Missouri headed to Gainesville trying to break a seven-game losing streak in a matchup against Florida. Yet the Tigers never led after giving up 36 first quarter points, losing to the Gators 86-70. 

The first quarter blows weren’t all due to poor play from the Tigers, as Florida started red hot, making the first 12 shots of the contest.

Missouri turned the ball over eight times in the first eight minutes, compared to only one for Florida. The Gators also scored 33 points on Missouri’s 21 turnovers during the game.  Other areas of success for Florida came at 5-9 on three-point shots in the first quarter, while Missouri shot only 4-9 overall. 

 The Gators blitzed the Tigers in transition early and often, leading after the first 36-13.

The Tigers’ struggles with rebounding plagued them throughout the game. Florida led the board battle 40-31, plus a 14-6 advantage in second chance points.

Things began to even out, as Missouri was only outscored 19-17 in the second quarter. Added on to the first quarter downpour, the Tigers faced a tsunami of a deficit at 55-30. Florida’s 55-point onslaught was the most the team has scored in a first half all year. 

One first-half bright spot for the Tigers came from graduate forward Hayley Frank. In the first half, Frank was the only Missouri player in double digits with 10 points.

The Tigers showed signs of life in the second half, cutting the lead to 14 with just over two minutes remaining in the third quarter. This stretch included a pair of big threes from freshman guard Abbey Schreacke. By the end of the game, Schraecke led the way for the Tigers with 16 points and 5-8 from beyond-the-arc.

Missouri continued to chip away, cutting the Gator lead to 10 points with 2:35 remaining. The Tigers ran out of time to shrink the deficit with Florida going 6-6 from the line down the stretch.

The Tigers have now lost eight games in a row, with their last win coming at home against Georgia on Jan. 18. Missouri looks to get back in the win column as they return home for a Monday night showdown against Ole Miss on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.

Edited by Grace Ainger | gainger@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com

Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com