire start.

Entering his junior season, Houck’s first two seasons have been arguably the best by a Mizzou pitcher in the history of the program. He has amassed 206.0 innings and owns a career 3.23 ERA while limiting batters to just .220 hitting. He has struck out 197 batters in his career and walked just 39, good for a 5-1 strikeout-walk ratio. He has 27 more strikeouts than hits allowed in his career.

Houck will get the ball on opening day for Mizzou Baseball and first-year head coach Steve Bieser next Friday (Feb. 17) when Mizzou takes on Eastern Michigan in Fort Myers, Fla., the first of a four-game series.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Few outside Texas A&M’s locker room would have believed it three weeks ago, but the Aggies are feeling emboldened in Southeastern Conference play.

“Everything is in front of us,” A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. “We can win all of these games. This league this year is so strange.”

Why are the Aggies feeling so good? They’ve won four of their last five SEC games following a 1-5 start to conference action. On Wednesday night Robert Williams scored 18 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, Admon Gilder scored 22 points and the Aggies defeated Missouri 76-73.

The game was tied 65-65 with five minutes remaining when D.J. Hogg banked a shot high off the glass from about four feet, giving the Aggies a 67-65 lead. J.C. Hampton then stole the ball on the other end of the floor following an errant inbound pass and threw a perfect pass to a cutting Williams for the dunk and a 69-65 A&M lead with 4:19 remaining.

About a minute later Hogg, who’s struggled of late offensively, drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner to give A&M a 72-67 advantage with 3:10 remaining.

“It seemed like whenever we got close, we couldn’t make the plays,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said.

Williams then added to his impressive night with a slam dunk in between defenders to make it 74-67 with 2:34 left. Williams projects as a first-round selection should he declare for the NBA draft following his freshman season.

“I plan to get every rebound, so I was just attacking the boards,” Williams said of snagging his career-high 16 rebounds.

Tonny Trocha-Morelos added 16 points for A&M (13-10, 5-6 Southeastern Conference).

Jordan Barnett, a transfer from Texas, led the Tigers (6-17, 1-10) with a game-high 23 points.

“We just stayed together,” Trocha-Morelos said of the Aggies breaking open the late tie. “We knew they were going to make a run.”

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers failed to make it two straight after winning their first SEC game over Akansas, but they are buoyed by their showings in their last two games, following a 13-game losing streak. Even though it’s a lost season for the Tigers, they’re at least headed in the right direction.

Texas A&M: Following a 1-5 start in SEC play, A&M has won four of its last five games to add to the jumble that is the middle of the SEC standings. At this point, A&M coach Billy Kennedy will take it considering the Aggies’ poor start.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

Texas A&M held a 16-6 advantage on second-chance points, what Anderson dubbed the difference in the game.

TURNING POINT

A&M guard D.J. Hogg had only made 4 of 14 shots from the field in his two previous games, but on Wednesday showed signs of his old pure-shooting self, especially on a long-range 3-pointer from the left corner that gave A&M a five-point lead with 3:10 remaining.

HE SAID IT

“He’s young and he’s very talented, and I’m pleased with his progress,” Kennedy said of Williams, who had his sixth double-double. “We just have to have some other guys step up.”

UP NEXT

Missouri: The Tigers play host to Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Texas A&M: The Aggies will try and win their fifth league game in six tries when they play at Florida on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou junior RHP Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) has been named to his fourth preseason All-America team as D1Baseball.com tabbed him as a first team starting pitcher on Monday (Feb. 6). Houck is one of three SEC starting pitchers on the All-America First Team. In fact, D1Baseball’s All-America First Team honored six total pitchers (four starters, a reliever and a utility man) and four of the six pitch in the SEC. Houck has now been tabbed a first team preseason All-American by D1Baseball, PerfectGame.com and Baseball America while earning third team honors from Collegiate Baseball.

Houck is coming off of a stellar sophomore season during which he posted a 2.99 ERA in 105.1 innings pitched, allowing just 82 hits while striking out a career-best 106 against only 27 walks. He went 5-6 in 15 starts and was twice named SEC Pitcher of the Week while garnering Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors following his start against Vanderbilt. He limited batters to just .209 hitting in 2016.

