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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Missouri began the postseason by getting back into the win column.

The No. 7 seed Tigers held off No. 10 seed Mississippi State for an 85-73 victory in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday, overcoming turnover issues and a star’s injury to snap a three-game losing streak.

Power forward Mark Mitchell left the game with a right knee injury, which challenged Mizzou's depth and could be an impactful absence for the rest of MU's postseason run.

Guard Tamar Bates reappeared after a recent slump to score 22 points. Point guard Tony Perkins was clinical in the paint and finished with 18 points. Center Josh Gray secured a season-high 12 rebounds despite an injury and foul trouble. 

Guard Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs with 22 points. 

The opening minutes were shaky for Missouri as Mississippi State took an immediate lead and point guard Anthony Robinson II found himself in foul trouble. After a fiery Dennis Gates spent much of the first media timeout in the ear of an official, Mizzou pieced together a 10-0 run to take over the lead. 

The Bulldogs recovered and tied the game at 34-all with two minutes and change to play in the first half, but the Tigers took home the final five points of the frame for a 39-34 advantage at halftime.

MU's last possession of the half was a crisply designed set play, leading to an open first 3-pointer of the day for guard Caleb Grill. A Mississippi State assistant coach recognized what the play was building toward and yelled out where the shot would come from — the left wing — but his mid-sequence instructions made no difference.

Mississippi State tied the game just a few minutes into the second half, but there were injury concerns for the Tigers, too. Mitchell's absence became evident when he started the second half on a stationary bike behind the team bench, and Gray left the contest early in the second half — with cramping, per a team spokesperson — after a dunk that seemed to hurt his calf. With frontcourt depth suddenly called upon, Aidan Shaw played plenty in the second half.

After the Bulldogs scored eight straight points to take a lead with about 10 minutes left, two MU shooters went to work. Forward Trent Pierce was left open to knock down a trey from the top of the key, then Bates cashed in a stepback from the left wing off of one leg, giving Missouri a 58-57 lead with 8:33 to play.

Mizzou entered the final two minutes with a four-point lead and, after blowing such an advantage the last time it played in Nashville — a couple of weeks ago at Vanderbilt — held on. 

Takeaways

• The win provides some late stability to Missouri's NCAA Tournament resume, which had taken a hit in recent weeks. The Tigers added to their case for a No. 6 seed in March Madness and kept hopes of securing a No. 5 next to their name alive.

• MU, even during its three-game losing skid that closed out the regular season, was generally able to avoid turnover issues. But a problem holding onto the ball reared its head early, keeping the Bulldogs in the game even as the Tigers came away with better shots. After turning the ball over 10 times total in each of its last two games, Mizzou coughed it up nine times in the first half and four in the second half before improving ball security in the minutes it mattered most. 

• How serious is Mitchell's knee injury? He wasn't wearing a brace, ice or anything else of note on the joint during the second half, and further testing might well be necessary for Missouri to know. But while the Tigers are a deep team, an All-SEC player like Mitchell missing time wouldn't bode well for the rest of the postseason.

Key moment

Inside the final three minutes, Perkins went inside. A craft post move and finish off the glass got the point guard a bucket and gave Mizzou a five-point lead at a key point in the game. He flexed his arms in celebration as he backpedaled down the floor, and the Tigers forced a turnover out of the Bulldogs. A free throw from Robinson on that possession gave MU a six-point lead, at the time its biggest of the second half.

Key stat

36.4%:ÌęThat's what Missouri's defense held Mississippi State to shooting from the field, the lowest field goal percentage an opponent has posted against the Tigers in the last eight games. 

Up next

Mizzou's win advances the Tigers to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, where they'll face No. 2 seed Florida at 6 p.m. Friday. MU beat the Gators 83-82 on Jan. 14 in Gainesville, but UF (27-4 overall, 14-4 SEC) has lost just one of its last 10 games, making it one of the league's hottest teams.