The Tigers shot 32% from the field, making just five field goals in the second half.
The goal in the game of basketball is simple: put the ball in the basket. When a team fails to do so at a high rate, rarely will they come out on top.
This is what it came down to for Missouri on Friday night. In front of a sold-out Mizzou Arena, the Tigers fell to Memphis 70-55 for their first loss of the season. The Tigers shot 18-of-56 from the field on the night, going 6-of-28 from three-point range.
“I still want these guys to shoot the shots that they took,” said head coach Dennis Gates. “I truly believe there may not be a shooting display like that. We went 6-for-28. That’s not the stat that I want. I think and I know that our guys are better shooters than that.”
The game opened with neither team allowing the other to take control as there were six lead changes in the first eight minutes of play. That quickly changed though, as Missouri went on a 19-4 run led by Sean East II, who scored 10 points during the five-and-a-half-minute stretch. East would end the game with a team-leading 14 points, all of which came in the first half.
“Sean East played an outstanding game in that first half,” Gates said. “[In the second half] I thought our spacing struggled.”
Following Missouri’s run, momentum then swung Memphis’ way, as the Tigers brought the deficit back to just seven points. Missouri only made one field goal out of their eight attempts in the final 6:44 of the first half, with the seven shots they missed during the run all coming from behind the arc. This heavy three-point tendency was representative of the entire first half for Missouri, as 16 of its 27 field goal attempts came from deep.
The game continued in the favor of Memphis, as they opened the second half on a 19-5 run in the first seven minutes. Missouri made just two field goals during the run, shooting 20% during the stretch. A lackluster shooting performance would continue throughout the remainder of the half, with Missouri going 5-of-26 in shooting.
The momentum appeared to shift with 12:30 remaining in the second half. Freshman guard Anthony Robinson II was fouled on a three-point shot and converted on all three attempts at the line.
“Our young guys from Ant Robinson to Jordan Butler to Trent Pierce, I thought those guys provided good energy,” Gates said.
This brought Mizzou Arena back to life for a moment, before Memphis extended its lead to 11 during another Missouri scoring drought, this one lasting four minutes.
The final eight minutes of the game proved to be much the same for Missouri. The Tigers shot 2-of-12 from the field, while Memphis went 7-of-12 during the same stretch, putting the game away. The final nail in the coffin for Missouri was two slam dunks from Caleb Mills and Jaykwon Walton.
Along with a lack of shooting, rebounding once again proved to be an issue for Missouri. Missouri was out-rebounded 47-33, and Memphis was able to pull down 11 offensive rebounds, leading to 12 second-chance points. Caleb Grill was Missouri’s team leader on the glass with 10 rebounds, tying his career high.
“Caleb Grill, 10 rebounds from a guard spot. We can’t have that,” Gates said. “We cannot have a guard lead us in rebounds.”
Prior to the game, coach Dennis Gates emphasized the importance of an improved assist-to-turnover ratio. Missouri was not able to make this happen, having just 8 assists to 12 turnovers.
“The one stat that you have to look at is one assist in a half,” Gates said. “You’re not gonna win any ball games with one assist in a half. Whether it’s the first half or the second half, you’re not going to put yourself in a good position.”
Missouri will look to bounce back on Nov. 13 against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
Edited by Chase Gemes | cgemes@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com