Houck, who owns a 13-11 career record and 3.23 career ERA, will anchor Mizzou’s pitching staff for first-year head coach Steve Bieser. In two years, Houck has limited batters to .220 hitting and owns a strikeout-walk ratio of 5-1 (197-39). He has thrown more than 100 innings in each of his first two seasons as a Tiger and is expected to be one of the first 10 players selected in next year’s Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.

— Mizzou Athletics —

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — A career game from Mississippi State senior Dominique Dillingham helped the No. 5 Bulldogs continue to stay atop the SEC.

Dillingham scored a career-best 24 points to help the Bulldogs beat Missouri 70-53 on Sunday.

She added three steals and two blocks in 39 minutes.

“On a night where they were really choking us on the inside, we had to have people step up and hit shots,” Bulldogs coach Vic Schaefer said. “I asked Dominique if she needed some ice on her elbow and shoulders because she shot 17 shots. We’ve had a couple of weeks in a row where she hasn’t shot it 17 total.”

Aside from Dillingham’s production, the defense did the job yet again for MSU and their SEC-leading defense. They forced 29 turnovers against the Tigers and held a sharp-shooting Missouri squad to 33-percent shooting with just 15 field goals made in the game.

Looking for separation after a tight first quarter that saw MSU lead 18-17, the Bulldogs got it from Dillingham.

The senior leader scored 13 of her 16 first-half points in the second quarter going up against Mizzou’s top player Sophie Cunningham on both ends of the floor. Dillingham hit four 3-pointers as the Bulldogs took a 36-27 lead into the break.

“I’ve got size on her but she’s scrappy. You’ve got to have a lot of poise because she takes a lot of offensive fouls,” Cunningham said. “There was a little bit of playground action but I was going to give what she gives me.”

Dillingham’s work transferred to the second half for the rest of the group as the Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-0 run in the first seven minutes for a 47-27 lead. That was enough to put the game away.

Richardson scored 11 points in the quarter as MSU (22-1, 8-1) pushed their lead out to 52-36 and they would keep a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

Cunningham scored 19 points to lead Missouri (16-7, 6-4).

As the Bulldogs rolled to victory, the core four players that Schaefer brought in during his first recruiting class saw their career victories notch three figures. It was the 100th career win for Dillingham, Richardon, Okorie and Ketara Chapel who all played a factor in the Sunday win.

“I’m so happy for them. They believed when it wasn’t easy to believe,” Schaefer said. “They had to trust our vision and, man, have they made their own story and legacy at Mississippi State.”

Victoria Vivians finished the game with 15 points in 27 minutes shooting 5-of-11 from the field for MSU. Richardson had 13 points.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers had their five-game winning streak ended on Sunday. They fell to 16-8 and 6-4 in the SEC.

Mississippi State: After the Bulldogs dropped their first game of the season in heartbreaking fashion at South Carolina two weeks ago, they’ve started a new winning streak with three straight victories.

MOVING UP THE CHARTS

Mississippi State junior Victoria Vivians continues to move up the scoring chart in MSU history. Vivians’ 15 points moved her into sole possession of seventh place in MSU history with 1,525 points. She’s now two points away from sixth.

UP NEXT

Missouri travels to Tennessee on Thursday.

Mississippi State plays host to Vanderbilt on Thursday.

— Associated Press —

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Late in the second half, backup Florida guard Chris Chiozza whispered to coach Mike White that he needed to get him back in the game.

His reasoning? Chiozza said he was going to get a triple-double.

“I said, `No, you’re not. Come on,” White said.

Chiozza convinced White he was close enough to make it happen, so the coach let him play the rest of the way. And the junior ended up with the first triple-double of his career — finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists — as No. 24 Florida dominated woeful Missouri 93-54 on Thursday night.

Chiozza joined the exclusive club when he dished to Devin Robinson for a 3-pointer with 31 seconds remaining. Equally impressive: The Gators (17-5, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) tied a school record by winning their third consecutive game by at least 30 points.

