Jeremiah Tilmon scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 19 Missouri defeated South Carolina 81-70 Tuesday night in Columbia, Mo.

Tilmon also blocked three shots and grabbed three steals for the Tigers (9-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference). He is averaging 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds in his past four games.

Mark Smith scored 18 points and Dru Smith contributed 16 for Missouri.

Keyshawn Bryant came off the bench to score 19 points for the Gamecocks (3-4, 1-2). Sophomore Trey Anderson added a career-high 17 and Justin Minaya had 10.

Bryant was coming off a 26-point effort in the Gamecocks' Saturday loss at LSU.

The Gamecocks played just their fourth game since Dec. 5 due to COVID-19 shutdowns. Coach Frank Martin returned to the bench Tuesday after being sidelined by his own battle with the coronavirus.

The Tigers held Gamecocks star AJ Lawson to five points after he averaged 25.7 points during his previous three games. Lawson made just 2 of 9 shots from the floor after making 27 of 57 in his previous three contests.

Missouri started fast, breaking out to a 10-0 lead with Tilmon scoring three baskets at the rim.

The Gamecocks started slowly, missing 11 of their first 15 shots. Bryant soared for two dunks to keep the game from getting away from South Carolina early.

Drew Buggs' steal and resulting three-point play by pushed the Tigers' lead to 20-8. The Gamecocks battled back to cut their deficit to five points as T.J. Moss triggered a 7-0 run with a 3-point jumper.

However, a Missouri 23-14 surge -- with Mark Smith hitting a trio of 3-pointers -- expanded the margin to 14 points.

The Tigers started fast in the second half, too, by feeding Tilmon again. He scored their first two baskets as the Tigers built a 49-34 lead.

The Gamecocks used a 12-4 run to trim Missouri's margin to 74-64, but they could not get closer during the final minutes.

--Field Level Media