Mizzou basketball loses 6th straight SEC game at Texas A&M. Here are the takeaways
Missouri dropped its sixth game in a row as it fell to Texas A&M 63-57 on the road in College Station, Texas.
It was once again a close and confident effort by the Tigers, but Dennis Gates’ squad came away winless in the end.
The Tigers (8-11, 0-6 Southeastern Conference) started out with plenty of momentum and took an early nine-point lead. But turnovers, fouls and long scoring droughts proved to be the difference as the Aggies claimed a six-point win.
Up next: Missouri will remain on the road, facing South Carolina on Saturday. The game will be shown on the SEC Network at 12 p.m.
Until then, here are three takeaways from Tuesday night’s game...
Foul trouble and turnovers plague the Tigers
Some familiar issues showed up again for the Tigers.
At the 11:42 mark in the first half, Noah Carter fouled Henry Coleman III following an errant pass by Sean East II. It prevented a transition opportunity for the Aggies, but it gave the Tigers their seventh foul.
Buzz Williams’ squad was already in the bonus.
Texas A&M, which averages 16 free throws per game, shot 20 in the first half alone.
Early on, that helped the Aggies cut into the Tigers’ lead. Later, it helped give them some separation.
In all, Texas A&M shot 37 free throws against the Tigers, marking the third straight game where an opponent has attempted 20-plus against MU.
Following Carter’s foul, Jesus Carralero Martin turned the ball over, resulting in Wade Taylor IV cutting the lead to a single point. Free throws shortly after by Coleman gave Texas A&M its first lead at 14-13.
Another issue: turnovers.
Missouri turned the ball over 14 times after just doing it just five times against Florida. The Aggies tallied 21 of their 56 points off MU turnovers.
Another shift in the starting lineup
An interesting nugget to take away from the Tigers’ defeat was Gates’ decision to change the starting lineup.
Throughout conference play, the starting lineup typically has included a combination of Nick Honor, Carter, East, Tamar Bates and either Aidan Shaw or Connor Vanover.
Against the Aggies, Gates elected to start both Jordan Butler and Carralero Martin in the starting lineup — replacing Carter and the spot typically held by Shaw or Vanover.
Butler was an intriguing inclusion in the starting five. Tuesday marked the four-star recruit’s first start at the collegiate level.
He splashed a 3-pointer to start the second half for his only bucket after tallying four points against Florida. That said, Butler did record five rebounds and a block with his 7-foot frame.
Carralero Martin didn’t score and finished with five rebounds, three assists and five turnovers.
Inability to close games haunts Missouri again
Missouri failed to generate any offense to close out its previous five SEC games — five games the Tigers lost.
How many points did the Tigers score over the final six minutes against the Aggies? Just 10.
The Tigers have struggled mightily in the closing minutes of games, and that once again showed up Tuesday night in College Station.
Missouri cut the deficit to one possession behind an East 4-point play with 3:42 to play and again after a Bates basket shortly thereafter. But MU never tied the score or took the lead.
Bates and East scored in the final seconds to make the final margin closer, but A&M was already in position to leave with a win.
The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.