Coming off lopsided victories at LSU and at Oklahoma, Florida wasted no time putting Mizzou in a huge hole. The Gators led 12-2, 18-3, 30-6 and 48-18 in the first half while building a 31-13 rebounding advantage. White’s team did little wrong for the third straight outing and looked more than ready for No. 8 Kentucky on Saturday night.

The only suspense was whether Chiozza would join Nick Calathes and Corey Brewer in Florida’s recent triple-double club. Calathes and Brewer are the only Florida players to accomplish the feat since 1997.

“It means a lot,” Chiozza said. “I’m glad that I achieved that, but I’m happier that we got the W. That’s the most important thing.”

Canyon Barry led Florida with 17 points. KeVaughn Allen added 15, and Kasey Hill chipped in 11.

Terrence Phillips had 14 points for Missouri (5-16, 0-9), which reached the halfway point to SEC futility.

Mizzou lost its 13th in a row — tying the longest streak in program history — and its 14th straight in league play. The Tigers also lost their 31st consecutive road game.

“They came out and completely outmatched us,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “They got every rebound, made every shot. It was kind of like getting hit by a train.”

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers have a young team that includes six sophomores and four freshmen — and remain on NCAA probation — but what they did at Florida has to be concerning for Anderson and his future. They were overmatched from the start and showed little, if any, fight after digging a huge hole.

“We didn’t even jump on the (opening) tip,” Anderson said. “I should have known then.”

Florida: The Gators are winless in three games against ranked teams (Gonzaga, Duke and South Carolina), so Saturday’s game against the Wildcats is an important one for a team looking to build its NCAA Tournament resume and potentially earn a top-four seed and open the bracket in nearby Orlando.

0-18 AHEAD?

Missouri has lost five of its last six by double digits, a potential sign that Anderson’s miserable season could be on the verge of unraveling. Could the Tigers go 0-18 in league play? The last team to do so was Georgia Tech in 1953-54, so it would be rare. But given the way the Tigers played Thursday, it certainly seems like a possibility.

GOOD COMPANY

White will get a better feel for his team against Kentucky. The Gators had a lengthy team meeting after losing to Vanderbilt in Gainesville on Jan. 21 and have been on a tear since.

The last time they won three in a row by 30 points was in 2006, but those came against Western Kentucky, Prairie View and Chattanooga — and with help from three future NBA lottery picks who won back-to-back national championships. Al Horford, Brewer and Joakim Noah also helped Florida accomplish the feat in 2004 against Sam Houston State, Eastern Kentucky and Georgia Southern.

UP NEXT

Missouri hosts Arkansas on Saturday. The Tigers’ conference losing streak started against the Razorbacks nearly a year ago.

Florida hosts Kentucky on Saturday, a game that will be featured on ESPN’s College GameDay.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou freshman guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week, announced Tuesday by the league office. It is Smith’s first career SEC weekly honor and Mizzou’s third this season along with Co-Player of the Week recognitions for sophomore Sophie Cunningham and senior Sierra Michaelis.

Smith was a catalyst for Mizzou off the bench as she sparked the Tigers to a pair of home wins over Auburn and No. 25 Kentucky. The freshman averaged 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds and shot a blistering 70.6 percent from the field in 28.5 minutes per contest. She scored in double digits in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.

Smith chipped in 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting against Auburn. The 85.7 percent shooting night from the floor was her highest single-game field goal percentage when taking more than four attempts in her career.

Last night, Smith posted 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting to lead Mizzou past No. 25 Kentucky. She added a career-high eight rebounds in a career-high 31 minutes off the bench in the win.

Smith has scored in double figures in three of the last five games and four times in her career. Mizzou is 4-0 in those contests.

With Smith as a major contributor, Mizzou has now won five consecutive games, its longest streak in conference play since joining the SEC. The Tigers have also won four straight games over Top 25 opponents at Mizzou Arena.

Next on the slate for the Tigers is a matchup on the road with No. 5 Mississippi State on Sunday. Tip is set for 1:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball continued its hot streak, topping No. 25 Kentucky, 73-67, at Mizzou Arena on Monday evening. The victory was the fifth straight for the Tigers, their longest streak in conference play since joining the SEC. Mizzou has now won four consecutive games over ranked opponents at home, dating back to last season. The Tigers improve to 16-7 overall and 6-3 in SEC play, moving in to a tie for third place in the league.

