COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball (5-15, 0-8) came up short in its comeback effort on Saturday night at Mizzou Arena, falling by a score of 63-53 to No. 23 South Carolina (17-4, 7-1). The Tigers had their chances, but were held off despite several late runs in the second half and a stout defensive effort, overall. 

Mizzou was led by senior forward Russell Woods (Chicago, Ill.), who turned in a career-high 18 points in a dominant performance from the low post, also adding eight rebounds. Woods has been coming on well lately, going for double digits in three of his last four games. Together with sophomore forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.), the front court duo controlled the glass with a combined 16 rebounds. 

The Tigers also received a strong outing from sophomore guard K.J. Walton (Indianapolis, Ind.), who scored 12 points, going 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Walton was key on offense, but also drew the assignment of South Carolina standout Sindarious Thornwell. Thornwell, a preseason All-SEC selection, shot just 4-of-15 from the field.

Mizzou came out strong to start the game with focus on the defensive end, holding South Carolina scoreless for the first 5:12 of the game, which helped the Tigers jump out to a 7-0 lead.

On the offensive end of the floor, Woods, Walton, and junior guard Jordan Geist (Fort Wayne, Ind.) were the only Tigers to score in the game's opening half.  Woods posted nine points and six rebounds, while Walton was a nearly flawless 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the opening frame. Walton, like Woods, scored nine points in the first half. 

Geist orchestrated from the point guard slot. He provided the play of the half when he found a cutting Walton, who threw down an emphatic two-handed slam, bringing the game back to an even 19-19 with 4:01 left to play in the half. Geist had four points in the first period.

Mizzou was able to hang with the Gamecocks during a tightly contested first frame that featured five lead changes. The game remained tied until Woods was able to briefly put the Tigers on top, bulldozing to the rim for a layup to give Mizzou a 21-20 lead with 1:46 remaining in the half. However, South Carolina was able to regroup, and took a 26-22 advantage into the break.

The second half opened up with a flurry from the Gamecocks, as they went on an 8-2 run to take a 33-24 lead with 14:26 left in the game. Though the Tigers repeatedly attempted to come back in the second half's early going, USC had an answer for any momentum the Tigers were able to establish, including a second slam dunk from Walton, courtesy of sophomore guard Terrence Phillip's (Orange County, Ca.) 200th career assist. 

Fittingly, a late run from Mizzou's squad was started with Woods, who again muscled home a layup as he was fouled. He knocked down the free throw to bring the Tigers back within seven. Though the Gamecocks would hit a three in the next sequence, Phillips was again able to trim the South Carolina lead to seven with a three-point play of his own. USC was able to hold off the Tigers' late rally, and sealed the game from the free throw line. 

The Tigers next play at Florida on Thursday, Feb. 2. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT in Gainesville, Fla., and the game will be shown on ESPN2. 

For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team at @MizzouHoops (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).