Missouri stays hot at home, fends off Mississippi State

Mark Mitchell had 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead Missouri past Mississippi State 84-76 on Saturday afternoon in Columbia, Mo.

T.O. Barrett had 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists as the Tigers (15-7, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) improved to 13-2 at home this season.

Trent Pierce scored 13 points for Missouri and Jayden Stone added 11.

Jayden Epps scored 23 points and Josh Hubbard posted 22 as the Bulldogs (11-11, 3-6) suffered their sixth loss in seven games.

Missouri rolled to an early 13-4 lead by starting 3-for-3 from 3-point range, with Pierce scoring twice from beyond the arc and Barrett scoring once.

Shawn Jones Jr. steadied the Bulldogs with a 3-pointer and two free throws. But Mitchell and Barrett hit 3-pointers as the Tigers extended their lead to 21-11.

Mississippi State used a 12-1 run -- with Epps scoring nine points -- to surge ahead 26-25.

The Tigers regained control as 3-pointers by Jacob Crews and Stone put them ahead 31-26. Missouri never trailed again.

Missouri took a 42-35 lead into the break while holding Hubbard to 1-for-9 shooting in the first 20 minutes.

With Shawn Phillips Jr. scoring six points early in the second half, Missouri moved out to a 55-41 lead.

The Tigers pushed their advantage to 60-44 with Pierce and Mitchell scoring inside. Hubbard finally got going for the Bulldogs, scoring five points during a 7-2 surge that cut the margin to 62-51.

After Missouri increased its lead to 66-51 with Annor Boateng's follow-up dunk, Mississippi State rallied to within 74-71 with 2:26 left with Hubbard and Epps leading the charge.

Hubbard hit another 3-pointer with 37.3 seconds left to get the Bulldogs back within five, but Barrett's two free throws with 30.5 seconds remaining effectively iced the game.