Following a Trent Pierce 3-pointer, a packed Mizzou arena in Columbia, Missouri, roared as the Tigers took a 56-46 lead over the Gators with 12:40 remaining in the second half.
Missouri came out of the halftime break shutting down Florida to 2-of-10 shooting, including 0-of-6 from beyond the arc, fueling its offense to its largest lead of the contest.
Facing a potential upset, Florida stormed back, posting multiple 6-0 runs and taking back control of the Saturday night contest. A Thomas Haugh 3-pointer gave the Gators a 65-64 lead with 3:37 left.
However, the Tigers answered back with five straight points from Pierce to create a 4-point cushion with 2:05 left. Despite its efforts, Florida (9-5) was unable to complete a second-half comeback on the road, falling 76-74 to Missouri (11-3). Head coach Todd Golden has still yet to open SEC play with a win.
“Disappointing loss for us tonight," Golden said. "Disappointing, but listen, this is, as you all know, a great league, and we can't hang our heads."
At the core of Florida's struggles was its inability to win on the boards.
The Tigers came into the contest averaging 10 less rebounds per game (37.2) than the Gators. However, by the final buzzer, Missouri tied Florida with 37 boards apiece. Rueben Chinyelu, who entered the game No. 9 nationally with 10.9 rebounds a game, was held to eight boards.
"That's an area that we've been really good all year and generally gaining advantage," Golden said. "Didn't do it tonight."
A large reason for Florida’s inability to dominate the glass was foul trouble.
Alex Condon, who led Florida with nine points at the halftime break, was held to 12 minutes during the first half as he picked up three early fouls. He, Chinyelu and Haugh finished the contest with four fouls apiece.
Florida’s offensive inconsistencies also proved costly.
The Gators started the game 3-for-3 from the field and beyond the arc, finishing the first half 42% from 3-point range. However, in the second half, the Missouri defense held UF to 13% from beyond the arc.
At the forefront of Florida’s offensive struggles were guards Xavian Lee and Boogie Fland. After hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game, Lee was held to 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-for-5 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Fland finished the contest with 6 points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field, missing all six of his attempts from three.
Condon also struggled in the second half. He recorded five of his 14 points after the half on 1-of-5 shooting. He also missed a 3-pointer with 3:06 left in the contest that would have extended UF’s lead to four.
The only Gator to provide consistent offense during the second half was Haugh. The junior forward finished the game with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting. He logged 17 of those points after the break, including an and-one to cut Florida’s deficit 76-74 with 7.2 seconds left in the game.
On the other end, Anthony Robinson II and Mark Mitchell powered Missouri’s offense.
Robinson finished with a team-high 19 points, 13 of which came in the second half, on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. The junior guard also had a team-high eight rebounds and five assists. His steal with 14:04 in the second half led to a layup for the Tallahassee native, giving the Tigers a 51-43 lead.
Meanwhile, Mitchell logged 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting. His and-one put Chinyelu in foul trouble and gave the Tigers a 62-56 lead with 6:26 left.
The Gators will look to bounce back from this upset loss at home against No. 23 Georgia (13-1) Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Fall 2025 enterprise and men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
