COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men's Basketball fell to Kansas State, 82-67, on Monday night in the Paradise Jam Championship game. The Tigers drop to 3-2 on the season after going 2-1 in the Virgin Islands this week.
Mizzou was led by senior Jordan Geist, who scored 24 points, giving him 45 combined points in the last 48 hours. He was one of six players honored on the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team after averaging 17.7 points per game over three contests.
Kansas State, which had hit 13 3-pointers over four games heading into Monday night's tilt, made 12 triples to fuel its victory. Mizzou shot a season-best 60 percent from beyond the arc and 47.9 percent from the field, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Wildcats' hot shooting from deep.
Freshman Xavier Pinson tossed in a career-best 12 points in 23 minutes and sophomore Mark Smith added 11 points and four rebounds.
TURNING POINT
After junior big man Reed Nikko threw down a thunderous dunk to knot the game at 27-27 with 4:17 remaining in the half, Kansas State responded and caught fire from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats capitalized on a Mizzou scoring drought and used three triples to close the half on a 13-0 run and seize a 40-27 halftime advantage. Kansas State went on to score seven of the first nine points of the second half to build a commanding edge. Mizzou would cut the deficit to 13 but couldn't close the gap in the final 10 minutes of action.
TOP TIGERS
- Geist scored a game-best 24 points in the loss while also grabbing four rebounds, dishing two assists and collecting one steal.
- After leading the Mizzou offense in back-to-back games, Geist scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
- Geist scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time since last February in wins against Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
- Pinson totaled 12 points, a career-high. Pinson shot 4-of-6 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from distance.
GAME NOTES
- Geist attempted 15 shots on Monday, a career-high. The game marked the first time the senior guard has attempted 10 or more shots in back-to-back games since January of 2017.
- Geist made 7-of-10 free throws, giving him seven or more makes from the line in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
- Mizzou was an impressive 9-of-15 from behind the arc in the loss, good for a 60 percent clip. It was the best conversion rate from distance by a Mizzou team in a single game when attempting at least 10 shots since a win over Alabama on January 8, 2013 (9-for-15).
- Smith drained a pair of threes. He now has hit multiple triples in four of five games this season.
- Mizzou's 21 bench points were its most of the season.
- Mizzou held the advantage on the glass, leading the rebound battle 28-26. The Tigers have out-rebounded opponents in four of five games this season and 26 times in 38 games during the Cuonzo Martin era.
UP NEXT
Mizzou returns to Columbia, Mo., for a five-game homestand from Nov. 27-Dec. 18. The Tigers face Temple next Tuesday at Mizzou Arena. Tip off is set for 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
For all the latest on Mizzou Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouHoops).
