Maybe it was home-court advantage, a curse, even voodoo. Whatever the story may be, the Missouri Tigers seemed without a pulse for nearly forty minutes inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday afternoon.
Dennis Gates has only been able to claim victory once in Baton Rouge, and history from three years ago unfortunately would not be repeated as Mizzou fell 70-78.
In the first half, Mizzou struggled mightily on the offensive end. It took nearly six minutes for the first basket to fall and
the Tigers faced a daunting 10-0 deficit from the jump. The team shot just 33.33% from field goal range and a staggering 22% from beyond the arc. Mizzou trailed 37-27 at the half, the lowest total points since dropping 25 against Illinois on December 22.
LSU was able to play at their own comfortable pace of play which Mizzou could not settle into until late in the second half. Defensive combos were blown by and offensive schemes did not click. It appeared the visitors were in desperate need of an energy drink, some Gatorade chews, or even an IV drop— the energy was that depleted across the lineup.
The opposing Tigers were also able to shut down star Mark Mitchell, who was limited to only two points at the half and 13 overall. He battled foul trouble all game, ending with four fouls and limited minutes.
Shawn Phillips Jr. led Mizzou with six points at the break. Yes, you read that right.
In the final twenty minutes, MU was able to minimize the deficit but were never able to find the lead. It felt like one step forward and two steps back.
However, Jayden Stone once again showed his potential among the Tigers. He finished the night with 20 points, including three triples. At multiple points, Stone led offensive bursts that helped his team get right back into the game, getting as close as three, before the rug was once again swept out from under their feet.
Finding themselves in the bonus early, Mizzou did have a decent night from the charity stripe. An ugly stat line in recent games that has nearly cost them wins, the Tigers finished the night shooting 80 percent from the free throw line, going 24-30. This time, it almost revived them from the dead.
LSU opened the game fighting for its lives on all areas of the court and came away with its first win in conference play. Max Mackinnon and Marquel Sutton recorded 20-plus point outings for the Bayou Bengals with Sutton collecting a season-high 26.
For Mizzou, they had a prime Quad 1 victory slip from its hands. Today, nothing clicked. It’s not a March-ending defeat and by no means panic-inducing, but a rewatch won’t be necessary. The team will regroup before heading home to Columbia to face No. 21 Georgia on Tuesday night.
