After only two points in the first half, it seemed like Jason Crowe Jr. might shrink on a neutral court for the second time this season. But the freshman responded to the challenge with intensity, hitting a 3-pointer from the wing to give Mizzou the lead with 49 seconds left. A steal from Jamier Jones ruined Marquette’s offensive possesion.
Mizzou eked out the final 30 seconds with made free throws and two steals from Pierce, defeating the Golden Eagles 69-64 in the United Center in Chicago.
The Tigers
looked dead in the water early in the second half, going over six minutes without a made field goal. A Marquette layup pushed the Mizzou deficit to 11 with 7:36 remaining in the game. That’s when the Tigers made their move.
A 10-0 run cut the deficit to one. It started with a layup from Jamier Jones to end the scoring drought. Pierce and Crowe nailed back-to-back triples heading into the media timeout to make the comeback feel real. Toni Bryant capped the run with an emphatic dunk.
Marquette’s Sananda Fru broke the run with a dunk of his own, but he fouled Jones on the other end going up to the hoop. This was Fru’s fifth foul, sending him to the bench with 4:14 left. Jones was sent to the bench as well after coming down awkwardly and holding his right leg. Bryant made one of the two free throws for Jones. The comeback was complete after Davis drilled a 3-pointer to give Mizzou its first lead since the 3:09 mark in the first half.
Bryant was called for a foul on the other end on a play that looked scarily like a clean contest. Marquette went 1-2 at the line, tying the game. Crowe broke the tie with an and-1 dunk off the feed from Pierce. Marquette answered on the other end with a three from Michael Phillips II.
Crowe continued to answer the call with a jumper, giving the Tigers a 60-58 lead. The Golden Eagles tied the game with 65 seconds left on a pair of made free throws.
This sparked Crowe’s final shot and the biggest of the game, nailing a 3-pointer from the near side wing, causing the arena to erupt. Jones’ steal was the cherry on top, forcing Marquette to foul on the other end. The two teams each went 1-2 at the line, but a Trent Pierce turnover gave Marquette another chance. Pierce stole the ball back, but a double-dribble call gave the ball right back to the Golden Eagles with 12 seconds left.
Pierce responded by stealing the ball again, going the other way for the and-1 dunk, extending the Tigers’ lead to six. Marquette hit a three on the other end and fouled Crowe, but it was too little, too late.
Mizzou left the United Center with a 69-64 win after the offense exploded for a 39-26 run in the second half.
Five Tigers finished the game in double digits, with Crowe leading all scorers with 17 points and recording six assists.
Mark Mitchell was officially ruled out ahead of tipoff with a concussion he suffered early in the win against SEC. This opened the door for Kennard Davis Jr. to make his first start of the young season.
The two teams traded blows early, tied at 11 apiece at the first media timeout. Both teams struggled to hold onto the ball with six total turnovers before the first break.
The offense crawled to a halt for both teams, as buckets were basically impossible to buy. Marquette held a narrow lead for most of the half before a layup from Kennard Davis Jr. finally gave the Tigers a 24-23 lead with 5:11 in the first half. The teams traded the lead back and forth as the shots started to fall. This led to a deadlock at 30 with 1:58 remaining.
But that’s when Marquette broke the deadlock. Three Mizzou turnovers helped the Golden Eagles spring on an 8-0 run to end the half. The Tigers finished the opening 20 minutes with 11 turnovers, leading to as many Marquette points.
In addition to the turnovers, Mizzou struggled to win the shooting battle. The Tigers shot 2-8 on 3-pointers compared to 4-13 for Marquette. At the free throw line, Mizzou sunk 2-4 while its opponent made 4-6. However, they did have a better field goal percentage, 46.4%-41.7%. But the Golden Eagles made more shots (15-13) thanks to the extra chances from 10 offensive rebounds.
Offensively, Mizzou was led by Davis and Pierce with seven points each. Each player made one three, accounting for the only triples in the half. Pierce ended the game with 13 points while shooting 5-9 and grabbing eight rebounds.
Mizzou returns home to host Alcorn State at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Mizzou Arena. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
