Missouri ends tumultuous season with 82-72 loss to Florida

A miserable season for Missouri came to a merciful end Saturday at Mizzou Arena, where Florida led by as many as 21 before closing out an 82-72 victory.

It was the Tigers’ final game of the season because of a self-imposed postseason ban that was announced in January among other sanctions in the wake of a 19-month investigation into NCAA rules violations.

Missouri, 10-21 overall and 3-15 in the Southeastern Conference, closed the season on a five-game losing skid in front of 7,013, the fifth-largest home crowd of the season.

“It’s kind of been a story of ours all year,” second-year Tigers coach Kim Anderson said. “We spot the other team 15, 20, 25 points and then we try to come back. … Obviously, that’s something that we’ll have to work on in the future.”

That assumes Anderson, who is expected to meet with athletic director Mack Rhoades to discuss his job in the coming days, will be part of Missouri’s future.

The Tigers are 19-44 in Anderson’s first two seasons, setting a dubious record for the most losses in any two-year span in program history.

Missouri also has some unsettled roster questions: Will any more players defect? How will Anderson use the one available scholarship — to satisfy the self-imposed reduction or try to shore up a squad that finished last in the SEC for the second straight season?

The Tigers dismissed junior guard Wes Clark in mid-February and announced Monday that sophomore forward D’Angelo Allen would transfer, but more changes could be coming before 2016-17.

There was ample evidence early against Florida, 18-13 overall and 9-9 in conference, that things need to change.

Missouri — which averaged 6,294 fans this season, the fewest since the 1978-79 season — fell behind by double figures in the opening 8 minutes and never seriously threatened first-year coach Mike White’s squad in the final game of senior forward Ryan Rosburg’s career.

“Florida played great early,” Anderson said. “I thought they came out with a sense of urgency that they certainly displayed. I know they were fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives and did a great job pushing the ball.”

The Tigers rallied within seven points on a putback by Rosburg with 1:03 remaining, but never got closer than a three-possession game after another first-half burial.

“Obviously, it’s a little frustrating,” freshman guard Terrence Phillips said of the early-game struggles that plagued Mizzou this season, “but we’re never going to quit playing. I’m never going to quit playing for Coach A. I’m always going to play hard for Coach A.”

Phillips’ performance provided a small ray of hope against the Gators. He nearly notched a triple-double, scoring 10 points with a game-best 10 rebounds and team-high seven assists.

He only had two turnovers in 34 minutes and finished with 107 assists this season, the third-most by any freshman in Tigers history (behind only Phil Pressey’s 117 and Jimmy McKinney’s 109).

“He plays with so much fire and energy and emotion,” Anderson said. “He’s an important catalyst.”

Freshman forward Kevin Puryear was another bright spot for MU. He scored 11 points with six rebounds in his 21st double-figure scoring game of the season.

Sophomore Namon Wright added a team-high 19 points with seven rebounds, while Rosburg capped his career with 11 points and four rebounds.

Rosburg, who is the team’s lone senior and was presented a framed replica of his No. 44 jersey before the game, exited the game to a hearty round of applause with 28 seconds remaining.

“It was special tonight — so many emotions, it’s hard to put into words,” Rosburg said. “I’m just thankful and blessed for this opportunity. Some things didn’t go the way I wanted it to tonight, but all in all it was a great experience. Looking back on my four years, I’m so proud to have played for Missouri and been at this school.”

He finished his Tigers career by scoring in double figures eight times in the final nine games — something he’d only done six times in his first 118 games.

“It’s been a privilege to coach (Rosburg),” Anderson said, getting choked up. “Never once a problem.”

Florida senior Dorian Finney-Smith, who scored 20 with seven rebounds, punctuated the win with two thunderous dunk in the final 5 minutes.

Freshman guard KeVaughn Allen, whose steal and dunk capped a 19-5 run in the opening 7:53 of the game, finished with 13 points.

Sophomore guard Chris Chiozza powered Florida, which went 25 of 33 from the free-throw line compared to 11 of 20 for Mizzou, with 17 points, seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists against only one turnover.

FLORIDA 82, MISSOURI 72

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Percentages: FG .429, FT .758. Three-Point Goals: 9-32, .281 (Chiozza 3-5, Hill 2-5, Finney-Smith 2-9, Robinson 1-4, Allen 1-6, Leon 0-3). Blocked Shots: 7 (Egbunu 3, Hayes 2, Allen, Finney-Smith). Turnovers: 7 (Egbunu 2, Walker, Allen, Chiozza, Robinson, Finney-Smith). Steals: 7 (Chiozza 3, Finney-Smith 2, Allen, Hill). Technical Fouls: None. Fouled Out: None.

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Percentages: FG .450, FT .550. Three-Point Goals: 7-18, .389 (Walton 2-4, Wright 2-5, Phillips 2-5, VanLeer 1-4). Blocked Shots: 1 (Puryear). Turnovers: 12 (Wright 3, Phillips 2, VanLeer, Walton, Puryear, Isabell, Barton, Gant, team). Steals: 2 (Gant, Wright). Technical Fouls: Phillips. Fouled Out: Phillips.

Half: Florida 46-28. Attendance: 7,013. Officials: Lee Cassell, Tim Gattis, C.J. Washington.

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Missouri ends tumultuous season with 82-72 loss to Florida."