The South Carolina men's basketball team dropped a 101-71 road contest to No. 14 Missouri on Tuesday night.
The Tigers (21-7, 10-5 SEC) used a red-hot shooting performance to build a comfortable lead and keep the Gamecocks (11-17, 1-14 SEC) winless on the road in conference play.
After senior guard Jamarii Thomas made a 3-pointer to give the Gamecocks an early 7-6 advantage, Missouri went on 23-6 run over the next six minutes. Graduate guard Caleb Grill scored 10 consecutive points to help the Tigers stretch their lead to double-digits. Graduate guard Jacob Crews then made a pair of 3-pointers, followed by an emphatic dunk from Grill. Grill, who was second in the SEC in 3-point percentage coming into Tuesday, finished the half with 14 points on 6-8 shooting.
Back-to-back baskets from junior guard Zachary Davis and sophomore forward Collin Murray-Boyles cut the deficit to 12 with six minutes left in the first half. The momentum was short-lived, as Missouri answered when senior guard Tamar Bates nailed a 3-pointer. The Tigers led 52-37 at halftime.
"They have a good team, and then they played well on top of it," head coach Lamont Paris said. "I thought there were moments where we didn't respond. We gave up 52 points in the first half, and that's not been characteristic of us."
Murray-Boyles scored 17 points in the first half on 7-7 shooting. Thomas posted 11 points, going 4-6 from the free-throw line. Junior guard Mark Mitchell scored 11 points in the half for the Tigers, while sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II added 5 points and four assists.
Missouri continued to extend its lead in the second half, as it made four of its first five shots. The Tigers went on an 18-4 run midway through the half that made it an 85-53 game. South Carolina failed to make a shot from the field for nearly six minutes over that span.
The Gamecocks shot just 10-26 (38.5%) from the field in the second half, including an 0-11 performance from 3-point range. The lead for the Tigers stretched as high as 30 points as they cruised to a 101-71 victory.
South Carolina struggled with Missouri's pressure defense, committing 15 turnovers. The Tigers also shared the ball at a much higher rate than South Carolina, recording 21 assists to the Gamecocks' eight. Murray-Boyles and Thomas were the only Gamecocks who scored in double-figures, scoring 27 and 17 points, respectively. Grill scored 22 points for Missouri, while Robinson posted 14 points and eight assists.
"This year in particular, you're not gonna go on the road and win if you don't play well," Paris said.
Gray, Butler have quiet reunions
Tuesday's matchup saw a pair of players face off against their former schools. The Gamecocks battled against graduate center Josh Gray, who spent three seasons at South Carolina before transferring to Missouri last offseason. Gray posted 3 points and five rebounds against his former team. Gray played in 88 games with the Gamecocks, averaging 3.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game
South Carolina sophomore forward Jordan Butler returned to South Carolina after spending his freshman season with the Tigers. Butler totaled 2 points and two rebounds on Tuesday night. He appeared in 30 games for the Tigers last season, averaging 2.0 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game.
Murray-Boyles in double-figures again
Murray-Boyles posted his 13th-straight game with at least 10 points in Tuesday's matchup while shooting 10-11 from the field and 7-7 from the free-throw line. Murray-Boyles now has 25 double-figure scoring games this season. His last game with under 10 points was an 88-68 loss to No. 5 Alabama on Jan. 8.
Murray-Boyles posted consecutive 20-point performances in South Carolina's past two games for the first time in his career. He scored 22 points on 9-16 shooting in the Gamecocks' 84-69 win over Texas last Saturday.
Tigers stay hot
Missouri shot 63.5% from the field on Tuesday night, including an 11-19 (57.9%) mark from 3-point range. The Gamecocks shot 43.6% overall and went 2-23 (8.7%) from long distance. The Tigers were fourth in the SEC in scoring coming into the game, averaging 83.7 points per game. The Tigers are also second in field goal percentage (48.9%) and 3-point percentage (37.5%).
"I don't think we were particularly good in transition," Paris said. "But then there were one or two that I thought were quick-trigger, maybe not a super high-quality shot, and they made it anyway."
What's next?
The Gamecocks return home on Saturday to face the Arkansas Razorbacks (16-11, 5-9 SEC). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.