Missouri 62, Texas A&M 50:
Alex Oriakhi led a balanced scoring attack with 13 points as the
sixth-seeded Tigers won their first SEC tournament game, routing the
11th-seeded Aggies in Nashville, Tenn.
Missouri (23-9)
advances to take on No. 3 Mississippi in Friday's quarterfinals. The
Tigers also received 10 points apiece from Laurence Bowers, Jabari Brown
and Tony Criswell.
Texas A&M (18-15) had a
horrible shooting night, hitting 24.1 percent, including 5-of-16 from
3-point range. Fabyon Harris led the Aggies with 15 points, including
four 3-pointers, but was the only Texas A&M player to score in
double figures.
The Aggies' struggles began in
the first half, when they shot 23.1 percent in falling behind 28-19. By the midway point of the second half, the team's shooting
percentage was down to 18.6 as Missouri built a 19-point lead
and cruised from there.
The Tigers, ranked No. 2 in the
country in rebounding, dominated the battle of the backboards 46-31.
Oriakhi and Earnest Ross each had a team-high 10 rebounds.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Texas A&M's
leading scorer Elston Turner shot 3-of-17, including 1-of-7 from
3-point range, to finish with seven points, all in the first half. …
The Aggies finished with four assists on their 14 field goals. …
The Tigers came into the game averaging 13 turnovers but were
forced into 19 miscues by the Aggies.