Tamar Bates Shines in 79-67 Loss to Florida Gators

Missouri fell once again in conference play to the Florida Gators behind a 36-point performance from Tamar Bates.

Missouri basketball faced off against the Florida Gators at home, looking to pick up its first win in conference play. With new golden retro uniforms and students back on campus, the Tigers were face to face with a good opportunity to pick up a win.

Florida forward Tyrese Samuels opened up the scoring with a jump hook, but junior guard Tamar Bates responded soon after with a finish through contact. 

Florida sent the Tigers to the free-throw line twice in the first five minutes, with Bates and graduate guard Sean East II knocking them down. 

Missouri also got off to a hot start defensively, forcing three turnovers early. With these turnovers, the Tigers were getting out and running on the fast break, with Bates finishing at the rim and sophomore forward Aidan Shaw getting to the free-throw line.

Bates got off to a hot start with eight points, putting Missouri up 14-11 with 11:38 to play. Florida kept it close and eventually regained the lead with 6:50 to play after a triple from Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr.

Freshman Jordan Butler saw his first minutes of the game and made an immediate impact with a crafty up-and-under layup. The following possession the Tigers locked down, sending Florida into a frenzy. A potential missed travel call sent Tiger fans into a frenzy, with the possession ending in a fadeaway three from forward Alex Condon.

Bates' hot shooting continued with back-to-back big buckets, one being a deep contested three as the shot clock approached zero. He showed his aggressiveness throughout the entire half, not backing down to larger Florida defenders. 

Head coach Dennis Gates was pleased with the career-high performance from Bates.

"When it comes down to the game, Tamar takes what's given to him. He'd rather have the win, I know that," Gates said.

Missouri went into the locker room at halftime down 37-34, headlined by 17 points from Tamar Bates. Tiger fans got a break from the action with legendary halftime performer Red Panda and her classic act.

Bates opened up the scoring for the second half with a crafty finish at the rim. Florida's Samuel muscled his way to the rim to respond, getting the bucket to go and the foul. Bates followed that up with a signature mid-range jumper and scored six of the team's first nine points in the second half, all in the first four minutes.

Trailing 50-43, Tiger fans needed a pick-me-up, which freshman forward Trent Pierce provided. After a steal on the opposite side of the court, Aidan Shaw found Pierce on the fast break, ending with an explosive dunk from the freshman. 

Florida guard Zyon Pullin put an end to the Missouri momentum with a late shot-clock step back three to extend their lead. Florida's guards took control of the game, with their four main guards combining for 45 of their 79 points.

Missouri went on a 2:13 scoring drought, allowing the Gators to extend their lead to 63-52. Sophomore Florida guard Riley Kugel hit a shot from the logo as the shot clock expired, silencing the home crowd. 

Bates kept putting points on the board after a small scoring drought by both attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line. Bates was getting the ball nearly every possession down the stretch, usually resulting in points.

Things got chippy with 2:58 remaining, as Jordan Butler and Tyrese Samuel got into a scuffle in front of the Florida bench. The skirmish did not result in any sort of foul for either player. 

East II fouled with 2:06 to play after a foul under the basket, taking him out for the rest of the game. Trailing 74-63, hopes were not high as time ticked down. A triple from Florida guard Will Richard put the Gators up by 14, wallowing any hope of a comeback.

With this loss, the Tigers fall to 8-10 on the season and 0-5 in conference play. The lone bright spot was Bates, who put up a career-high 36 points on 13-for-20 shooting. Honor finished with 10 points and Carter with six.

Bates's scoring explosion was proceeded by good practices this prior week. The looks he is getting are now coming to him.

"I'm just going to take what's there. I'm not going to force anything within our offense," Bates said.

The Tigers struggled shooting the three, shooting 3-for-16 on the night, compared to Florida's 9-for-22. The Tigers were also out-rebounded by 13, only securing four offensive rebounds.

Nick Honor mentioned their struggles in the rebounding category, attributing it to the reason they fall behind in games.

"It's been a common theme where they get a rebound and second-chance points when they kick it out for a three," Honor said. The Gators had 13 second-chance points to Missouri's two. 

Missouri has a two-game road stretch, taking on Texas A&M and South Carolina. They then take on conference rival Arkansas at home.