AMES, IOWA — The Missouri Tigers always seemed to be a step behind.
Each time Mizzou appeared to gain some momentum in Saturday’s men’s basketball game, No. 23 Iowa State had a response.
The Tigers kept things close in the first half but fell apart on defense in the second en route to a 67-50 defeat in the Big 12/SEC Challenge at Hilton Coliseum.
“We didn’t play tough enough,” Mizzou guard DaJuan Gordon said. “They brought the grit and we didn’t match it.”
Missouri (8-12, 2-5 SEC) has lost five of its last six games.
The Tigers started off hot offensively, making their first four attempts from the floor. Gordon was aggressive early, establishing himself as Missouri’s main source of offense. He scored his team’s first seven points, hitting two shots from mid-range and also knocking down a 3-pointer.
But as it often has this season, Missouri fell into a lengthy scoring drought that wiped away its early lead. The Tigers went nearly six minutes without a bucket, turning the ball over five times.
“(Giving up leads), that’s something that this team, we have all struggled with this whole year,” Gordon said. “It’s nothing with the opponent, it’s all within Mizzou. So that’s something that we all have to work on and we have to be able to maintain the lead once we get up.”
Then with around five minutes left in the first half, guard Jarron “Boogie” Coleman drove into the paint and hit a floating layup to give the lead back to Missouri. After a missed 3-point attempt from Iowa State, forward Ronnie DeGray III drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key, putting Mizzou up 25-20.
The score capped off an 11-2 run in a little over four minutes for the Tigers as they forced the Cyclones to miss seven of eight shots.
But once again, Iowa State had a better response. The Cyclones ended the half on a quick 8-0 spurt and led 32-29 at halftime. The deficit could have been less, but Mizzou head coach Cuonzo Martin got a technical foul in the final seconds.
The Tigers’ defense held the Cyclones to 1 of 10 shooting beyond the 3-point arc in the first half, but Iowa State went on a 15-0 run in a little over five minutes after halftime, making three consecutive 3-pointers during that stretch.
“Certainly breakdowns on stuff we execute all the time,” Martin said of his team’s lack of defense on the scoring run. “That type of stuff, it’s just hard to overcome that, especially when you’re on the road in a good environment.”
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Iowa State held its largest lead, 47-34. Mizzou held the Cyclones to 34.5% shooting in the first half, but then allowed a 58.3% clip after halftime.
The Tigers continued to spiral throughout the second half, never able to get back into the flow of the game.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
Turnover woes haunt the Tigers
Missouri has committed double-digit turnovers in nine consecutive games — seven of those have ended in losses.
The Cyclones defense, which has established itself as one of the best in the country, overwhelmed the Tigers.
The Tigers committed 13 turnovers in the first half, leading to 17 points for the Cyclones — 53.1% of their scoring production.
Missouri ended the afternoon with 18 turnovers. Iowa State, which had seven steals, scored a total 23 points of those mistakes.
“We just wasn’t tough enough with the ball,” Gordon said. “They sent everything to the baseline when we was going baseline. And just us as a team, we wasn’t there for each other. So we needed to be together and be stronger with the ball.”
Javon Pickett goes down
Senior guard Javon Pickett held the back of his head in pain after a collision in the first half.
After a few minutes on the bench, during which he looked uncomfortable and was still grimacing, he went back to the locker room with a trainer.
Pickett subbed back into the game with around 11 and a half minutes in the first half, but he exited soon after. He only played six minutes and never re-entered the game.
In the second half, Pickett was on the bench for some time before once again going back to the locker room.
“Just hit in the head, between the head and the eye,” Martin said when asked about Pickett’s status after the game. “That’s all we know right now. I would imagine there will be more tests as we get back. But the top of his head and around his eye, he said he was struggling trying to see.”
Pickett had been starting to get more comfortable on offense in recent games and has been a key senior leader for the Tigers.
“Javon’s one the guys who just get us all together and make sure everything’s right,” Gordon said. “That’s when the other older guys like me, Kobe (Brown), Boogie (Coleman), we need to step up and be one of those guys to help lead the team. But just his grit and his leadership, it hurt us this game — him being gone.”
Another quiet game for Kobe Brown
Missouri’s offense has depended on the production of forward Kobe Brown all season.
Entering Saturday’s game, Brown had averaged 22.5 points on 58.3% shooting in the Tigers’ two SEC wins compared to just 6.6 points on 30.6% shooting in their five SEC losses.
Against Iowa State, the junior once again struggled to find his groove. He finished the game with two points on 1 of 8 shooting and also committed two turnovers.
“Kobe just has to be better,” Martin said. “It’s just that simple, because we need him to be at that level. I think he’s a better talent than what his game showed (today).”
