COLUMBIA, Mo. — In its third overall appearance in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, Mizzou suffered a road loss to No. 14 West Virginia, 74-51.
Mizzou scrapped defensively in the opening half, and sliced a 14-point deficit to one at the half with a 17-4 run as West Virginia entered the locker room up 24-23. West Virginia's 24 first-half points were its second-fewest in an opening frame this season and its fewest since Nov. 26.
The Mountaineers came out firing in the second half, and surged ahead by double digits. West Virginia never relinquished that advantage, shooting 50 percent in the final 20 minutes.
Torrence Watson led Mizzou with 19 points off the bench, reaching double figures for the fourth time this season. It marked his second consecutive game in double figures for the first time in 2019-20.
TURNING POINT
After going toe-to-toe with West Virginia in the first half, Mizzou made one of its first 11 field goals to begin the second half. Up just three at 28-25, West Virginia snatched a key offensive rebound and kicked out for a 3-pointer. That bucket jumpstarted a significant run for the Mountaineers and Mizzou couldn't battle back.
TOP TIGERS
- Torrence Watson scored 19 points to lead Mizzou in scoring for the second time this season. Watson was 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, making all but two of Mizzou's 3-pointers on the day. Fourteen of Watson's 19 points came in the second half.
- Freshman Tray Jackson tied his career high in rebounds, grabbing five, and added four points.
NOTES
- Mizzou forced 11 turnovers on the day – its 11th consecutive game forcing double digit turnovers.
- Torrence Watson made at least five 3-pointers for the fourth time in his career. Of his 28 triples on the season, 23 have come in the last eight games.
- West Virginia's 24 first-half points marked its lowest scoring output since scoring 20 points against Northern Iowa at the Cancun Challenge earlier this season (Nov. 26).
- Mizzou's bench scored 37 of the Tigers' 51 points. Mizzou has either tied or outscored its opponents' bench in 15 of 19 games this season.
- Junior center Axel Okongo scored his first career points with a dunk in the second half.
UP NEXT
Mizzou Men's Basketball will return to SEC play this coming week, hosting Georgia on Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
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.
