Missouri Goes Winless in SEC Play, Falls to LSU in Narrow Loss
It's official.
The Missouri Tigers have officially ended their season without a single win in Southeastern Conference play, falling to the LSU Tigers 84-80.
The final loss ended like most have throughout Missouri's historically-bad season: a second half collapse. It was a competitive first half where it had a 35-29 lead, but LSU came right back with a 55-point second half. The fellow Tigers gained quite the significant lead, and even with a late-game surge from Missouri, it wasn't enough.
In the final collegiate game of his career, Sean East II did nearly all he could. The senior recorded 26 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals on 10-of-14 shooting. The winless record may sour his final season, but he served as a fantastic frontman all year long that improved on his first season with the program.
Noah Carter — also a senior — had his own 18 points, four rebounds and three steal night on 6-of-11 shooting. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same send-off game for Nick Honor, who only scored seven points on 2-of-13 shooting.
The biggest differential in the game was from the free-throw line, where Missouri allowed LSU to shoot 37 attempts, while it only shot 16. Thirteen extra points are difficult to overcome, especially when it couldn't get hot from behind the arc.
An 0-18 season is difficult to imagine, but an expected outcome after the last several games of Missouri's season. It'll be tough to have any ounce of momentum heading into the SEC tournament, and unless things drastically change, the Tigers' tournament chances will be no different than winning a game was in the regular season.
Second Half:
- FINAL: Missouri 80 - LSU 84
- 0:00: Too little, too late. Although the Tigers gained some momentum that nearly gave LSU a scare, there just wasn't enough time to secure a victory. Carter hit a deep 3-pointer to make it a 3-point game with five seconds left, but LSU knocked down its free throws to keep it ahead.
- 2:05: A couple of triples from Missouri is starting a run as LSU slows down, but it's still a 74-62 deficit. A lot of ground to make up in just two minutes.
- 8:00: The opposing Tigers have now stretched it out to a 26-4 run. It's like clockwork.
- 12:16: After a 14-0 run from LSU, Missouri finds itself down once again in a second half collapse. It's been an issue for the past few games specifically, and the trend seems to continue.
- 15:26: East’s dominance continues, already gaining eight points in the second half. He’s driving the Tigers to potentially its first SEC win, although it will need to hold tighter on the defensive end.
First Half:
- End of half: Missouri 35 - LSU 29
- 0:00: In one of its strongest halves of the season, the Tigers ended it with an six-point lead. East’s 11 points and Noah Carter’s eight points led the way, playing an efficient and clean offense.
- 7:50: With a 19-16 lead, Missouri’s offense looks smoother than it has all season.
- 12:08: Back and forth start in the first eight minutes of play. East II scored a quick five points, but both teams have been very turnover heavy.
Starting Lineups:
| Missouri | LSU |
|---|---|
Tamar Bates | Trae Hannibal |
Nick Honor | Jordan Wright |
Noah Carter | Will Baker |
Mabor Majak | Jalen Reed |
Sean East II | Tyrell Ward |
