Missouri men’s basketball traveled to Lynchburg, Virginia on Thursday Dec. 2, looking to grab back-to-back wins after its 91-59 win against Paul Quinn College on Nov. 29. From the opening tip, it was clear the Tigers would not be able to achieve that goal, as Missouri lost to Liberty 45-66.

The Tigers started sluggish offensively. They didn’t make their first field goal until eight minutes into the game, when junior forward Kobe Brown made a layup.

Missouri continued its offensive struggles from early in the season, as they have failed to score 60 points in three of their last four games. The one game the Tigers did score more than 60 was on Monday against a NAIA school, Paul Quinn College.

The only two Tigers in double figures were Brown who had 14 points and junior guard Amari Davis who finished with 13 points. 

“We need to get better as a whole,” Brown said. “Keep building team chemistry.”

The Tigers also struggled to take care of the ball. They entered the game averaging 14 turnovers per game, but on Thursday, Missouri turned the ball over 19 times. 

The star for the Flames in this contest was senior guard Darius McGhee. He dazzled with his deep range shooting and quick handle. McGhee finished the game with 20 points to go along with five steals and four assists. Of McGhee’s 20 points, 15 of them came from beyond the arc. 

Despite the poor offensive performance, the Tigers out rebounded the Flames 36-29, led by Brown, who grabbed 10 boards.

The Tigers pulled things together after being down 21 at half, but the deficit was simply too big. Missouri and Liberty tied the second half with a score of 31-31. 

Missouri lost in a packed arena to the reigning ASUN champions and fell to 4-4 on the season.

“Really, we need to get better at everything,” Brown said. 

Missouri returns home to Columbia to face Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, Dec. 7. 

Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com