Skip To Main Content

University of Missouri Athletics

Southeastern Conference, opens in new tab Southeastern Conference

Scoreboard

Geist UGA SEC Tournament
61
Georgia GEORGIA 11-21; 2-16 SEC
71
Winner Missouri MIZZOU 15-16; 5-13 SEC
Georgia GEORGIA
11-21; 2-16 SEC
61
Final
71
Missouri MIZZOU
15-16; 5-13 SEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Georgia GEORGIA 34 27 61
Missouri MIZZOU 32 39 71

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

@MizzouHoops Advances in SEC Tournament with 71-61 Win Over Georgia

Jordan Geist scored a career-high 30 points to lead Mizzou

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball advanced in the SEC Tournament with a 71-61 opening-round victory over Georgia on Wednesday night in Nashville. Mizzou outpaced the Bulldogs 39-27 in the second half, fueled by senior Jordan Geist's career-high 30 points.

Geist blitzed Georgia with 9-of-15 effort from the field and a 10-for-13 performance from the free throw line en route to becoming just the third Tiger to post 30 points against an SEC opponent since Mizzou joined the league.

Freshman Xavier Pinson poured in 15 points as Mizzou's point guards accounted for 45 of the Tigers' 71 points on Wednesday night. Mizzou converted 24-of-29 free throws, with Pinson and Geist going a combined 16-of-19 at the charity stripe.

Mizzou also outpaced Georgia, 34-24, in the paint and outrebounded the Bulldogs, 37-34. The Tigers have now won three of their last four games heading into Thursday's matchup with Auburn.

TURNING POINT

After Georgia cut the deficit to 52-48 with a dunk, Geist responded quickly with a 3-point play to push Mizzou in front by seven. Geist and Pinson combined to score Mizzou's next eight points and the Tigers used an 8-2 run during that stretch to grab a 60-50 lead with 3:31 remaining. Georgia never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

TOP TIGERS

  • Senior guard Jordan Geist totaled a career-high 30 points, topping his previous high of 28 points against UW-Green Bay on Dec. 9, 2017.
  • His performance was boosted by a 10-of-13 clip from the free throw line giving him his most free throw conversions since he sank 12 in a win over Oregon State in the Virgin Islands on November 18, 2018.
  • Geist has now scored 20+ points on seven occasions this season while reaching double figures in 24-of-28 games and in 13 of his last 14. He netted nine of his 15 attempts from the field, matching his high for field goals made this season.
  • The senior guard totaled the most points in a postseason game since Kevin Puryear posted 30 points in a thrilling overtime win over Auburn in the first round of the 2017 SEC Tournament. (3/8/17).
  • Geist posted the first 20-point game in a postseason contest since Jontay Porter scored 20 points in Mizzou's loss in the opening round of the 2018 SEC Tournament.
  • Freshman guard Xavier Pinson totaled 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting and a perfect 6-of-6 clip at the line. He has now scored eight or more points in nine of the last 15 games
  • With Pinson posting 15 points, Mizzou has now seen one of its freshman reach double figures in 12 of its last 13 games. After scoring a season-high 20 points in Mizzou's loss to Ole Miss last Saturday, Pinson has assembled his highest-scoring performances in the last two ballgames.
  • Sophomore Mitchell Smith chipped in six points, four rebounds and three steals in 16 solid minutes. He became the first Mizzou forward to post at least three steals in a game this season.

GAME NOTES

  • Mizzou avenged last year's SEC Tournament first round loss to the Bulldogs with Wednesday's win, collecting its fourth SEC Tournament victory, its first since an overtime win over Auburn on March 8, 2017 in Nashville.
  • After grabbing a season-best 50 rebounds against the Bulldogs when the Tigers held Georgia to just 39 points in a victory last Wednesday, Mizzou outrebounded Georgia 37-34. Mizzou has now outrebounded opponents in 24 of 31 games this season and in nine straight contests.
  • Mizzou has now held opponents under 70 points 39 times during the Martin era and are now 14-4 this season when doing so.
  • The Tigers committed 11 turnovers while forcing 13, moving their record to 10-2 this season when committing fewer turnovers than its opponents.
  • Cuonzo Martin earned his first postseason win since leading the Cal Golden Bears to a 78-75 win over Utah on March 9, 2017 in the second round of the Pac 12 Tournament.
  • Mizzou's 24/29 clip at the charity stripe allowed the Tigers to pull away late in the ballgame and was the team's best mark since going 18 for 22 versus South Carolina on March 2.
  • Mizzou improves to 4-1 when playing at a neutral site this season.

UP NEXT

Mizzou advanced to face fifth-seeded Auburn in the second round of the 2019 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament. Mizzou and Auburn square off at approximately 2:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.

For all the latest on Mizzou Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouHoops).

Print Friendly Version