Last-Second Shot Hands No. 15 Mizzou Loss Against No. 10 Texas A&M

More times than not, the No. 15-ranked Missouri Tigers looked in danger of losing a consecutive two games for the first time this season. Though it stayed within reach of the No. 10-ranked Texas A&M Aggies throughout the contest, the Tigers succumbed to a 67-64 defeat Saturday afternoon in a thrilling matchup.

Tied up at 64-64 with nine seconds remaining, the Aggies had possession of the ball. Wade Taylor IV found a look from 3-point range and drilled it to put the Tigers away for good after they climbed back from a nine-point disadvantage at halftime.

"I thought we were able to contest some shots from him early in that half and even throughout the game," coach Dennis Gates said. "That one was the one that ... players make plays. He was able to make the play and it was a tough contest."

As physical as any opponent Missouri has faced this year, Texas A&M didn't make it an easy game offensively. Though foul-heavy, the Aggies defense found success in forcing turnovers and highly-contested looks from behind the arc. By the end of the game, the Tigers only converted 5-of-21 attempts on 3-pointers.

"Shots just didn't fall. We had the right guys shooting threes and just whatever shots they were, they weren't there," Tamar Bates said. "Ball just didn't go in, and sometimes that happens."

In terms of the box numbers, it wasn't one of Bates' standard performances of this season. The senior struggled to find his shot for most of the night — finishing with 16 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the field — but his impact was felt in the key moments of the game. Tide-changing shot makes, along with strong defense on the perimeter, helped steer Missouri to a near-win.

Feb. 9, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tamar Bates dribbles up the floor against the Texas A&M Aggies at Mizzou Arena. / Amber Winkler/ Missouri On SI | Amber Winkler/Missouri on SI

Jacob Crews had one of his biggest games of his career for the Tigers, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and helping ignite the offense when it underwent losses of momentum. Finding a consistent role has been an up and down challenge for the guard, but this performance could build some needed confidence.

"Unfortunately we lost with that happening, but I think it's going to build momentum for me going into the next game," Crews said.

Mark Mitchell had an equally helpful provided an efficient 12 points for the Tigers. Though Caleb Grill could only muster up four points and four missed looks from deep, his defense and gravity on the 3-point line helped bring value.

Coming into the game, Texas A&M was one of the best rebounding groups in the entire country. The Tigers knew that, so it had to be aggressive on the glass. Henry Coleman III dominated with a total of 16 rebounds, but Missouri was only out-rebounded 34-32 — even tying the offensive category at 11 each. However, a 18-9 disparity in second chance points was a key part of the result.

The Tigers looked disorganized out of the gates, carelessly turning the ball over and struggling to move the ball around effectively. The Aggies were able to jump out to a 7-0 lead by the 16:29 mark following a triple from Manny Obaseki, while the missed shots kept coming for Missouri.

Bates finally put the first points of the day on the board for the Tigers with a 3-pointer at the 14:18 mark, and quickly followed it up with a transition layup to cut the Texas A&M lead to 14-5. A physical Aggies defense didn't disappear anytime soon, but Missouri started to figure out how to attack — particularly through Crews.

The guard knocked down three-straight 3-pointers from the 11:03 to the 9:52 mark, giving the Tigers a big boost of offense from the bench unit. That stretch brought them within two points, and thanks to an added two makes inside by Mark Mitchell, they tied the score up 20-20 with 8:13 remaining in the half.

Feb. 9, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Mark Mitchell drives to the basket vs. the Texas A&M Aggies. — Feb. 9, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Mark Mitchell drives to the basket against the Texas A&M Aggies at Mizzou Arena. Amber Winkler/Missouri On SI | Amber Winkler/Missouri On SI

Though, again, Texas A&M found rhythm. From there it went on a 12-2 run until the 3:34 mark, stacking makes up against Missouri and slowing down its offensive tempo. The Tigers went a total of 8:13 — the rest of the first half — without a field goal, relying on free throws to keep itself at a 38-29 disadvantage at halftime.

The cold spell of made field goals ended shortly into the second half, as Mitchell completed a layup at the 18:54 mark. The scoring didn't stop there either, cutting the lead to 44-41 with 15:56 remaining after some added points in the paint from Mitchell and Tony Perkins.

It'd be some time before Missouri padded on more of a run, but it came in full force. Getting it to just a two-point Aggies lead, Bates finished off a monster dunk in-transition to officially make a tie at 49-49 with 9:41 remaining — leading Texas A&M to use a timeout.

Once Marcus Allen banked a floater off the backboard at the 8:55 mark, it gave the Tigers their first lead of the entire game. Bates knocked down a deep 3-pointer in the middle of the court to stretch it to a five-point lead with 7:18 remaining, and it was clear to anyone that Missouri had its place in the driver's seat.

The lead dispersed with 3:06 remaining after Taylor's fall away floater found the bottom of the net, and free throws by Pharrel Payne brought the Aggies to a 63-60 lead with 1:43 left. A big turnaround jumper from Crews took it down to 63-62 just 26 seconds later, followed by a successful alley-oop from Marques Warrick to Bates in-transition brought the Tigers to a 64-63 lead with 53 seconds remaining.

After a successful free throw attempt, Texas A&M had one final look to put Missouri away. Taylor spotted up from behind the arc with 1.8 seconds remaining, and to the dismay of many in Mizzou Arena, the shot was good. Grill was forced to take look from half court, and even though it was close, it would've taken a miracle.

The Tigers will look to regain some momentum against the Oklahoma Sooners at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Columbia. The loss brings their record to 17-6 overall, 6-4 in the SEC.