Trey Wade, left, shoots a jump shot over Dajuan Gordon, right, putting the Hogs ahead 28-16 on Tuesday, Feb. 15 in Mizzou Arena. The Razorbacks controlled the whole game, and did not let Missouri take the lead once.
Missouri men’s basketball welcomed the No. 23 Arkansas Razorbacks into Mizzou Arena Tuesday in hopes of redemption from its prior 87-43 blowout loss to Arkansas on Jan. 12. However, the Tigers fell to the Razorbacks 76-57.
Missouri got off to a tough start defensively, allowing Arkansas to find success from beyond the arc early. The Razorbacks shot 7-14 (50%) in the first half, including four 3-pointers from graduate senior Stanley Umude.
“We didn’t play how we were supposed to defensively,” Missouri senior guard Javon Pickett said. “We didn’t really provide pressure on the ball, and we didn’t really pressure them at all.”
The Tigers also got off to a shaky start offensively, committing five turnovers in the first six minutes of the game, while taking ill-advised shots and struggling to communicate.
“It’s very frustrating,” Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin said. “We should give the guys opportunities to make plays, and that way we would fight to get a win.”
Pickett led the Tigers in the first half, recording 13 points and knocking down a 3-pointer with 2:57 remaining to prevent the game from getting away from them.
Missouri couldn’t fix its turnover issues to start the second half, which began with a fastbreak layup by Arkansas sophomore forward Jaylin Williams off of a turnover.
After a quiet first half, Missouri sophomore forward Ronnie DeGray III provided a spark for the Tigers as he drew two charging fouls and recorded an and-1 basket. Missouri used the momentum to go on a 7-0 run to eventually cut the Razorback lead to 13 with eight minutes remaining.
Missouri held the momentum until Arkansas senior guard JD Notae and Umude knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers for the Razorbacks to extend their lead to 65-48 with 4:31 remaining to force a timeout from Martin.
The Tigers struggled on the boards — despite it being one of their strengths this season — losing the rebounding battle 35-27 and giving up 12 second chance points to the Razorbacks.
“You have to be tough throughout the whole game,” Pickett said. “We let them do whatever they want, and we have to keep playing how we are supposed to play.”
Despite the tough outing, there were some bright spots for the Tigers such as junior guard DaJuan Gordon, who shot 3-4 (75%) from 3-point range and freshman forward Trevon Brazile, who finished with eight rebounds.
Missouri fell to 10-15 overall and 4-8 in conference play.
The Tigers will look to bounce back when they head to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs Friday night.
Edited by Brandon Haynes | bhaynes@themaneater.com