Final: Mizzou 76 – Florida 74
Mizzou grabs its first lead since the first bucket of the first halfIt takes Florida nearly three minutes for the teams first basket of the half, but the Gators still trail 45-41At the under-14 media timeout Mizzou holds a 49-43 lead. Robinson II has exploded for six points to open the secondFlorida has struggled from beyond the arc. After knocking down three within the first four minutes of the game, they’ve only connected on two since. From the field, they are shooting a measly 37 percentMeanwhile, Mizzou is shooting 52% from the field and also connected on a total of five three’sRobinson II is rolling on the ground in pain after a layup but TV commentary is alluding to the injury just being a crampThe Tigers extend the lead to ten points and force Florida to call a timeoutAlex Condon picks up his fourth foul and puts Crews at the charity stripe. There is still ten minutes remaining in the halfAt the media timeout around 9 minutes the Tigers lead but only by four, 56-52. Over the last four minutes Mizzou has found themselves in a scoring drought and Florida has taken advantageDennis Gates uses his second coach’s challenge to contest a deflectionMark Mitchell with a big layup to snap Mizzou’s 5 minute scoreless FG streakAlex Condon slams home a dunk to bring Mizzou’s lead to 64-58. Todd Golden and crew call a timeoutBoth teams have reached bonus with over five minutes to goOut of the timeout Florida has gone on a 6-0 run over the last minute and a half. It’s now 64-62 with four minutes remaining and Gates calls timeoutThomas Haugh drains a three and Florida retakes the lead, 65-64Stone’s missed free throw drops its percentage to 61 percent tonightOver the last two and a half minutes the Gators have gone on ANOTHER run, this time 9-0Mizzou has begun to lose composure as Robinson II picks up an offensive foul. 3:07 still on the clockA layup and three from Trent Pierce brings the Tigers ahead by four with a little under two minutes to goFlorida calls its final timeoutMark Mitchell knocks down two at the stripe and makes it a two possession game with under a minute remainingOn the other end of the court, Florida also knocks down two free throws and Gates calls his final timeoutStar Anthony Robinson II with a three to bring Mizzou ahead by five and there’s only 15.7 on the clock. However, Condon finds himself at the free throw line againAn and-one from Haugh brings Florida back within two with 7.2 leftBoogie Fland’s final three-point attempt is no good and the Tigers come away with a win against the defending championsMizzou opens the scoring with a layup from Jayden Stone. A nice steal and score in his returnStone is on a HOT streak! After the layup, he’s collected two three’s, scoring all eight points for the TigersAt the under-16 media timeout Florida leads 13-8. As mentioned in our preview, Florida has been lethal from beyond the arc, knocking down three at 75%Some missed opportunities from Mizzou and subsequent Florida rebounds have led to a Gator momentum flip. Florida still leads, now 17-11Dennis Gates calls timeout with 13:19 left on the clock in the halfMizzou is without a point in nearly three minutes but they’ve also kept Florida at bay. Jacob Crews will be at the line out of the media timeout. Florida leads 19-13A scoring drought of three minutes for Florida has brought the Tigers within two, Gators maintaining a 28-26 leadAt the under-7 media timeout, the Gators lead by five. Since the last break, Mizzou has drained five of its last six field goals. Points have been spread across the lineupAnother Tiger turnover is its fifth of the nightAlex Condon has already collected three fouls with four minutes and another half to goAt the under-4 media timeout Florida now leads 35-31. Teams have been trading dry spells but feisty play has kept the match closeMark Mitchell with a huge block to show off and keep the game within one possessionWith 13 seconds on the clock Florida calls a timeoutTrent Burns, HELLO! He drains a three at the buzzer and its a tie ballgame, 39-39, at the halfEleven Tigers have touched the court with Crews and Stone leading the way at 9 points apieceTrent Pierce is expected to make his season debut tonightJayden Stone is also back after his hand injuryMizzou starting lineup: Anthony Robinson II, Jayden Stone, Jacob Crews, Mark Mitchell, Shawn Phillips JrFlorida starting lineup: Boogie Fland, Xaivian Lee, Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu
Where | Mizzou Arena; Columbia, MO
Radio | Tiger Radio Network
ESPN win probability | 33.2% chance