Missouri delivered a masterclass in offensive efficiency Wednesday night, shooting a blistering 63.5% from the field to hand South Carolina a 101-71 defeat in Columbia.
The Tigers (21-7, 10-5 SEC) never trailed after the opening minutes, using a balanced attack and scorching three-point shooting to overwhelm the Gamecocks (11-17, 1-14 SEC), who are back in the loss column after a brief reprieve.
Caleb Grill led the Missouri onslaught with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Grill's hot hand was emblematic of Missouri's night as a team, as the Tigers connected on 11-of-19 three-pointers (57.9%) while South Carolina struggled to a dismal 2-of-23 (8.7%) from distance.
Collin Murray-Boyles provided the lone bright spot for South Carolina, scoring 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting while grabbing 7 rebounds. The sophomore forward's efficient performance tied his season high, but received little support as the rest of the Gamecocks shot just 14-of-44 (31.8%).
The game started competitively, with South Carolina taking an early 2-0 lead and briefly going ahead 7-6 at the 16:47 mark of the first half. That would be the Gamecocks' final lead of the night as Missouri responded with a barrage of threes and fast-break opportunities.
When Caleb Grill hit back-to-back three-pointers followed by consecutive transition layups midway through the first half, Missouri's lead quickly expanded to 21-11. The Tigers maintained their hot shooting throughout the opening period, taking a 52-37 advantage into halftime while shooting over 60% from the floor.
Any hope of a South Carolina comeback was swiftly extinguished as Missouri opened the second half on an 8-2 run, pushing their lead to 60-39 and forcing a quick timeout from the Gamecocks.
The Tigers' offensive execution remained nearly flawless throughout the final twenty minutes as they outscored South Carolina 49-34 in the second half. Missouri finished with remarkable balance, placing six players in double figures: Grill (22), Anthony Robinson II (14), Tony Perkins (13), Mark Mitchell (13), Tamar Bates (11) and Jacob Crews (10).
Missouri's bench contributed 41 points compared to South Carolina's 14, while the Tigers also dominated in fast break points (23-8) and points in the paint (50-42).
For South Carolina, Murray-Boyles and Jamarii Thomas (17 points) combined for 44 of the team's 71 points. No other Gamecock reached double figures in what became their most lopsided defeat of the season.
The loss continues a difficult stretch for South Carolina, who has now won just once in conference play this season. Missouri, meanwhile, showed tonight that a team full of shooters who can ride momentum at home is nearly impossible to stop when they get a little momentum going.
