Missouri Falters Late as Texas Pulls Away in Second Half Surge
For the first 20 minutes in Columbia, Missouri looked like a team ready to make a statement. The Tigers came out with energy, defensive grit, and a sense of urgency that matched the stakes - a prime opportunity to boost their NCAA Tournament resume. But after halftime, that urgency evaporated, and Texas took full control, handing Mizzou an 85-68 loss that stings more than just the final score suggests.
Missouri led for much of the first half and even built a five-point cushion at one point. Defensively, they were locked in.
T.O. Barrett was active in the passing lanes, collecting two steals and adding a block.
Shawn Phillips Jr. and Trent Pierce each chipped in with a block of their own. The Tigers kept the Longhorns off the free-throw line, limiting them to just six attempts in the opening frame.
Offensively, it was Mark Mitchell and Jayden Stone who carried the load. Mitchell poured in 12 first-half points, while Stone added eight, helping Missouri stay in rhythm. But despite the strong start, the Tigers still found themselves down two at the break - a sign of what was coming.
Then came the second half, and with it, a total momentum shift.
Texas found its groove, and Dailyn Swain took over. The Longhorns’ guard erupted for 18 of his 25 points after halftime, slicing through the Missouri defense and setting the tone for a dominant second period. Texas shot a blistering 61.5% from the field and hit half of their threes in the second half, leaving Missouri scrambling for answers.
The Tigers, meanwhile, never found theirs.
Missouri hit just eight field goals after the break and went 1-for-5 from beyond the arc. They didn’t score a single point in the final 2:13 of game time and went through multiple scoring droughts that allowed the Longhorns to stretch the lead with ease. Once the second half tipped, Missouri never led again.
“Tough outcome,” head coach Dennis Gates said postgame. “In the first half, neither team had more than a five-point lead.” That balance didn’t last long.
With the game tied at 41 following a second-chance dunk by Nicholas Randall, Texas launched a 16-6 run that broke the game open. And Missouri didn’t help itself - nine of those 16 points came from the charity stripe.
The Tigers committed 12 fouls in the second half alone, sending Texas to the line 17 times. The Longhorns converted 16 of them.
Anthony Robinson fouled out with about a minute to play, picking up four of his five fouls after halftime. Phillips also found himself in foul trouble, committing two in each half.
“Our guys were foul prone tonight,” Gates admitted. “(Texas) did a great job of executing their free-throw shooting.”
Before the opening tip, the game was already off to a strange start. A multi-vehicle crash on I-70 delayed the arrival of game officials, pushing tipoff back 20 minutes to 7:50 p.m. That delay didn’t seem to affect Missouri early - but what followed in the second half was a different story.
Tournament Picture Gets Cloudier
This one mattered - a lot. Missouri came into the night sitting precariously on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the Tigers were the last team in the projected field heading into Saturday. A recent road win in College Station had helped their cause, but this was another Quad 2 opportunity that could’ve strengthened their case.
Instead, it became a missed chance.
Missouri entered the weekend ranked No. 56 in the NET, with a 3-4 record in Quad 1 games. After Saturday, they sit 3-4 in Quad 2 as well. The margin for error is shrinking, but the season isn’t over - and neither is their shot at March.
“At the end of the day, Selection Sunday is Selection Sunday,” Gates said. “There’s not one person who publicly put out information regarding what the selection committee is thinking during this time. What I’m thankful for is that our guys are getting healthy, they’re able to continue to get better.”
Gates kept perspective postgame, acknowledging the long grind of the season and the importance of staying level-headed.
“This is a good team that we have here,” he said. “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do, but obviously we want to continue to do more and stay positive.
It’s not always as good as you think it is, and it’s not always as bad as you think it is. You want to kind of stay in the middle and bounce back because it’s a long season.”
And bounce back they must. With the clock ticking toward Selection Sunday, every game from here on out carries weight. Saturday night was a stumble - now we’ll see if Missouri can regain its footing before the dance begins.