By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
With no Mark Mitchell in the second half, senior Tamar Bates took over and helped lead the #21 Missouri Tigers to an 85-73 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
Missouri held a narrow lead over Mississippi state all through the first half, their largest lead only ever getting to eight points, but after 20 minutes led the Bulldogs 39-34.
Starting the second half, it was announced that Mitchell was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a knee injury, leaving a hole in the Missouri lineup, but the Tigers never wavered and continued trading blows throughout the second half, until late.
Caleb Grill broke the 17th and final tie of the game with a dunk with 4:05 remaining in the second half to put the Tigers up 71-69. Missouri finished the second half hitting six of its final seven field goals, while the Bulldogs hit just one of their final nine attempts from the field.
Bates led the Tigers with 25 points, shooting a blistering 8-12 from the field and 3-5 from beyond the arc while going a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line. Tony Perkins added 20 points
Missouri will play Florida next in the tournament. The Tigers beat the Gators 83-82 in their lone matchup this season. Tipoff is scheduled for 6pm, coverage will begin at 5:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).