National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Missouri 85, Mississippi St. 66
When: 1:30 PM ET, Saturday, March 1, 2014
Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
Officials: # Doug Shows, # Pat Evans, # Tony Henderson
Attendance: 9403

Missouri 85, Mississippi State 66: Jabari Brown had 21 points as the Tigers kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a one-sided win over the visiting Bulldogs.

Brown hit a pair of 3-pointers while adding five rebounds and five assists for Missouri (20-9, 8-8 SEC), which shot 62.3 percent from the floor to hand Mississippi State its 11th consecutive defeat. Keanau Post and Jordan Clarkson added 14 points apiece while Earnest Ross tacked on 11.

Fred Thomas led the way with 18 points for Mississippi State (13-16, 3-13), which has allowed at least 73 points in each of its last six games. Gavin Ware (13 points) was the only other Bulldogs player to finish in double figures.

The Tigers broke open a close first half just past the midway point, as a Ross 3-pointer kickstarted a 7-0 run that put Missouri ahead 28-20. The lead reached double digits on a Clarkson steal and slam, and Post put an exclamation point on a strong first half with a putback of a missed Ross 3-pointer as the Tigers went into the break ahead 45-32.

Post took over in the early moments of the second half, converting a putback and adding a short jumper and an emphatic dunk off a Brown feed on back-to-back possessions to stretch the lead to 14. Missouri put the game away a short time later, as Wes Clark and Clarkson knocked down 3-pointers a part of a backbreaking 15-0 run that spanned just over 3 1/2 minutes.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Tigers bench trio of Torren Jones, Post and Clark shot a combined 13-of-14 from the floor for 29 points. ... The Bulldogs fell to 0-9 on the road. ... Missouri concludes its regular-season schedule with games against Texas A&M and Tennessee.
Top Game Performances
 
Mississippi St.   Missouri
Fred Thomas 18 Scoring Jabari Brown 21
I.J. Ready 6 Assists Jordan Clarkson 7
Roquez Johnson 5 Rebounds Keanau Post 7
Trivante Bloodman 4 Free Throws Made Jabari Brown 5
Fred Thomas 1 Steals Wes Clark 2
Colin Borchert 1 Blocks Torren Jones 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Mississippi St. 66 40.7 10-24 8-12 14 22 2 2 12
Missouri 85 62.3 8-19 11-15 19 28 7 5 9