KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Mizzou Men's Basketball (4-3) fell to the Oklahoma Sooners (6-1), 77-66, Tuesday night in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Classic. Juniors Mark Smith, Jeremiah Tilmon, Jr., and Dru Smith combined for 40 of Mizzou's 66 points, including 31 in the second half to fuel a comeback that fell short.

Oklahoma got off to a sizzling perfect 8-for-8 start from the field, as Mizzou faced an early deficit out of the gate. The Sooners led by as many as 18 in the opening half, but sophomore guard Torrence Watson kept the Tigers within striking distance, knocking down three key triples to counter Oklahoma's hot stretch. Mizzou turned up the defense late in the frame. A 6-0 run capped off with a Dru Smith steal and a Javon Pickett layup in transition sliced the deficit to 12 at halftime.

Mizzou continued to chip away at the Oklahoma lead, as the Tigers held the Sooners to a four-minute scoring drought early in the second half. A Mark Smith 3-pointer punctuated a 9-0 run that made it a one-possession game with seven minutes remaining. Oklahoma responded, however, with tough shots, and capitalized on Mizzou turnovers to stave off the Tigers' comeback.

TURNING POINT

After Mizzou all but erased an 18-point deficit in the second half, Oklahoma's Austin Reaves converted back-to-back buckets, and Jamal Bieniemy hit a dagger 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to push the Sooners' lead back out to 11. That edge proved to be insurmountable despite some late triples from Mark Smith. 

TOP TIGERS

• Junior guard Mark Smith led the way for the Tigers on Tuesday night, pouring in a team-high 18 points. Smith made six field goals on the night, including four from beyond the arc. He also added a team-high eight rebounds, with two assists and a steal.
• Redshirt junior guard Dru Smith packed the stats again, tallying nine points, seven assists and a steal. Dru has collected a steal in 19 consecutive matchups.
• Junior forward Jeremiah Tilmon, Jr., notched 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He added five rebounds and a block.
• Sophomore guard Torrence Watson scored a season-high 11 points off the bench, making 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Watson also snatched three rebounds.

NOTES

• Watson knocked down three triples in a game for the sixth time in his career.
• Tilmon, Jr., has scored at least 13 points in 17 games in his career.
• Mark Smith scored 18 points, reaching that mark for the fourth time this season and the eighth time in his career.
• Dru Smith recorded seven assists, and now has a team-high 33 assists this season. He's recorded 22 consecutive multi-assist games.

UP NEXT

Mizzou Men's Basketball returns home to Columbia, Mo next Tuesday, Dec. 3, to take on Charleston Southern at Mizzou Arena. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on SEC Network Plus.

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