FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Mizzou Men's Basketball (12-5, 2-2 SEC) erased an 18-point deficit to take the lead, but ultimately could not put the game away, falling 65-63 to Arkansas (12-5, 2-3 SEC) on Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena. Mizzou was led the entire way by graduate senior guard Kassius Robertson (Toronto, Ontario), who poured in a season-high 26 points. Robertson played his best game to-date as a Tiger, setting season-highs in field goals made (nine), three-pointers made (six), rebounds (eight) and steals (three).
TURNING POINT
Two big runs kept Mizzou in the game. First, Mizzou fell behind by as many as 18 points on two separate occasions in the first half, but utilized a 23-7 run over the final 5:24 of the half to claw back into the game and cut the lead to seven, 35-28, at the break. Robertson and freshman forward Jontay Porter (Columbia, Mo.) were both vital on the run, scoring six and five points, respectively.
Down nine points at 49-40 in the second half, Mizzou went on 21-4 run to grab a 59-53 lead with 4:43 left to play. Robertson had 11 points during the stretch to lead the Tigers, while senior forward Jordan Barnett (St. Louis, Mo.) contributed five points.
TOP TIGERS
· Robertson led the Tigers in scoring for the eighth time this season with his game-high 26 points. The Tiger senior had the hot hand, as he shot 9-of-15 from the field, 6-of-11 from three-point territory, and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. With his six made threes, Robertson improved to 43.8 percent (53-of-121) from deep this season.
· Barnett recorded his fifth career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. His 12 points mark the 13th time this season and the 11th time in the past 12 games he has reached double-figures in scoring.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to Mizzou Arena for its next conference matchup, as the Tigers host Tennessee on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
For all the latest on Mizzou Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouHoops) and like the team Facebook and Instagram (Mizzou Hoops).
