Enterprise Center in St. Louis has been a house of horrors the last few seasons for Missouri.
From three straight Braggin’ Rights losses to an early March Madness exit last season, MU hasn’t had much to celebrate when it’s made the two hour trek east.
The Tigers’ streak of setbacks in the 314 continued Friday night, falling 90-84 to in-state foe Saint Louis.
SLU seized the early momentum with the backing of a crowd that skewed toward the Billikens.
Josh Schertz’s squad took a 10-5 lead in the opening
three minutes with the help of a four-point play by Ishan Sharma and pushed its lead to double digits for the first time on an Amari McCottry layup just over five minutes into the action.
Mizzou struggled to find its offensive footing until an 8-0 run cut its deficit to just one with 8:09 remaining in the opening half.
But the Tigers could not find an answer for SLU’s perimeter shooting as the Billikens went 9-of-16 from deep in the opening half and took a 49-38 lead into the break.
Bryson Tiller was MU’s only consistent offensive option in the first, picking up 16 points and collecting three of the team’s four made triples in the half. He finished the night with 26 points and nine rebounds.
SLU shut down all early attempts by Mizzou to rally in the second half, looking every bit like a seasoned team returning many of its key pieces from a group that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
The Tigers’ most serious run cut their deficit to six points with about five-and-a-half minutes remaining, bringing MU fans to their feet. Quentin Jones responded with another three-pointer for the Billikens, immediately putting them back in the driver’s seat.
Mizzou challenged down the stretch but was unable to find the final push it needed, dropping the first matchup between the two squads since 2001.
Mark Mitchell helped lift the Tigers’ offense in the second half and ended his night with 21 points on an 8-of-11 mark from the field.
Jamier Jones joined him in double figures, collecting 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
Noticeably absent in the box score were Jason Crowe Jr. and Toni Bryant. MU’s pair of five-star freshmen combined for just nine points after putting up 38 collectively in their collegiate debut.
The loss drops the Tigers to 1-1 on the year ahead of a Monday night matchup against SIUE in Columbia. Mizzou’s game against the Cougars tips off at 7 p.m. and will be streaming on SEC Network+.
