A pair of runs on either side of halftime doomed Mizzou men’s basketball to an 80-60 loss Sunday, Dec. 7 to Kansas at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
The Tigers overcame a slow start, taking an 11-9 lead by way of two fast breaks from Mark Mitchell. The Tigers had a 23-21 lead with four and a half minutes to go before the wheels came off, as the Jayhawks went on an 12-2 run to end the half. KU would pull off an 11-1 run at the start of the second half to put the game out of reach. Despite a three-point basket from Luke Northweather sparking a Mizzou run, the Tigers trailed by double digits the rest of the contest, dropping their second straight contest of the season after starting the year 8-0.
Mizzou were limited to 34 percent shooting, including 26 percent from three-point range, as well as a paltry 52 percent from the free-throw line. Mark Mitchell led the Tigers with 21 points, while Jacob Crews added 11.
The Tigers return to Columbia to face Alabama State on Thursday at 7 p.m.
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Meanwhile, Mizzou women’s basketball needed a solid third quarter to overcome a deficit, then kept the momentum going to defeat SIU-Edwardsville 65-56 on Sunday at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers fell behind 24-16 after the first quarter and trailed by nine at the half. A pair of runs in the third quarter eliminated the Cougars’ lead, as Grace Slaughter scored seven points in the frame to draw the Tigers even. Mizzou would then turn on the afterburners in the final term, shooting eight-for-13, including all three three-pointers, to overwhelm SIUE and claim the win.
Mizzou netted all 16 of their free throw attempts, including nine in the third quarter. Jordana Reisma led the Tigers with 17 points, while Grace Slaughter and Shannon Dowell each added 11. The Tiger women are now 9-2 and will host Illinois on Wednesday at 6 p.m. for their installment of the Braggin’ Rights series.
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Mizzou Football will go bowling in Jacksonville against a team that narrowly missed out on the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers accepted a bid Sunday afternoon to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, set for Dec. 27 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. Their opponent will be the Virginia Cavaliers, who lost the ACC Championship Game in overtime Saturday night to Duke, costing the Wahoos a spot in the playoff. The Tigers won the only previous matchup between the two programs in 1973, a 31-7 contest at Faurot Field.
This will be the 38th appearance in a bowl game for Mizzou, and first at the Gator Bowl since the Tigers defeated Alabama 35-10 at the end of the 1968 season. Kickoff on Dec. 27 will be at 6:30 p.m.