Mizzou ‘out-toughed’ by Texas A&M after coming out strong to start second half
The Missouri Tigers were looking at a halftime deficit against the Texas A&M Aggies, but they came out blazing after the break.
The run started with Mizzou guard Javon Pickett aggressively attacking the basket and drawing fouls. After scoring a quick seven points to bring the Tigers closer to the Aggies, it looked like they had a chance to close the gap.
But then Pickett picked up his fourth foul of the night, sending him straight to the bench. Despite making it a one-point game early in the second half, the Tigers let the Aggies pull away for a 68-51 win Tuesday at Reed Arena.
“He played with energy, played with toughness,” Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin said of Pickett. “He was aggressive offensively. We felt like there was an opportunity to score from the corners. … Just got in foul trouble, and he has to be better at that.”
It was the Tigers’ second straight loss, dropping them to 0-5 in SEC road games. In a season-long theme, the offense disappeared again for the Tigers. There were plenty of open shots — especially from the corners — but they didn’t fall.
No Mizzou player finished in double-figure scoring; forward Mitchell Smith led the way with nine points and 11 rebounds. Smith and Pickett were among the few bright spots for the Tigers. Mizzou shot just 30.6% from the floor, including 25.9% on three-pointers, despite getting ample open looks.
“More than anything, you’ve gotta make shots,” Martin said. “If you’re not getting shots every pass is contested, every shot is contested, that’s one thing. But if you get open shots, they have to fall.”
The most worrying aspect of the loss was how Martin’s team was dominated on the glass. The Aggies out-rebounded the Tigers 49-30, grabbing 23 offensive rebounds.
At the their best, the Tigers rely on their physical nature to push past opponents, like they did in their Braggin’ Rights victory over Illinois.
That grit-and-grind culture was invisible Tuesday, as evidenced by the rebounding disparity.
“It starts with toughness,” Smith said. “We got out-toughed on the glass. We gotta block guys out. Find guys. Gotta make it harder. We can’t give up that many rebounds, that’s what keeps teams in games. We’ve just gotta be tougher.”
Texas A&M didn’t have an efficient offensive performance, either. The Aggies shot 34.5% overall and just 23.8% from three-point range. In a game that was 25-18 at halftime, they were equally responsible for a grueling display of basketball.
But the Aggies got to the free-throw line often, drawing 32 fouls — a season-high committed by Mizzou. Texas A&M shot 25 for 37 at the line, earning points by frequently getting to the basket.
“We’ve got to defend without fouling,” Martin said. “You have to be aggressive, but you have to defend without fouling. I think we had some careless fouls. We have to make our fouls count. We have to do a better job of that.”
The Tigers were swept by the Aggies in the season series, having also lost to them 66-64 two weeks earlier.
Forward Jeremiah Tilmon returned Tuesday after missing the last eight games with a stress fracture in his left foot, but Martin restricted his minutes. Tilmon played just 12 minutes Tuesday as he re-acclimates to game speed and becoming a focal point of Mizzou’s offense again.
The Tigers are still missing Mark Smith, who has a lower-back injury and didn’t make the trip to College Station. Martin said he’s still rehabbing and has a chance to play in MU’s next game, against Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday — the fifth annual Rally For Rhyan Game.
“We got some things we need to work on,” Tilmon said. “Just being tough. Rebounding, just making open shots.”