Another one ground to dust.
The Missouri men’s basketball team lost to South Carolina for the second time this season, falling on the road 72-64 in a Saturday matinee.
The Tigers now are 0-7 in Southeastern Conference play. Point guard Sean East II and guard Tamar Bates scored 21 and 16 points respectively, but the rest of the team combined for just 27 points.
East and Bates made 15 of their 25 combined shots while the other seven Tigers who played went 9 for 26 from the field.
As a team, Mizzou attempted just eight 3-pointers, fewer than half of its previous low in attempts from beyond the arc — 16 against Florida. Point guard Nick Honor was the only MU player to cash in on those tries, making two.
“We wanted to win points in the paint,†Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. “Later in the game, I thought South Carolina defended the paint a little bit better, coming away with some blocks and our missed layups, we didn’t come away with a foul or basket and those possessions could have cut the lead to one possession.â€
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The Tigers outscored the Gamecocks 40-20 on paint points.
Mizzou fell behind by 14 in the first half before — sound familiar? — closing the gap to four points near the end of the opening frame. But what differed this time was South Carolina’s response, which kept the Tigers down by 10 at the break.
Freshman center Jordan Butler, making his second consecutive start, blocked a shot on the game’s first possession. MU took a 4-0 lead to start the game, thanks to Bates and forward Jesus Carralero Martin.
A blown switch gave South Carolina a wide-open 3 for its first bucket, which quickly devolved into eight unanswered points for the hosts.
Bates added to his growing highlight reel with a chase-down block in transition, a sequence that led to forward Aidan Shaw going 1 for 2 at the free-throw line. The Gamecocks responded with another run, this time worth 10 straight points, as their drive-and-kick offense continually sucked Missouri defenders into the paint and left shooters open on the perimeter.
A paint touch and outbound pass to the corner gave South Carolina a 17-10 lead just over eight minutes into the game. After a mirror image of that play and a fadeaway two, the Gamecocks led 24-10 with 8:36 to go in the first half.
The Tigers switched to the zone defense that brought some success against Texas A&M on Tuesday, slowing but not halting South Carolina’s offense. A couple of pick-and-roll plays found forward Noah Carter, who came off the bench for the second consecutive game, cutting to the rim.
Missouri didn’t make a 3-pointer until point Honor hit one from the corner during a three-on-two fast break that came more than 17 minutes into the game. His shot brought the Tigers within four, 30-26.
South Carolina stuck with its recipe of jumpers to lead 39-29 at halftime.
The Tigers stormed out of the break with 11 unanswered points to take their first lead since the 17:18 point in the first half. East grabbed a loose ball and immediately let fly down the floor to Butler, whose football-esque post pattern turned the long pass into an assist. Honor made MU’s second 3 of the game with a transition pull-up to bring the visitors within a point. And just over three minutes into the second half, Bates got to the rim yet again in transition for a 40-39 Missouri lead.
“Our guys defended a little better, stayed in the stance, contested some passes,†Gates said of that stretch. “I thought we rebounded the ball well.â€
South Carolina countered by jamming the ball down low, managing a couple of offensive rebounds and 3-point plays by finishing through contact. A deep 3 from several feet behind the arc gave South Carolina a four-point lead, which turned into a 53-46 advantage with 12 minutes to go after another long triple.
Neither team scored for nearly three minutes during the middle of the second half, a lull snapped by two East free throws that brought the Tigers within four points. And after holding the Gamecocks scoreless for nearly four minutes, the hots bagged a step-back 3 for a 57-50 lead with 7:08 to go.
And after four minutes without an MU field goal, Carter worked his way to the rim on a well-executed slip screen play after a timeout.
Butler fouled out of the game with just under five minutes to go, and the ensuing made free throw put South Carolina up 62-52.
“That’s a sign of him being physical, which is how we want him to play,†Gates said.
Two East free throws and a Bates dunk — the latter coming off a no-look, behind-the-back fling from East — cut the lead to five. Bates cut to the rim again to keep it there, but he and Carter both had shots blocked on a fast break, preventing the Tigers from closing within one possession.
Back down by seven points, East missed a pull-up 3, bringing out the intentional foul game from Mizzou.
MU has an extra day to prepare for its next game, a home tilt against Arkansas at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Razorbacks were 10-9 and 1-5 in SEC play heading into their Saturday game against No. 6 Kentucky.