The No. 11 Missouri Tigers failed to capture their first road win in Big 12 play Saturday night as they fell to the No. 8 Texas Longhorns, 71-58.
Missouri falls to 17-4 overall and a weak 3-3 in conference with the loss. The Longhorns continue their Big 12 perfection as they improve to 6-0 in conference and 18-3 overall.
The home team had plenty of big performances in the win, with sophomore guard Jordan Hamilton leading the pack. The leading Longhorn posted 16 points and 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year.
Every age group on the young Texas roster got involved against Missouri. Joining Hamilton was senior forward Gary Johnson with 15 points and freshman guard Cory Joseph with 13 points.
The Missouri boys were led by freshman guard Phil Pressey with 12 points and junior guard Kim English with 10 points. Two players in double figures was not enough to get it done on the road.
The Tigers committed the often-fatal mistake of starting slow on the road, as they failed to score in the first six minutes of the contest. The 11-0 start by Texas provided a hole that Missouri fought to climb out of all game.
The Tigers shot just 36-percent from the field in the first half and went into the break down 38-27.
Missouri stayed even with Texas after the early run, nearly matching them point for point and coming up with some big stops. But the early deficit proved too much for them to make up.
The Tigers trailed by as many as 18 points in the rest of the game but come as close seven points behind in the second half.
The real killer for the Tigers in this one was the rebounding battle. In the first half alone, Missouri was outrebounded 23-11. Ten of the 23 for Texas were on the offensive end, leading to 13 second-chance points.
Missouri turned it around on the boards in the second half, but the shooting woes continued as they finished the game with a 34-percent shooting mark. The Tigers started the second half 0-for-7 from long range after going 3-for-8 in the first half.
The away team shot just 4-for-18 on three-pointers in the game, an area where Missouri usually shines.
Texas struggled from the charity stripe, going 16-for-34 from the line in the win. But the Longhorns made up for the awful night at the free throw line with good shooting, finishing 52-percent from the field.
Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Oklahoma State on Wednesday.