A host of Tigers led the way for Mizzou, as four players scored in double digits. Freshman guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) filled up the stat sheet with an impressive evening, scoring 15 points (6-10 FG, 2-3 3FG) and hauling in a career-high eight rebounds. Smith’s performance follows up her stellar game against Auburn when she poured in 13 points on 85.7 percent shooting.

Senior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) led all Tiger scorers with 19 points, nine of which came from behind the arc. Additionally, sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) and sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) were both effective, notching 14 points and 17 points, respectively. Porter sunk a career-high 11 free throws on Monday, making all 11 of her attempts.

The contest went back and forth in the early going, as both teams traded baskets. Mizzou trailed by three when senior guard Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) went on a personal 6-0 run, hitting back to back threes to give the Tigers a three-point lead. Mizzou attacked the glass in the opening frame, pulling in five offensive rebounds in the first quarter, including two by Smith. After one, Mizzou held a 15-14 lead.

In the second frame, the Tigers went a 7-0 run which was punctuated by a triple from Michaelis. The bucket gave Mizzou a 24-18 lead with 6:49 left in the half. Minutes later, after a Wildcat scoring spurt, Smith continued her all-around evening, drilling a three from the left wing to give Mizzou a 27-23 advantage. After Kentucky surged in front, Smith drained another trey from the same spot with 55 seconds left in the half to give Mizzou the lead back. Kentucky answered with a jumper and the Tigers trailed 31-30 at halftime.

The second half scoring was opened by a Michaelis triple from the right corner to give Mizzou a two-point lead less than three minutes into the third quarter. Minutes later, with the game knotted at 35, Michaelis knocked home a jumper to beat the shot clock after a scramble for a loose ball. Following a small run by the Wildcats, the senior guard slashed to the basket and converted another big bucket on a possession that was extended by a Sophie Cunningham offensive board. Two possessions later, Sophie Cunningham rolled in a tricky scoop layup with time winding down to give the Tigers a 48-45 lead at the end of the third.

After both teams traded buckets to start the final period, Smith made two gritty plays in the paint, one an offensive board and put back, and the other an inside layup. The two buckets gave Mizzou a 54-49 lead and forced a Kentucky timeout. Down the stretch, Mizzou’s free throw shooting proved to be vital. The Tigers converted on their first seven free throws of the fourth quarter. Mizzou made 20-of-24 attempts at the free throw line (83.3 percent) on Monday.

Mizzou’s first miss at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter was hauled in by Sophie Cunningham and the sophomore put it back up and in to give Mizzou a nine-point lead with 4:35 left. Following a Wildcat bucket, Cunningham struck again – this time converting a three-point play to push the Mizzou lead to double digits. The lead was a large enough cushion to hold off the Wildcats, as the Tigers claimed a six-point victory.

The win marked Mizzou’s first victory over Kentucky as a member of the SEC. Mizzou has now beaten every SEC team at least once since joining the league.

Next on the slate for the Tigers is a matchup on the road with No. 5 Mississippi State on Sunday. Tip is set for 1:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball extended its winning-streak to four games with a dominant 68-53 win over Auburn at Mizzou Arena on Thursday night.  That current winning streak matches Mizzou’s longest in conference play since it joined the SEC.

Sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) was superb for the Tigers, as she poured in a career high 27 points (10-of-14 FG, 7-of-9 FT), including a 13-point fourth quarter explosion that saw her convert four three-point plays down low. Porter also led Mizzou in rebounding, snaring nine rebounds in the contest, one shy of securing her 10th double-double of the season.

Freshman guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) was efficient and productive off the bench, shooting a career best 85.7 percent while posting 13 points, which was her highest scoring output in conference play and the second highest of her young career.

Redshirt senior Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) added 12 points and five rebounds in 29 effective minutes.

The Tigers came out firing in the opening frame, dissecting Auburn’s defense to the tune of 50 percent shooting.  Porter was strong in the period, posting six points and grabbing six rebounds. While Porter was grooving offensively, Mizzou’s defense proved stout, holding Auburn to just three field goals on its first eight attempts.  The quarter ended with Mizzou up 16-13.

