Dennis Gates Explains Quiet Second Halves for Shaw, Pierce in Mizzou's Debut

The two developing pieces for Missouri saw limited playing time after effective first halves.

Missouri forward Aidan Shaw looks to pass during a college basketball game against Ole Miss at Mizzou Arena on Mar. 2, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. / Abigail Landwehr/Columbia Daily Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

The mistakes at the root of Missouri's 83-75 loss to Memphis to open the season are pretty clear: Missouri gave up 18 turnovers, committed 24 fouls, and was 16-for-25 from the free-throw line.

The dissapearence of both Aidan Shaw and Trent Pierce from the Missouri lineup early in the second half was not quite as self explanatory.

The two developing playmakers showed off their potential in the first half, where Missouri gained a 42-32 lead. In eight minutes in the first half, Pierce scored 10 and Shaw scored nine points in 12 minutes.

Yet, in the second half, Pierce wasn't subbed in until 6:39 remained and Missouri's 10-point lead had flipped to a six-point deficit. Shaw only played a little over a minute of the first seven minutes of the half.

 "It's just the way the game goes," head coach Dennis Gates said on the two's decrease in playing time through the second half. "I thought those two guys did give us good minutes, don't get me wrong. But also, ball handling was more important in that second half."

Gates prioritized the lineup featuring Anthony Robinson II and Tony Perkins in the second half in hopes to hold on to the lead.

Shaw and Pierce helped Missouri control the pace offensively in the first half, but the offense was a shaky, inconsistent unit in the second half. It shot 8-of-24 from the field in the second.

“Just in terms of the momentum of the game," Gates said. "We ended up executing some things in that first half that I thought should have taken place in that second."

Even if Shaw and Pierce weren't able to make the same impact in the second half, the promise they showed in the first is an encouraging sign for Missouri. Pierce was active on both ends of the court after only scoring more than 10 points one time in his freshman season. Shaw showed the potential to grow into one of the most consistent playmakers for the offense.

Missouri will look to end a 20-game losing streak Friday, hosting Howard at 8 p.m. at Mizzou Arena.