COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men's Basketball fell in a tight battle on the road at Florida on Saturday night, 64-60. The Tigers led by nine at halftime, but Florida stormed back and prevailed late with tough shots and defensive stops in the final minutes.
Mizzou senior Jordan Geist chipped in a team-high 16 points and freshman Javon Pickett scored 15 points as the duo combined to score more than half of the Tigers' points. With Mizzou trailing by two with less than 30 seconds left, Pickett got a clean look at a go-ahead 3-pointer, but the shot rimmed out and Florida corralled the rebound to secure the victory.
Mizzou shot 41.8 percent and limited the Gators to just three total 3-pointers for the game, but the Tigers struggled to score down the stretch.
TURNING POINT
With Mizzou up 42-33 with 16:05 remaining in the contest, Florida capitalized on trips to the free throw line and forced the Tigers into foul trouble. Florida sandwiched a jumper with eight consecutive free throw attempts and converted seven of them. The Gators sliced Mizzou's lead to one during that stretch.
Both teams traded buckets and the lead for the remainder of the game, with Florida finally getting the edge in the final minute.
TOP TIGERS
- Jordan Geist scored 16 points to reach double figures in his ninth consecutive contest as well as in 20 of the last 23 games. He added three rebounds in 39 minutes.
- Javon Pickett made six field goals and scored 15 points, while leading Mizzou in rebounding with six boards.
- Junior Reed Nikko played 21 effective minutes off the bench, finishing with four points and a season-high six rebounds.
- Freshman Torrence Watson drained three triples and finished with nine points in 27 minutes off the bench.
GAME NOTES
- Pickett reached the 15-point mark for the fourth time in his career on Saturday. He has scored at least eight points in six of the last seven games.
- Mizzou held Florida to a season-low three 3-pointers.
- Mizzou outrebounded its opponent for the 19th time in the last 26 games.
- Saturday's loss marked just Mizzou's third defeat when holding a team to less than 70 points.
UP NEXT
Mizzou travels to Starkville, Miss., to take on Mississippi State on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. 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).
