COLLEGE STATION, Texas - A late comeback was not enough as Mizzou Men's Basketball (6-17, 1-10) fell at Texas A&M (13-10, 5-6), 76-73, on Wednesday evening at Reed Arena. The Tigers trailed by double digits in both halves, but showed resiliency to fight back, falling just short in Southeastern Conference action.
The Tigers were once again led by junior forward Jordan Barnett (St. Louis, Mo.), who set career highs in points and three-pointers made with 23 points and four buckets from deep, respectively. In just his 14th game as a Tiger, Barnett has led the team in scoring six times. With nine points, six rebounds and seven assists, sophomore guard Terrence Phillips (Orange County, Calif.) recorded his seventh game of the season with at least five points, five rebounds and five assists.
Despite falling behind 10-0 over the first four minutes, the Tigers clawed their way back into the game to trail by six points, 38-32 at the halftime intermission. Barnett kick-started Mizzou into gear in the opening frame, scoring a team-high 11 points while sinking three shots from beyond the three-point arc. A thunderous two-handed slam from the Tiger junior on a fastbreak put the Tigers within one point at 31-30 with 2:51 left in the half, but the Aggies responded by scoring seven of the last nine points of the half to take a six-point lead at the break.
Mizzou cut the lead down to two points after scoring the first four points of the second half. A Phillips' steal on the defensive end of the floor and step-back fade-away jumper on the other end set the score at 38-36. The Aggies pushed the lead back to 10 points, but a Puryear three-pointer from the corner put the Tigers back within one point with 7:20 remaining. Mizzou pulled even at 65-65 with 5:34 left, but Texas A&M responded again with a 9-2 run to push the lead back to seven. A three-pointer from Phillips with less than a second remaining got the Tigers within one possession, but the late comeback was not enough, as the Tigers fell, 76-73.
The Tigers return to Columbia to host Vanderbilt on Saturday, Feb. 11. Tipoff from Mizzou Arena is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on the SEC Network.
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team at @MizzouHoops (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