To start the second quarter, Porter continued her effective play, and Smith added a spark off the bench.  As Porter drew attention offensively, Smith found creases in the defense, scoring nine points in the quarter while missing just one shot.  Mizzou extended its lead to seven at halftime behind Smith’s outburst and Porter’s continued dominance in the low post.

Points were at a premium in the third quarter as Mizzou held Auburn to just nine-percent shooting in the period.  The Cunningham sisters shined in the frame, scoring 10 of the Tigers’ 14 points in the quarter.  Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) had a strong frame, as she ripped down four rebounds and had three points, courtesy of a corner three.  Lindsey Cunningham consistently earned trips to the free throw line, where she made all five of her attempts.  The Tigers ended the quarter up just 10, leading 47-37 heading to the fourth period.

Porter put an exclamation point on the victory with a dominant fourth quarter, scoring 13 consecutive points for Mizzou.  Twelve of her 13 points in the frame came off of three-point plays as she muscled through contact and converted.  Porter’s strong sequence allowed Mizzou to build an 18-point lead and coast to a win.  With the win, Mizzou moves to 15-7 (5-3) on the season and 11-1 at home.

Mizzou continues its two-game homestand when it hosts Kentucky at Mizzou Arena on Monday. Tip off on SEC Network is set for 6 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Quinndary Weatherspoon had a career-high 29 points Wednesday night to lead Mississippi State to an 89-74 victory over Missouri.

Lamar Peters had 23 points with a 7-of-11 showing on 3-pointers for the Bulldogs (13-6, 4-3 SEC). Mario Kegler added 16 points.

“We needed this win desperately tonight since we’re about to go on the road for two straight,” said Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland. “I thought our second-half defense keyed the comeback. We really dug deep and it really fed our offense. Q (Weatherspoon) did a good job in the first half and really kept us in it.

“Then bottom line, Lamar had a good second half and really got it going there. We’ve already seen that before and seen how he can get it going.”

Weatherspoon was 11 of 17 from the field and also had eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. He scored 18 of his 29 points in the first half.

“I just wanted to come out and be aggressive,” said Weatherspoon. “We know we lost our last two games so I wanted to do what I could to help us tonight. Me and Coach Howland had a meeting about that and he needed me to be more aggressive. So I felt like the old me tonight, just filling up the whole stat sheet.”

Jordan Barnett and Jordan Geist each had 18 points to lead Missouri (5-14, 0-7). The Tigers dropped their 11th straight game.

Mississippi State opened the second half on a 10-3 run to take the lead for good at 49-46. Then Peters went on a hot streak and made five straight 3-pointers to push the Bulldogs’ advantage to 72-59 with less than nine minutes remaining.

Peters’ streak resulted in 15 points in 2:34.

“Obviously it was a tale of two halves,” said Missouri head coach Kim Anderson. “In the first half we did a good job of mixing our defenses and keeping them off-balanced. Then Weatherspoon and Peters took over and we had no answer. We knew coming in that Peters was dangerous off the ball screens. And we knew Weatherspoon was dangerous from anywhere.”

Missouri used a red-hot shooting performance in the first half to lead the entire period. Mississippi State got within one point on several occasions and trailed by as many as nine. Missouri eventually settled in with a 43-39 advantage at the half.

The Tigers shot 61.5 percent in the first half, including 58.3 percent from the 3-point arc.

For the game, Mississippi State shot 57.1 percent and made 12 of 23 beyond the arc. That included an 8 of 12 showing on 3-pointers in the second half.

The Tigers shot 46.3 percent for the game and just 32.1 percent in the second half. Missouri also missed all nine 3-pointer attempts in the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers have now lost 11 straight games and are off to their worst start in SEC action since going 0-9 in the 2013-14 season. The Tigers have lost 27 straight SEC road games.

Mississippi State: After two straight conference losses, the Bulldogs moved above .500 in the SEC again at 4-3.

UP NEXT

Missouri: The Tigers return home to host No. 23 South Carolina on Saturday.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs travel to Alabama on Saturday.

— Associated Press —