COLUMBIA, Mo.- Coming into this matchup against Florida, Missouri lost its last four games decided by ten points or less, and, while a 79-67 defeat to the Florida Gators didn’t mark the continuation of this trend, it was still a tough loss for the Tigers to take.
Missouri’s SEC conference and Power 5 losing streaks extended to five games following this defeat.
The Tigers (8-9, 0-5 SEC) were in a back and forth matchup all game long with the Gators, and they took the lead a total of six times, but couldn’t sustain a lead long enough to take home the victory.
Florida (12-6, 2-3) came out similarly to the Tigers, with both team’s overall field goal percentage sitting at 45% and both shooting 13-29 from the field by the end of the first half. The Gators slightly edged the Tigers from three, shooting 56% to Missouri’s 25.
Missouri’s Tamar Bates headlined the first half for the Tigers, scoring 17 points while shooting 50% from the field. He ended with 36 on the night, breaking his previous high this season of 18, which occurred in his Tiger debut against Arkansas Pine-Bluff.
“Individual performance wise, that was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. “From the standpoint of getting to the free throw line and obviously the shots he was able to make.”
The Tigers veteran presence proved to be relied on often in the first half as well, with junior Bates getting 15 minutes. Seniors Noah Carter and Sean East neared that mark as well. Nick Honor, the fifth year, played 16 in the first stanza. Freshmen Trent Pierce and Jordan Butler did not see the floor in the first half.
The heavy loading in the scoring column was done by the Missouri starters, with only four points off the bench for the Tigers, two a piece coming from Butler and Pierce in the second half.
In contrast, the Gators had a more balanced scoring column, led by grad forward Tyrese Samuel with 15. The supporting cast of Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. combined for 18.
This balanced scoring showed through in the second half, when with 7:06 remaining , Florida pulled to 11, for its largest lead in the contest and didn’t look back after that.
The Gators bit a big chunk out of Missouri’s chances when junior guard Riley Kugel hit a 3-pointer that extended the Gators lead to 11, the first time either side had led by double digits in the contest.
In a matchup that had multiple lead changes and a tight first half, the momentum of the Tigers fell flat following this moment, including the sound of the fans slowly flowing out of Mizzou Arena.
The Tigers are currently on a stretch of one victory in their last eight games, as well as the fifth straight conference loss happening for just the second time in the program’s 57 seasons.
The Tigers, despite being the only SEC school with two road victories over power conference schools, currently sit second to bottom in the SEC standings, only in front of the only other team who has yet to win their first conference matchup, the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Despite this stretch, Honor says he doesn’t sense any frustration or loss of confidence in this group.
“Losing sucks, nobody likes that,” Honor said. “But we always gotta stay focused on our work and what we’re doing, we’ve just got to move on to the next one.”
Florida coach Todd Golden commented that despite the win against Missouri, he thinks the Tigers are a better team than their record indicates.
“We knew coming in that this game was going to be a really big challenge,” Golden said. “For us to win this game by 12, I think says a lot about our group in the growth we’ve made over the past week.”
The Tigers will look to right the ship of the season next Tuesday as they travel to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies.